On This Date in WWE History (Apr. 18): Randy Orton becomes a star against Cactus Jack at Backlash 2004

Remember the "Legend Killer?" That's just one of the gimmicks Randy Orton has used throughout his career and on this date in WWE history, he took things to the next level in a memorable match against Cactus Jack at the Backlash pay-per-view (PPV) which aired on April 18, 2004.

WWE was pushing Orton hard as a member of Evolution who held the Intercontinental title for seven months before dropping it, only to win the World Heavyweight title a short time later, becoming the youngest Superstar to ever accomplish such a feat. This, of course, soon resulted in Triple H burying him and taking the strap for himself until he dropped it to Batista at WrestleMania 21 in 2005.

Basically, Evolution ran the whole damn show.

Nevertheless, Orton's star-making turn can perhaps be attributed to his match against Foley. It was a hardcore match in which Evolution was banned from ringside. This way they could really get Orton over on his own merits, with Foley still able to deliver the goods at this time.

And that's exactly what he did, putting Orton over in a match that featured a ton of international (foreign) objects and a few awesome bumps, most notably Orton's failed RKO attempt leading to his taking a straight back drop on thumbtacks. The visual of hundreds of them sticking out of his back is impressive.

See the promos and the match, right here in this handy video playlist:

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