The Iconic WWE Entrance That Made Randy Orton Fear for His Life (2024)

Randy Orton has been actively involved in top-level storylines ever since his WWE debut in the early 2000’s. Today, we are living in 2024, and it’s been over two decades since his debut, but The Viper is still a regular feature on TV, and it shows how passionate he is about his career in the professional wrestling world.

Amid the long-run he has enjoyed, Orton has feuded with some of the most legendary performers and has established himself as one of the most vicious heels in the organization. But, despite the kind of persona he has portrayed, the case was quite different in his initial years, as there was one iconic WWE entrance that made the 14-time World Champion fear for his life.

This unforgettable moment took place on November 27, 2005, after the traditional Survivor Series match, as The Undertaker made his highly-anticipated WWE return. While the return itself was a big problem for Randy Orton because he was the last guy Taker feuded with before going on a hiatus, the special entrance The Phenom had made it even more extraordinary.

it’s 2005 and you are watching the most badass WWE entrance of all time pic.twitter.com/CFSfd6J2XG

— non aesthetic things (@PicturesFoIder) June 7, 2024

The Deadman made his presence felt by making a sensational return in a flaming casket, and as soon as Randy realized that it was The Undertaker, his emotions took over his mind. The Viper’s face got really nervous, and it was evident from his reactions that he knew what Taker is going to do with him, now that he had returned to the company.

The things that Orton probably feared about were exactly what happened after that night, as he restarted the feud with Randy Orton. After continuing the storyline for a few more months, Randy Orton and The Undertaker’s rivalry was eventually settled in a Hell In a Cell match on the December 16, 2005, episode of Friday Night SmackDown.

Randy Orton’s rivalry with The Undertaker was a very memorable one

While the Hell In the Cell bout saw this high-profile storyline come to an end, there was a lot in this feud that made Randy Orton’s rivalry with The Undertaker very memorable. At the time this feud began, The Viper was still young in the WWE, and Taker, being a veteran, was being used to push The Legend Killer to greater heights.

The purpose of this feud was fulfilled in a great manner by the company, as they gave Randy the opportunity to fight The Phenom at WrestleMania 21 in 2005. At The Show of Shows, The Deadman won the match, but it was later revealed that Randy himself refused to end the streak at that time, as he thought he wasn’t the right guy to break it.

Even though The Viper lost, his performance received a lot of praise, and they revisited the feud at SummerSlam 2005, where Orton got the victory. After this, The Legend Killer and his father defeated The Undertaker in a handicap casket match, as Taker went on a hiatus after this loss to the father-son duo.

Following this event, the legend made his presence felt by coming out to an iconic entrance at that year’s Survivor Series. This return led to another short feud between Randy Orton and The Phenom, as their nine-month-long feud eventually came to an end after The Deadman defeated The Legend Killer in late 2005.

Randy Orton has one regret about his feud with The Undertaker

With the kind of history Randy and Taker share in WWE, there feud is obviously one of the best ever. But, Randy Orton has one regret about his feud with The Undertaker, which is particularly related to their high-profile one-on-one encounter at WrestleMania 21. As revealed by The Viper in a 2020 interview, he regrets a particular thing he did before that match.

The Legend Killer shared this during an episode of WWE Untold, as he shared that he arrived at the rehearsal area when all the other people at the location were about to leave. Orton said, “I got down there just as they were finishing up, they were walking out. I’m working with The Undertaker for a year, and it all started off with me missing rehearsal for the biggest match of the year.” (Via: WrestleTalk)

Through these comments, the 14-time World Champion shared how he regrets that mistake from 2005 that happened while he was feuding with the Hall of Famer. But, it’s safe to say that it didn’t really have any impact on their on-screen work, as Taker and Randy’s rivalry ended up being one of the most memorable parts of the early 2000’s in the WWE.