2020 will forever be remembered for many years, and the way professional wrestling reacted to a global pandemic is a small part of it. Suddenly, crowds were gone. No longer could a performer work off the energy of a crowd, or be interrupted during promos. Some didn’t react well to this and noticeably felt off, but some put in the best work of their career, and very few shined brighter than Randy Orton.
The master of the RKO from March onward was one of the driving forces that made WWE so good, and provided some of the best memories we will have this year. As the final episode of Monday Night RAW in 2020 has passed us by, let’s look back at the incredible year Randy Orton had.
Randy Orton & Edge Had Some Emotional Classics
The first signs that Orton was going to have one of his best years ever came with the return of Edge at Royal Rumble. Suddenly, the past members of super team Rated RKO were able to have a feud, and they tore into each other both verbally and physically.
While their match at Wrestlemania was lacking due to a slow pace, the build up had fans wanting it to take a main event space on the show. Orton was delivering the best promos of his career, and everyone was insanely excited to see Edge back in the ring! Their match at Backlash despite some odd editing choices was fantastic, and would have had a live crowd on the edge of their seats.
With another match likely coming in this trilogy once crowds are back, this story remains unfinished. Due to Edge being injured, it did feel a bit unsatisfying, but moments like Orton hitting Beth Phoenix with an RKO will live on.
Giving Drew McIntyre His First Proper Main Event Feud
One feud that won’t be viewed as feeling unfinished was Orton’s feud with WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. Stretching from Summerslam to the RAW before Survivor Series in terms of matches, their four clashes were among the best of the year.
From Ambulance Matches, Hell in a Cell, to a good ol’ No DQ Grudge Match on RAW, McIntyre got three wins over Randy Orton, and Orton even got World Title reign #14 with his sole win. Both men were able to fire off passionate promos, and it showed that McIntyre will remain a main event name for years to come.
If you can hang with Orton like McIntyre did, you belong at the top. Simple as that. Great matches with Seth Rollins, Lashley, and Dolph Ziggler showed he was a great champion, but Orton legitimized him.
Who Doesn’t Love An Arsonist?
Finally, Orton will end his year revisiting his past feud with Bray Wyatt. Everyone knew The Fiend would come for him eventually, but we didn’t expect it to be so good. The Firefly Funhouse Inferno match at TLC 2020 will go down as one of the best uses of a no-crowd situation.
It finally allowed the Inferno match stipulation to feel dangerous, as the match ended with a traditional burn job with The Fiend catching fire on the outside, but when Orton doused a fallen Fiend in gasoline and fully setting him ablaze after the match? That was a moment that could define the tone of WWE going into 2021. Orton ended his year with a chance to do the same to Alexa Bliss, but RAW faded to black leaving her fate unclear.
Randy Orton has always been a future hall of fame headliner, but this year saw him up his game on numerous levels. We’ve rarely seen him so motivated for an entire year, and his promos showed insane improvement. Do you think 2020 was one of Orton’s best years? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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