WWE: 10 Dream Match Opponents for Randy Orton

Once deemed as an overrated WWE superstar, Randy Orton silenced his critics in 2011.

Orton spent last year putting on a number of memorable matches with everyone from CM Punk to Kane to Christian, and he proved that he deserves to be mentioned among the great in-ring competitors in the business.

He has stepped up his game in a major way over the last year-plus, and more fans have grown to appreciate his incredible skills in the ring.

Whenever we walk about dream matches now, we would be wise to mention "The Viper" as someone who we'd love to see mix it up with legends from the past.

Here are 10 dream match opponents for Randy Orton.

10. "Macho Man" Randy Savage

Randy vs. Randy? I like it.

Though there are no real gimmick similarities or obvious connections between Randy Orton and Randy Savage, a battle between two of the biggest stars of their respective generations would be a sight to see.

Orton has slowly but surely established himself as a great wrestler, while Savage was undoubtedly among the top in-ring competitors of his time.

Judging by Orton's recent work with shorter and technically-skilled wrestlers like CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and Christian, the in-ring chemistry between "The Viper" and "Macho Man" would lead to a classic encounter.

I would pay good money to see these two in the ring...and I don't really have any.

9. "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig

A certain current WWE superstar often finds himself being compared to "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig, and it's that comparison that has me so intrigued by this dream matchup.

I'm talking, of course, about Dolph Ziggler, who has wrestled Randy Orton on a number of occasions over the last year or so and delivered each time he did so.

Every time that Orton and Ziggler stepped in the ring together, the resulting match was a thing of beauty that has me pining for a lengthy feud between "The Showoff" and "The Viper."

At the same time, the great matches between those two makes me think that Orton taking on Hennig in his prime would be a phenomenal bout that would be even better if Orton were to use his "Legend Killer" gimmick.

Orton targeting Mr. Perfect and then facing him in a 25-minute classic is something diehard wrestling fans would, well, die for. 

8. Ted DiBiase, Sr.

From 2008 to 2010, Randy Orton led a faction known as "Legacy," which consisted of Orton himself, Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes.

When the seeds were being planted for the breakup of the stable in 2009, Ted DiBiase, Sr. guest-hosted an episode of Raw and had his son face Orton later that night.

We got Orton vs. DiBiase. It just wasn't the Orton vs. DiBiase match that I wanted to see.

While watching all this go down, I remember thinking to myself, "Man, it would be awesome to see Orton take on the legend Ted DiBiase rather than his son."

Given the long-running connection between Orton and the DiBiase family, I think an Orton/DiBiase, Sr. feud would be nothing short of fantastic, especially with DiBiase working as the awesome heel he is and Orton in his current baby face character.

7. Brock Lesnar

Unlike all the other matches you'll find on this list, Randy Orton vs. Brock Lesnar has already happened before when they faced each other on SmackDown back in 2002 and in a tag team dark match as well.

But a bout between Orton and Lesnar that took place 10 years ago does not even begin to compare to one that would happen in 2012.

Both of these guys debuted in 2002 at a time when the WWE was loaded with established main event talent and up-and-comers (Lesnar, Orton, John Cena and Batista), and now, they've gone on to become major stars who are recognized worldwide.

Lesnar established himself as the biggest draw in MMA before retiring, while Orton is already one of the most decorated champions in WWE history.

I'll take Orton vs. Lesnar today as a reminder of just how phenomenal of a year the WWE had in 2002.

6. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat

I was yet to be born when Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat was in his prime, and I was too young to remember his stuff from the early 1990s.

But I've gotten around to watching a ton of his matches on YouTube, and—holy cow—how good was this guy?

Steamboat is one of the best pure wrestlers I've ever seen, and with Randy Orton elevating his in-ring work in a monster way in 2011, I'm certain that these two would create pure magic together.

We all know that Steamboat had a classic rivalry with Ric Flair, while Orton has a long history with Flair as a former member of one of the greatest stables ever, Evolution.

I'd love to see Flair's protege (Orton) take on his biggest rival (Steamboat) in a match that I'm sure would tear the house down.

Heck, this match could probably still happen, given that Steamboat looked fantastic when he last competed in 2009, but since that won't be the case, I'll settle for Orton vs. Richie Steamboat instead. 

5. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper

I want to see "Rowdy" Roddy Piper vs. Randy Orton, and it all goes back to 2009.

On an episode of Raw that took place inside Madison Square Garden in late that year, there was an interesting segment between Piper and Orton that played into Orton's ongoing feud with Kofi Kingston.

It was basically nothing more than Orton beating down Piper, but just seeing those two together in the ring made me wonder what it would be like to see them compete in an actual match.

Both Piper and Orton can play either face or heel (and play them well), and though Piper never really gets mentioned among the great pure wrestlers in the history of the business, I think that he and Orton could certainly put on an exciting match.

They have some of the most awesome mannerisms you'll ever see in a ring, and a brawl (maybe a No DQ or Falls Count Anywhere match) between the two could be something really special.  

4. "Cowboy" Bob Orton

Do you know who Randy Orton himself said his dream opponent would be? His father, "Cowboy" Bob Orton.

From SEScoops.com:

"

His Dream Opponent From Any Generation: “My dad (“Cowboy” Bob Orton) got to wrestle his old man, but it’d be cool to do that as well. He was one of the best ring technicians, and everyone always had good things to say about my father. He was the innovator of a lot of moves, and he helped bring the business to where it is. I’d want to wrestle him in a straight up, babyface hour broadway.”

"

Family feuds always have been and always will be a huge part of the wrestling, and often times, they work extremely well (especially if there is any real animosity there) because the people involved are so familiar with each other.

A rivalry between father and son is a constant game of one-upmanship, with the young son looking to prove that he is better than his old man.

That would be the case here with "The Viper" taking on "Cowboy" for Orton family supremacy, a match that would probably create a very tense atmosphere in the arena and get the crowd really into it as a result. 

3. Bret "The Hitman" Hart

Bret "The Hitman" Hart has made it pretty clear that he's a big fan of Randy Orton.

From WWE.com (via RajahWWF.com):

"

"Randy Orton is another one of my favorites. Randy doesn’t necessarily get credit for being a great technician, but he is. People always use that term for me, 'The Excellence of Execution' — and that’s what Randy is. I expect that he’s going to get better and better and better.

"

I don't know about you, but I smell a dream matchup here.

Hart is often considered to be the greatest technical wrestler of all time, while—though it took a while—Orton has begun to make a name for himself as a great technician and psychologist in the ring as well.

When you read that interview, you can't help but imagine what it would be like to see "The Hitman" in his prime take on "The Viper" in his in a clash between one of the biggest stars of the 1990s and one of the biggest stars of today.

The chain wrestling and psychology in a bout between Hart and Orton would be ridiculously good, and there's no doubt that the crowd would be majorly into a bout between two of the biggest fan favorites ever.

2. Jake "The Snake" Roberts

"The Snake" vs. "The Viper?" Yes, please.

Jake Roberts may not be a WWE Hall of Famer, but he was the best in-ring psychologist of his time. Hands down. 

The way that Roberts was able to stalk his opponents and construct his matches is something that had never been matched...until Randy Orton came along.

Just like Roberts back in his day, Orton has developed a reputation as someone who has phenomenal psychology in his matches. Orton's matches tell a story, they get the audience involved and they make sense.

As was the case with Roberts, they aren't just move after move with no flow or pacing. Everything is done for a specific reason.

A match between "The Snake" and "The Viper" would be a psychological war, with two snakes looking to slither out of the other's grasp just long enough to get the victory. 

1. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin

Before CM Punk exploded onto the scene in 2011 and found himself being labeled "the next Steve Austin," it was Randy Orton who was drawing comparisons to "Stone Cold."

Although there will never be another "Stone Cold," I do think the comparisons between Orton and Austin are warranted.

Forget that their nicknames are both derived from snakes: "The Texas Rattlesnake" and "The Viper." I'm not even talking about that.

Quite simply, I'm talking about their no-nonsense attitudes and the fact that they do not really change their characters much whether they're heel or face. They are both rebels in their own rights, who would, as Orton might say, hit their finishers on their own mother if it helped them win a title.

That's what I love about both guys, the fact that they will do whatever it takes to win whether the fans boo or cheer them.

The crowd would be amazingly hot for an Austin vs. Orton match, with every fan in attendance waiting to see which incredibly popular move happens first: The RKO or the Stunner.

Drake Oz is a WWE Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter and ask him any wrestling-related questions on Formspring.