RKO-Owning his legacy

PHOENIX - Overcoming the odds, the teacher outclassed his former students as Randy Orton defeated Ted Dibise and Cody Rhodes in a Triple Threat Match at The Showcase of the Immortals. On the biggest night of the year, Orton punted Rhodes in the head and evened the score with DiBiase with an RKO, leading to The Viper’s victory.

For DiBiase and Rhodes, who made their WrestleMania debuts, a victory would have certainly set either one of them on the path to follow in the footsteps of their respective WWE Hall of Fame fathers, “The Million Dollar Man” and Dusty Rhodes. But their egos were fed by the spectacle of WrestleMania and the sold-out crowd, putting them at odds and giving the more experienced Orton an advantage.

At one time, The Legacy was a force to be reckoned with in WWE. Orton took the eager young Superstars and set them on the path to pave their own roads toward greatness. While The Legacy seemed unstoppable, the egos of Rhodes and DiBiase would become too big for Orton to manage. The Viper would even square-off at times with the multi-generational Superstars. While the trio faced adversity, even when Rhodes cost Orton the WWE Championship at Royal Rumble, The Legacy would always find a way to remain united until WWE Elimination Chamber.

The tension overflowed at the new pay-per-view when Cody Rhodes tossed a lead pipe into Satan’s Structure for DiBiase to utilize on John Cena. DiBiase used the pipe against both Cena and Orton and, in a moment of ultimate defiance, chose to eliminate his former mentor. The Legacy imploded with the two young Superstars becoming estranged from The Viper and out to prove that they were the better competitors.

At WrestleMania, there was no more bickering as these three Superstars squared off. The match seemed like a handicap match at times, with DiBiase and Rhodes teaming against Orton. But it was truly every man for himself and DiBiase and Rhodes would argue over who should be the victor, allowing Orton time to recover. The Legacy was broken and each man was out to prove that their legacy would be the one elevated on The Grandest Stage of Them All. After a devastating double-elevated DDT, Orton punted Rhodes and hit DiBiase with the RKO, pinning him for the win.

While Randy Orton may have come away with a WrestleMania victory, Ted DiBiase surely won’t let the score between he and Orton to remain tied, and Rhodes will be out to prove to his former associates that his legacy will be the future of WWE.