Randy Orton Beats Triple H at WWE Super ShowDown
June 7, 2019
In the latest chapter of their long-running rivalry, Randy Orton defeated Triple H at WWE Super ShowDown in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday.
Triple H kicked out of an RKO and Orton kicked out of a Pedigree during their back-and-forth match, but The Viper finally managed to put Triple H away with an RKO out of nowhere:
The pair have a lengthy history dating back to their time together in Evolution, and WWE drew upon that to generate interest in their bout.
Under the tutelage of Triple H and Ric Flair, Orton and Batista became major stars in Evolution. They both went on to hold multiple world championships as well, but The Viper's first world-title win led to the dissolution of the stable.
After Orton beat Chris Benoit for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam 2004, Triple H and the rest of Evolution turned on him out of jealousy, which led to a love-hate relationship between The Game and The Viper for many years to come.
Perhaps most famously, Triple H and Orton main-evented WrestleMania 25 with the former as the face and the latter as the heel. The Cerebral Assassin entered that contest as WWE champion, and he came out on top in a hard-fought win.
Since then, The Game and Orton haven't mixed it up much, although they did work together with Triple H and The Authority backing The Viper. There was even an Evolution reunion several years back that saw Triple H, Orton and Batista feud with The Shield.
The Evolution storyline resurfaced leading up to WrestleMania 35, when Batista made his return to WWE by attacking Flair during his 70th birthday celebration.
That led to a No Holds Barred match between Triple H and The Animal at The Show of Shows in April, which The Game won in brutal fashion.
While Triple H and Orton have not been engaged in a feud, their match at Super ShowDown made sense given their history and the fact the Saudi Arabia shows have leaned heavily on veterans and part-time Superstars.
Last year, The Game faced John Cena at the Greatest Royal Rumble and then teamed with Shawn Michaels against The Undertaker and Kane at Crown Jewel.
He was again a focal point at Super ShowDown on Friday in his match against Orton, and even though The Viper came out on top, it still provided the fans with a nostalgic moment.
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