Randy Orton allegedly had a big smile on his face when he returned backstage after defeating 58-year-old star

WWE veteran Randy Orton had a big grin on his face after defeating a top name in one of the most brutal encounters in company history.

WWE veteran Bruce Prichard recently discussed the Backlash 2004 event on his podcast, Something To Wrestle. He answered several fan questions about the event and mostly focused on the Intercontinental Championship match that was contested between Randy Orton and Cactus Jack.

That night, The Viper established himself as a legit star when he defeated Cactus Jack in a Hardcore match for the Intercontinental title. The 23-minute encounter was filled with some insane spots and disturbing visuals, one of which was Orton being dropped on a stack of thumbtacks and screaming in pain immediately after.

As per Prichard, Orton had a big smile on his face when he came backstage following the win.

"Orton coming back after that match had the biggest grin on his face, probably because he survived it. But I think that Randy felt how great it was, and just the reaction... and that he had accomplished it. So, coming back, and everybody in the locker room just applauded the hell out of the effort in that match and how great it was. So I definitely remember Randy coming back and being ecstatic at the performance." [10:28-11:14]

Randy Orton was pushed heavily shortly after the victory

At this point, WWE knew it had a massive star in Orton. He lost the Intercontinental Championship to Edge at Vengeance 2004 and went on to win the World Heavyweight Title by defeating Chris Benoit at SummerSlam.