4 records that prove why Randy Orton is the king of Survivor Series

In less than a week, the WWE will once again host their Survivor Series pay per view, an annual November tradition. Starting in 1987, the show has seen some of the most shocking moments in company history, as well as some historic debuts.

In 1996 for example, the WWE Universe caught their first glimpse of a new rookie by the name of Rocky Maivia, who would quickly become the most electrifying man in sports entertainment, The Rock.

Just one year later though, the company would change forever, with Bret Hart being screwed of the WWF Championship in Montreal. But out of all these great Superstars, there's one that stands above: Randy Orton.

The Apex Predator first competed at the show in 2003, and certainly impressed. Since then, he has gone on to set numerous records at the Thanksgiving tradition. Here are four reasons why Randy Orton is the king of the Survivor Series.

#4 Most Survivor Series match eliminations

We all know that the Apex Predator is as dangerous as they come, so it should come at no surprise that Orton holds the record for the most eliminations. With a staggering 15 eliminations under his belt, Orton has shown that he is able to get the job done, no matter who he teams with.

Most of these eliminations, as you'd expect, come courtesy of an RKO, which as the commentators (and the meme) will tell you, can strike out of nowhere.

Second behind Orton is the Big Show, who has an impressive 13 eliminations, with four of those happening in one match, in 1999. Shawn Michaels takes the bronze in this race with 12 eliminations to his name, whilst the Ultimate Underdog Rey Mysterio takes fourth place with 8 eliminations.

Interestingly, Orton has feuded with all these men at some time.

#3 Second most Survivor Series match appearances

For a Superstar who has shown himself to be untrustworthy, the Viper has never shied away from competing in a team or forming his own alliances.

Orton has competed at a near-record setting ten Survivor Series elimination matches, his first taking place in 2003, and his most recent last year, where he teamed with Shane McMahon, John Cena, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Bobby Roode.

Again, Orton has feuded with all of his partners at some point in his career.

The only man to beat the Legend Killer's record, is Shawn Michaels, who competed in a record-setting eleven elimination matches throughout his illustrious career.

With that said though, Michaels' wrestling days are seemingly behind him, even with the rumors of a handful of matches being in the news recently.

Meanwhile, the Viper has shown no signs of slowing down, so don't be surprised if Orton takes this crown.

#2 Most victories as a sole survivor

We've said about how Orton, despite his sadistic personality, isn't afraid to team up, but that doesn't mean he's too fond of sharing the glory.

The Apex Predator indeed holds the record for the most wins as the sole survivor, being the last man standing on three separate occasions.

The first of these came in 2003 when Orton represented Team Bischoff in their bid to remove Stone Cold Steve Austin from RAW.

In 2004, a newly-face turned Orton helped his team get the win, gaining control of Monday Nights for a month, whilst in 2005, the Legend Killer would lead team SmackDown to victory over RAW.

These are just the instances where Orton was the single last person. If you count the times where he hasn't stood as a winner alone, the number goes up to five, with Orton winning with Cody Rhodes in 2008, and Bray Wyatt in 2016.

#1 Undefeated in WWE Championship matches

Whilst this is not the highest matches of any Superstar at the show, it is still a huge feat, and goes to show why the Viper is the true king of Survivor Series.

His first title match saw Orton go in as champion in 2007, facing off against Shawn Michaels, who was banned from using Sweet Chin Music. After attempting the move but hesitating, knowing it was banned, HBK was caught with an RKO to seal his fate.

In 2010, Orton would once again retain, defeating Wade Barrett in a match that saw John Cena 'fired' from the WWE. Then, three years later, Orton would again retain the title, felling the colossal Big Show, whilst working as a member of the Authority.

Three WWE Championship matches, three WWE Championships retained. Not a bad feather in the cap for the Viper, the true king of Survivor Series.