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WWE Superstar Randy Orton recently recalled his iconic hardcore match against Mick Foley from Backlash 2004.
In 2004, Orton was very much on the fringes of the stable Evolution. He was in the shadow of legends like Triple H and Ric Flair. The moment that elevated the then 24-year-old Apex Predator into superstardom was his hardcore match with Mick Foley.
In what was a brutal contest between the two superstars, Mick Foley's star power helped further establish Orton as a prominent up-and-comer. Speaking to WWE Digital, Orton showered praise on Foley for getting him over with the fans as a result of that match.
"I’ve got this future Hall of Famer, this all-time great Mick Foley. He’s gotta prove that he’s still got it. Comes out with all the injuries he’s sustained throughout his career and he put it all on the line to show the world that he could still go and to pass that torch to a young Randy Orton. And that’s what he did," Orton said.
Orton then revealed the souvenir that he kept from the match. He added:
"And we were in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and it was one of the loudest crowds I’d ever performed in front of. There were so many violent little obstacles in our way. I landed in the thumbtacks in that match. I actually have the thumbtacks that were in my boots after this match. I kept them. There were a few in my back that Ric Flair helped pull out of my back. I kept those too." H/T Wrestling Inc
With Orton able to hold his own against one of the toughest WWE Superstars of all time, fans began to take notice of him after his match with Mick Foley. Orton would come out of Backlash as the victor that night, leading to the creation of his iconic 'Legend Killer' character.
Randy Orton recently celebrated his 20th year in WWE
This past Monday on RAW, The Viper further etched his name into the history books as he was honored for completing 20 years as a WWE Superstar.
Having made his in-ring debut as a fresh-faced 22-year-old on SmackDown on April 25, 2002, Orton is very much now the veteran of today's WWE locker room.
Randy Orton is showing no signs of slowing down as he and his tag team partner Riddle are set to face off against the Usos at WrestleMania Backlash. Both teams will be putting their respective Tag Team Championships on the line in the high-stakes championship unification match.
