Which feud solidified Randy Orton as a true main eventer?

[The Fig Lebowski]

So it me longer than most to jump aboard the RKO bandwagon but what really put him as a top guy in my eyes was his feud with Jeff Hardy around the 2008 Royal Rumble. Most of us remember Jeff's crazy swanton off the Raw set onto Orton. At the Rumble I was convinced that it was Jeff's time and when Orton retained cleanly and convincingly that cemented Orton's place as a top guy. To me it was the first time that Orton had really elevated anyone.

On his main event rise he consistently worked with the usual main event guys (HHH, Cena, Edge, Taker, Foley). All of these people are greats that helped teach Randy his craft and put him over in various degrees. Before Jeff, who did Orton really elevate to the next level?

Orton could always sell in the ring but over the course of an entire program never fully put over an opponent. Even recently he never really elevated Kofi Kingston even though the program was given lots of hype and TV time. Where is Legacy now?

I might be missing someone but who has Orton elevated to main event status???

 

[kash_is_money]

I personally started to take Orton serious as a main eventer after he defeated Rey Mysterio for the number one conterndership at No Way Out 2006.

Rey won the 06 Rumble by eliminating Orton last. On the next Smackdown Orton used all the classic heel moves calling Rey's win a fluke and going superbadass by disrespecting the memory of Eddie G by saying "Eddies not in hevan Rey, Eddies in HELL". He tricked Rey into a match at NO Way Out and won by cheating. I think that just pushed him into super heel status for me

 

[Tech N9ne]

Though he was in the process of getting over before this, AND had already been World Heavyweight Champion.

In mid to late 07 is when I think he solidified his Main Event/Top Guy status in WWE. He had been in and lost, MITB and had jobbed to Taker at Mania. He also was the guy that got pinned at Wrestlemania 22, in a Triple Threat Match for The WHC, by Rey Mysterio.

Orton also spent time in Rated RKO, where he captured The Tag Team Titles with Edge. To me, it felt like Edge got the better rub from this and went on to become a main stay on SD and won The WHC numerous times. Orton kind of took a back seat to Edge on that one.

But as 07 rolled around, Orton was ready for the big step. He took out HBK and started a feud with Cena. When Cena got injured, Orton Vs. Triple H, for the WWE Title came about. They traded the title a few times, on one night the Title changed hands a number of occasions.

I think his feud with Triple H is what finally got him over. The Age Of Orton began and he became a focal point on RAW. He would go on to feud with both members of DX, A returning Y2J, and John Cena. The Age Of Orton was that true beginning for him.