The maniacal, ruthless “Viper” who lived to see legends die. With that victory, the old Orton was back. He and Edge would go on to main event Backlash two months after WrestleMania, with a normal, one-on-one bout that was billed as “The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever.” While many ridiculed the idea, the two put on a clinic in their second tilt of the year, and Orton utilized some dirty tactics to pick up the win and even up the “series” of sorts. In the long run, however, Orton would turn into the real winner. >RELATED: WrestleMania 36 review: Against all odds in front of no fans, WWE puts on two near-perfect shows In the end, Edge took home the victory after a Conchairto on top of a production truck, his first win in a WWE ring since 2011. The two took each other to the brim throughout their 36-minute match that spanned almost every part of the WWE Performance Center, and the slow-paced, methodical nature of the match fit everything personality-wise that Orton had built up over the last decade. The intensity was building, but like the air being left out of a balloon, it all dissipated when it was announced that WrestleMania 36 would not be able to be held in Tampa, Florida in April, and would instead be taped in front of no fans.Įnsuing promos between Orton and Edge were still as fiery as ever, but the lack of a crowd took away from a few larger-scale moments in the build-up to the “Last Man Standing” match the duo had on Night 2 of WrestleMania 36. He was back to delivering RKO’s to anyone who got in his way and punish people left and right, whether it was Edge himself or Edge’s wife, Beth Phoenix. The two were on a collision course en route to a massive match at WrestleMania 36, and Orton seemed to be back to the former version of himself that had fans tuning in week in and week out for years in the prime of his career. >RELATED: ‘We’re all superstars’: WWE’s influence across sports world continues to grow as company’s deal with FOX beginsīefore fans were forced to start watching from home rather than in-person, Orton was in the early stages of a hot feud with a friend-turned-foe in Edge, known to many by his real name, Adam Copeland. Regardless, Orton has maneuvered through this new era in stride and has managed to take the wrestling world by storm over the last few months, even in the first year of his 40s. Wrestlers have been forced to adjust their speaking styles and movements in the ring to coincide with the company’s new camera set-up, all inside of a plexiglass-protected “stage” of sorts. The thousands of fans that the “Legend Killer” is used to seeing in arenas across the country have turned into a smaller group of WWE developmental talent inside of the WWE Performance Center in Florida. WWE superstar Randy Orton may “hear voices” in his head according to his theme song, but he’s not hearing many in the crowd when he steps into the ring for episodes of Monday Night Raw.