Orton, Batista Enjoy Career Night
Orton, Batista Enjoy Career Night
wwe.com Headlines
TAMPA, Fla. – Dec. 15, 2003 – Neither Randy Orton nor Batista said he could sleep last night.
Both Evolution members lay awake practically all night, replaying their Armageddon matches in their heads, over and over, the adrenaline still flowing after a career night for both men.
“Even though I found faults in my performance,” Batista said, referring to his match with Shawn Michaels, “last night was definitely the highlight of my career.
“It was such a privilege to be in (the ring with Shawn Michaels). He made me last night. He’s incredible to work with.”
Of course, Batista ended up losing the match to the Heartbreak Kid, but it was a match that many called the best of the night. And Batista redeemed himself later when he and Ric Flair won the World Tag Team Championship.
Batista said it was great to hold the title – the only championship he’s ever held, except for the Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) Title – “but the thing to me that’s most important is that my partner is Ric Flair. It doesn’t get any better than that.”
Last year’s Armageddon was also memorable for Batista, but for different reasons. He made his in-ring pay-per-view debut at that show last year, wrestling Kane. But Batista was battling the flu and bronchitis, and his match was a disappointment.
Not so this year.
Another reason last night was so special for Batista is that his wife, Angie, came to the show. “It wouldn’t have been the same without her there,” he said.
At the end of the night, all four members of Evolution were titleholders.
“My favorite part of the show is all four of us standing on top of the ramp,” Batista said. “The only thing better than that is all four of us standing on top of the ramp holding gold.”
Orton won the Intercontinental Championship, defeating Rob Van Dam in another match that many fans thought was the best of the night. Orton was Hardcore Champion in OVW, but there was no belt; his prize for being champion was a trashcan spray painted gold. “This is technically the first title or belt I’ve ever held,” Orton said. At just over 23 years and eight months old, Orton is the second-youngest Intercontinental Champion in history, three months older than Jeff Hardy was.
Orton put his match last night in his top-three all-time matches, along with his battle with Shawn Michaels at September’s Unforgiven and his performance as part of Eric Bischoff’s Team at Survivor Series.
"All my pay-per-view matches I’ve been really happy with," Orton said, adding that the more confident he gets, the better his performances have become. And Orton is nowhere near his prime yet.
Orton unveiled several maneuvers that fans haven’t seen from him before last night. The match started out with a chain-wrestling sequence that delighted the crowd. Later, Orton picked RVD up as if he were going to give him the old Bruno Sammartino backbreaker, but then popped him up in the air and dropped him into a flying neckbreaker. Orton said he’d been looking to add a high-impact maneuver to his repertoire, and he came across that move while watching tapes of Japanese wrestling. It’s the first time he’s ever executed that maneuver, but not the last.
“RVD has always had all the respect in the world for his athleticism, and he’s made of cartilage. You can’t hurt him,” Orton said, adding that, after last night, he’s beginning to earn some of that respect himself.
Last night’s match helped prove that Orton’s hard-luck injury streak is over, since the match was one of the most physical he’s ever been in, and he escaped with just the normal bumps and bruises.
Orton-RVD was also entertaining because the fans in Orlando were into the match.
“When it’s that loud and that responsive, it makes our job a lot easier,” Orton said. “When the crowd is up on its feet, and they’re so loud you can’t hear yourself think, that’s what I love most about being in the ring. You feel like you can fly like Superman because the adrenaline you get from their cheers is like an extra energy source.”
Upon winning the title, Orton dropped to his knees, much like Shawn Michaels did when he won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania XII. Orton said the fact that he had an HBK-like celebration was no coincidence — a subtle tribute, perhaps, to the San Antonio legend.
Batista said that the performance of Orton – not to mention everyone else on the card – was notable because the Superstars’ travel schedules have been particularly brutal lately, leaving some Superstars more fatigued than usual.
“You couldn’t tell by watching Armageddon,” Batista said. “There was a lot of energy on that show. Everyone put his heart and soul into it. It was a good pay-per-view.”
