Unquestionably, Edge and Randy Orton are two all-time greats to grace a WWE ring. They have 25 WWE World Championships between them and several other accolades that many dream of. Edge and Orton's paths have crossed multiple times and had some exceptional matches against each other. Their rivalry is unique as both have played as a babyface and as a heel.
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Edge and Orton have gone head-to-head in three decades, showcasing their longevity in the business. While they had a competitive rivalry they were also former tag team partners as Rated-RKO. Nevertheless, the Rated-R Superstar and the Viper have faced off in a plethora of major matches, and there are several facts that fans need to know about their feud.
10 Edge Returns From Injury And He Is Drafted To Raw
Edge underwent neck surgery in 2003 that ruled him out of WrestleMania 19 and WrestleMania 20. However, Edge recovered from his neck surgery a year later and was ready to return to the squared circle in 2004.
The Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff picked Edge as one of his draft picks with Edge moving from SmackDown to Raw on the March 22, 2004 edition of Raw. Edge was ready and raring to go and he executed a Spear on Bischoff with the Raw GM feeling the full force of it as his head hit the back of the turnbuckle.
9 Edge Ended Randy Orton's 210-Day Intercontinental Championship Reign
Edge was on a roll when he returned to WWE in 2004, and he began to chase after Randy Orton's Intercontinental Championship. Orton was doing a great job as Intercontinental Champion and it was the longest Intercontinental Championship reign in six years. Their first meeting was on the May 10, 2004, episode of Raw with Orton retaining the Intercontinental Championship.
Edge and Orton had a rematch at Vengeance 2004 with Edge looking to end Orton's Intercontinental Championship reign. They had a brilliant match, and Edge captured his fifth Intercontinental Championship with Orton's 210-day run as Intercontinental Champion curtailed.
8 Rated-RKO Implodes
Edge and Randy Orton's rivalry ended in 2004 and two years later, Edge and Orton became tag team partners as Rated-RKO. On the April 30, 2007, episode of Raw, the former World Tag Team Champions went head-to-head in a forgotten one-on-one match.
Both men were heels, but the Rated-R Superstar managed to get the victory over Orton. A couple of weeks later, Edge returned to SmackDown as he defeated The Undertaker to become World Heavyweight Champion as he successfully cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase.
7 Randy Orton Suffered An Injury In Their Match At Over The Limit 2010
Edge once again moved from SmackDown to Raw in the 2010 WWE draft lottery, and Edge quickly turned heel when he moved brands. Edge was looking to reignite Rated-RKO with Randy Orton but it failed to materialize. Edge and Orton squared off at Over the Limit 2010 in a match that was unable to live up to the billing.
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Orton began to favor his right shoulder which limited his in-ring capabilities during the match. Their match was abrupt, and the Ultimate Opportunist attempted to Spear Orton through the barricade but Orton moved out of the way. Their match resulted in a double count-out which was a disappointing end to their match.
6 Edge Returns At The 2020 Royal Rumble
Unfortunately, Edge had to retire in April 2011 as he was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, but the Rated-R Superstar defied the odds by returning to WWE in the 2020 men's Royal Rumble match. The ovation that Edge received was deafening as fans were in disbelief at what they were witnessing.
Edge and Orton had a brief reunion in the 2020 men's Royal Rumble match, and they both executed the RKO on Drew McIntyre. Edge eliminated Orton from the Rumble and it was a valiant effort from the WWE Hall of Famer but he was removed from the equation by Roman Reigns.
5 Randy Orton RKO's Beth Phoenix
Before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Randy Orton and Edge were once again feuding in 2020. They had a long-term rivalry, and Orton was involved in a segment with WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix on the March 2, 2020 edition of Raw.
The Glamazon is Edge's wife, and it was a superb segment between Orton and Phoenix. However, there was a big mistake from Phoenix as she slapped Orton in the face and Orton retaliated by laying out Phoenix with a vicious RKO.
4 Edge Sees Off Randy Orton At WrestleMania 36
Edge wouldn't have envisaged that his return to WrestleMania would have been behind closed doors in the Performance Center because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Edge and Randy Orton squared off in a Last Man Standing match at WrestleMania 36.
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There weren't many time constraints for the pair to worry about since WrestleMania was taped. It was a good match but it went on far too long than it needed to. Ultimately, Edge marked his return to WrestleMania with a victory.
3 The Injury Bug Strikes Edge Again
Edge and Randy Orton had a rematch at Backlash 2020 with the tagline of the "Greatest Wrestling Match Ever." This was better than their WrestleMania match but unfortunately, Edge sustained a torn tricep.
Since the match wasn't live with it taking place in the Performance Center, they re-shooted several parts of the match. The WWE Hall of Famer's injury ruled him out of the rest of the year which was the setback that he did not need and the Viper prevailed with his trademark RKO.
2 Edge Won The 2021 Men's Royal Rumble Match
Edge marked his return to in-ring competition in the 2021 men's Royal Rumble match and he ran the gauntlet as the number one entrant. Orton was a two-time Royal Rumble match winner and he was the second entrant in the Royal Rumble match. Orton was looking to tie Steve Austin as a joint-record three-time Royal Rumble match winner. However, Orton was out for the majority of the Rumble with Edge assaulting him with a steel chair to his leg.
The Rated-R Superstar had a good outing here, and Orton slithered back into the ring and he executed the RKO on Edge in the closing stages. Nevertheless, Edge managed to regroup and he eliminated Orton to win his second Royal Rumble match, 11 years to the day from his first Rumble win.
1 Their Rivalry Culminated On Raw
Edge and Randy Orton were tied at 1-1 in their most recent rivalry, and their feud was set to come to an end on the February 1, 2023 episode of Raw, just 24 hours removed from the 2021 men's Royal Rumble match. Edge dominated the early goings of the match, and he was looking to put the Apex Predator away early on.
Orton wrestled control back in the match, and they were evenly matched. However, Alexa Bliss surprised Orton by making an appearance, and Edge finished off Orton with a Spear with the final chapter of their iconic rivalry closing.
