Thanks to my friend Gary for the heads up!
By Harry Burkett

“I’m sure Randy will be thrilled to hear the news, but, speaking as someone who has seen this kid train from the very beginning, I’m not surprised at all that he’s ranked number one,” Bob Orton Jr. gave a hearty laugh on the other end of the phone. “I’ve been around this business for a long time, and I’ve seen a lot of great wrestlers, but I’ve never seen anyone work out as hard or dedicate himself to the sport quite like Randy.”

The proud papa let out another belly laugh. “All I’ve got to say is that it must be in the genes!”

With all due respect to Bob Orton Jr., it should be noted that even if the “PWI 500” were around during his prime, he never would have come close to the number-one spot now held by son Randy. “Yeah, yeah, I know all about the ‘500.’ You’re right, I don’t think I was quite in Randy’s league.”

Bob, the 1973 Rookie of the Year, probably would have made it to the top 50 during the late-’70s and into the 1980s. His all-time high was number 130 back in 1991, when the list made its debut in the pages of PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED. By that point, Orton was in the twilight of his career, competing on the independent circuit.

Since then, the elder Orton has settled into life away from the wrestling business, content to watch Randy’s progress and enjoy his status as the family patriarch. “We all feel very fortunate that my father, Randy’s grandfather, was able to see him win a world title and become a big star,” said Orton. “He was very proud of Randy’s achievements.”

Indeed, Bob Orton Sr.—in retirement in Las Vegas at the time—followed his grandson’s career very closely, often giving him encouragement and advice. His final high-profile appearance occurred in 2006 when he attended Bob Jr.’s induction into the WWE Hall of Fame. The “Big O,” at age 76, died about four months later after a series of heart attacks. Bob Jr. is aware of his unique place in wrestling history, the only major star to team with his father and his son during his career. His brother, Barry O, who became a respected journeyman wrestler, also worked in the family business.

Like everyone else who watched One Night Stand back in June, Bob Jr. cringed as he watched Triple-H toss Randy—butt-first—over the top rope and to the concrete floor. Orton landed awkwardly, breaking his clavicle. The gutsy third-generation star continued with the match, but the damage was already done. “The Game” easily defeated the “Legend Killer” for the Raw World title that night.

One upside to that unfortunate incident is that Bob Jr. gets to see a lot more of Randy, who lives about a half-hour away in a St. Louis suburb. Interestingly, Randy and his new wife, Sam, were expecting their daughter to be born in mid-July, just before press time. All of the Ortons see it as a blessing that Randy will be able to spend those formative months bonding with his new child.

“Randy definitely sees that as a benefit,” said Bob Jr. “But, darn it, he wants to get back inside that ring. He was originally expected to be out until October or November. He’s been working out the whole time, concentrating on leg lifts, and he should be able to use light weights for his upper body soon. If there’s a way for him to come back before October, you can be sure that Randy will do it.”

The younger Orton is accustomed to overcoming adversity, some of his own making and some caused by unexpected injuries. WWE decelerated Orton’s push considerably in the spring of 2007 after he got into trouble outside the ring during a European tour. By the time SummerSlam ’07 rolled around, however, Orton was the top contender for John Cena’s Raw World title. Cena won that event in a squeaker … but it turned out that Orton’s ultimate victory was simply delayed.

Orton’s moment of triumph occurred at No Mercy in October. Cena tore his pectoral muscle while executing a simple hiptoss against Ken Kennedy on Raw, forcing WWE Chairman Vince McMahon to declare the Raw World title vacant. McMahon crowned Orton, the top contender, as the new champion at the start of No Mercy. Triple-H immediately demanded a title match, which Orton lost, thereby ending the third shortest world championship reign in WWE history. McMahon granted Orton a rematch at the end of the evening—this time in a last-man-standing match. The “Legend Killer” ended “The Game’s” 11th title reign in a brutal encounter.

According to Randy, the “Age Of Orton” had begun. While most considered that to be more of the champion’s cocky, inflated rhetoric, Orton’s third world championship reign in WWE turned out to be something special. He racked up a streak of wins over WWE’s most talented stars, including clean victories over Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series and Jeff Hardy at the Royal Rumble. Orton’s reputation was tarnished a bit when he intentionally got himself disqualified against the returning Cena at No Way Out, yet he would have an opportunity to redeem himself at WrestleMania 24.

And, to the shock of everyone, he did. Defending the Raw World title against Cena and Triple-H at WrestleMania, Orton scored a surprise pinfall over Cena after Helmsley had dropped Cena with a pedigree. Five months after proclaiming the beginning of the “Age Of Orton,” the Raw World champion finally seemed to make good on his promise.

“That was definitely one of the highlights of Randy’s career,” said Bob Jr. “He was thrilled that he won at ’Mania, just because that’s where legends are made. Some people would say that John’s movie career and that pec injury has inadvertently helped Randy, but I would say that Randy was trusted with that main-event spot because he is an excellent ring general. Your pay-per-view is in good hands if Randy’s carrying the ball.”

Of course, the “Age Of Orton” came to an unexpected end at Backlash, where he lost the title to Triple-H in a four-way match also involving Cena and John Bradshaw Layfield. Orton’s luck got even worse at June’s One Night Stand, where Triple-H broke the champion’s clavicle en route to a successful title defense.

As the elder Orton suggests, Randy doesn’t consider his layoff to be a complete loss—and he says that his son’s controversial out-of-the-ring behavior is a thing of the past. “Hey, the boy’s just in his 20s, so I think he’s entitled to some mistakes,” Bob said. “Right now, though, Randy’s getting ready to be a father. That’s his priority right now.”

And, come September or October, regaining a world title will become Orton’s top priority again. The only unknown factor is who will be the champion at that time. If Orton regains the championship, isn’t the third-generation star bound to repeat as the top wrestler in the “PWI 500” next year?