Squared Circle: Six Months after... Leaving Evolution vs. Leaving Legacy

I think most of us made the comparisons throughout last year.

Legacy were the new Evolution. Yet, apart from Randy Orton being in both teams, they were nothing alike.

Evolution was successful and came over as a true stable. The team collectively won six World Championships (Five with Triple H and One with Orton), two World Tag Team Championships (Flair and Batista), two Intercontinental Championships (One with Orton and One with Flair) and a Royal Rumble (Batista in 2005).

They came over as a well-oiled unit.

Now compare this with Legacy's success. Three WWE Championships (Orton) and a Royal Rumble (Once again Orton in 2009).

Unlike Evolution, which built up their younger stars' reputations during their time in the group, Legacy was all about Randy Orton. He won all the championships, while DiBiase and Rhodes were left to take the beatings.

What the teams did have in common was a goal to get their two young stars ready for main-event status some time in the future. This article will look at Orton and Batista's first six months away from Evolution vs. DiBiase's and Rhodes' first six months away from Legacy.

Randy Orton (September 2004-February 2005)

Yeah... Totally Didn't See This Coming Did We...

Major Championships Held: World Heavyweight Championship (x1)

Main Events (PPV): 4 (Unforgiven, Taboo Tuesday, Survivor Series and New Year's Revolution)

Secondary Main Events (PPV): 1 (Royal Rumble)

PPV Record

Unforgiven: vs. Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship (Lost)

No Mercy: Smackdown Exclusive PPV

Taboo Tuesday: vs. Ric Flair in a Cage Match (Won)

Survivor Series: with Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho and Maven vs. Triple H, Batista, Gene Snitsky and Edge in a Traditional Survivor Series Match (Won)

Armageddon: Smackdown Exclusive PPV

New Year's Revolution: vs. Triple H, Chris Benoit, Edge, Chris Jericho and Batista in an Elimination Chamber for the World Heavyweight Championship (Final Elimination)

Royal Rumble: vs. Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship (Lost)

No Way Out: Smackdown Exclusive PPV

Form: L-WW-LL-

WWE's failing in the first six months of Randy Orton's departure was that they made him a face. Only an hour before making his turn, he was insulting an audience because, at the age of 23, no one had achieved as much as Randy Orton had.

He had a right to brag because he has just become the youngest World Heavyweight Champion. Being a heel meant it came with arrogant overtones that would aggravate the audience.

He was the perfect champion to hate. Yet we were all meant to cheer for him because he was beat up by his equally dubious friends.

Sure, I could see some benefits in cheering him. After all, he was beating up The Game every other week, and people were getting pretty tired of his constant grip over the World Championship.

But Orton was about as well-prepared to play the good guy as WWE creative was for writing him in such a way.

They had no idea what to do with him at the time. It was originally decided that WrestleMania 21 would be the ideal place to have Orton win the World Championship back from Triple H.

The problem was that they needed to keep him feuding for seven months.

So it was decided that, in the meantime, he would face the other members of Evolution. This would not have been too bad if it was not for the fact he lost to every member.

Yes, that includes Ric Flair, whom he defeated at Taboo Tuesday and pretty much lost to on the next Raw.

The crowd wanted to cheer him, but WWE had made Orton out to be a loser. The crowd began to lose interest, and plans were changed.

As we will see in the next slide, a better job was made with the other Evolution departee. Orton in February was made heel again, and placed in a match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 21.

Despite being on the Raw roster, he would compete mostly on Smackdown. This was probably to keep him away from Evolution.

Luckily, this feud saved his career and, oddly enough, he is one of the biggest faces in WWE today all because it has been prepared better.

Batista (March 2005-August 2005)

The Animal Rules at WrestleMania 21

Major Championships Held: World Heavyweight Championship (x1)

Main Events: 4 (WrestleMania 21, Backlash, Vengeance and The Great American Bash)

Secondary Main Events: 1 (SummerSlam)

PPV Record

WrestleMania 21: vs. Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship (Won)

Backlash: vs. Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship (Won)

Judgement Day: Smackdown Exclusive PPV

One Night Stand: ECW Exclusive PPV

Vengeance: vs. Triple H in a Hell in a Cell for the World Heavyweight Championship (Won)

The Great American Bash: vs. JBL for the World Heavyweight Championship (Lost via DQ)

SummerSlam: vs. JBL in a No Holds Barred Match for the World Heavyweight Championship (Won)

Form: WW--WLW

Overall, Batista and Randy Orton started off similar.

Orton was the champion when leaving Evolution, and Batista was the No. 1 contender when he powerbombed Triple H through a table. Both men's PPV record after leaving the faction shows a different story.

Orton would lose all the big matches for the championship. Batista retained the championship at all PPVs six months after leaving Evolution.

There is a deliberate reason why I chose these particular photos for Orton and Batista. They all-too-well represent their careers six months after Evolution.

Batista was the only man since Triple H had turned heel to become the world champion and really benefit from a feud with The Game. Not only that, but when he was drafted to Smackdown, he would take on one of the longest-reigning WWE Champions of recent time, JBL, and defeat him.

Whereas Orton struggled upon separation to really prove he belonged at the top, Batista was constantly booked to be a dominating champion.

Challengers Evolved?

WWE Evolved

Despite Orton's shaky start from leaving Evolution his return to heel status, in February he re-established him as a top star in the business.

Unfortunately, it would not be until October 2007 before he won another world championship (two in one night, to be exact).

Batista, on the other hand, stayed strong and became a permanent title fixture almost immediately. Most likely, WWE learned from the mistakes of Randy Orton and allowed Batista to benefit from them.

So in comparison to Legacy...

Ted DiBiase (March 2010-September 2010)

A trophy on each arm

Major Championships Held: Err... The Million-Dollar Championship (x1)?

Main Events: 0

Secondary Main Events: 1 (Money in the Bank)

PPV Record

WrestleMania XXVI: vs. Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes in a Triple Threat Match (Lost)

Extreme Rules: Absent

Over the Limit: vs. R-Truth (Lost)

Fatal 4-Way: Absent

Money in the Bank: Raw Money in the Bank Ladder Match (Lost)

SummerSlam: Absent

Night of Champions: Absent

Form: L-L-L--

Say what you will about Orton's first half-year away from Evolution; he at least did stuff.

DiBiase has pretty much stayed on the Raw mid-card since leaving Legacy showing off The Million Dollar Championship and Maryse.

Not only has he stayed on the mid-card, but he rarely finds his way onto PPV. To make matters worse, when he does, it's usually going to be a loss.

Since leaving Legacy he has not done anything credible, by any account.

Only into his seventh month, he has been thrust into a story with Goldust. But even then, this is because Dustin Rhodes has an autobiography out soon.

It is very likely that, after the feud is over, he will go back to being just another mid-card filler.

Cody Rhodes (March 2010-September 2010)

Major Championships Held: WWE Tag Team Championship (x1)

Main Events: 0

Secondary Main Events: 1 (Money in the Bank)

PPV Record

WrestleMania XXVI: vs. Randy Orton vs. Ted DiBiase in a Triple Threat Match (Lost)

Extreme Rules: Absent

Over the Limit: Absent

Fatal 4-Way: Absent

Money in the Bank: Smackdown Money in the Bank Ladder Match (Lost)

SummerSlam: Absent

Night of Champions: With Drew McIntyre in a Tag Team Turmoil for the WWE Tag Team Championship (Won)

Form: L---L-W

Cody Rhodes has fared slightly better than his old tag-team partner, but only because he won a new Tag Team Championship.

At least it's a WWE-sanctioned belt.

Rhodes has had a rough few weeks purely because he had no gimmick. At least Ted was given a Million Dollar Man Jr. role to play.

Rhodes has seemingly gained a little more interest from the fans since adding the "Dashing" part of his career, but even this is eventually going to hurt his prospects.

The arrogant good-looker is a role designed to be a heat magnet. The problem is that it has been done so many times before, and the role isn't as enraging a subject as it was back in the '60s, '70s and '80s.

In 2010, more men do actually groom in a way that was once upon a time deemed girly.

He continues to languish in mid-card hell, much like his former tag partner. Being stuck in the WWE's current Tag Division will not see him take on any interesting stories for a while.

A Proud Legacy?

I think you don't need me to tell you that, in their first six months away from Legacy, DiBiase and Rhodes were nowhere near as successful in comparison to the former members of Evolution.

They have seen no true main-event action or championships of any value. The decision to leave them out of their respective Bragging Rights teams also proves that WWE just does not have the confidence in either man to give them a push.

One the biggest reasons Legacy has not created any main eventers is purely because the faction never benefited them.

Orton in Evolution became Intercontinental Champion, and Batista won two Tag Team championships, along with the 2005 Royal Rumble. DiBiase and Rhodes, on the other hand, would take beatings for Orton and rarely challenged for the Tag Championship or the United States Championship.

Even when the group was starting to split, Orton would regularly squash both Rhodes and DiBiase, meaning, once again, RKO would come out as the strongest of the three.

Never once did they pose a credible threat (unless it was two-on-one).

They played the roles of stooges, and have suffered for it. It has meant WWE has had to completely rebuild their characters (not that they had much before Legacy's split) and re-establish them from scratch.

Maybe one day in the future they will make the main event scene. But, for the next few months, I see nothing more than some mid-card action.