Why Randy Orton’s First WWE Title Reign Was So Short, Explained 

In 2004, Randy Orton made history by becoming the youngest ever World Heavyweight Champion. However, his reign wasn’t too great and he had to go on a period of recovery to climb back to the main event. It would take three years before he got his hands on another World Title. In 2007, he won the WWE World Title for the first time ever, however his reign lasted all of half an hour. When looking at Orton’s countless other WWE Championship reigns over the course of his illustrious career, there may be some fans who wonder why his very first taste of the biggest prize in professional wrestling was so brief.

Randy Orton Was Crowned WWE Champion Due To John Cena’s Injury

Randy Orton had been making strides as a heel in WWE by the time 2007 rolled around. He had targeted the WWE Champion John Cena, but his chase for the title felt fruitless. At SummerSlam, despite attacking Cena before the bell, he fell short as Cena overcame the odds to retain his title. Orton wasn’t satisfied though, and kept aiming for the top prize in WWE. Once again though, at Unforgiven, he was unsuccessful, as the match between he and Cena ended in a disqualification.

RELATED: Batista Vs Randy Orton: A WWE WrestleMania Dream Match That Was Cancelled Twice

No matter how hard Orton tried, he couldn’t find a breakthrough to win his first WWE Championship. However, in the build up to No Mercy, where he was set to battle Cena once more for the gold, his fortunes would change. Cena was ruled out with an injury that led to him having to vacate the gold. At the start of the No Mercy PPV, Vince McMahon and Orton met in the ring where the vacant WWE Title was waiting. Due to Cena being unable to compete, Orton was awarded the belt. This was certainly an underwhelming way for Orton to win his very first WWE Championship, but it played into the slimy and arrogant heel that he had become. With no Cena present, it looked as though Orton would walk out the PPV with his newly gained prize - things didn’t go smoothly though.

Triple H Ended Randy Orton’s Reign At 24 Minutes

Amid celebrations and a sneering heel promo from the brand-new WWE Champion, Randy Orton’s former Evolution ally and bitter rival, Triple H, came out from the back. He challenged Orton to the title then and there, and McMahon agreed to these demands. Orton was certainly caught off guard, and he wasn’t quite ready to defend his gold just yet, however he was forced into it. The pair went back and forth in a fairly fun opening match to this already noteworthy No Mercy PPV, before Triple H reversed an attack from Orton, and rolled him up for a three count.

RELATED: Every Major Injury Of Randy Orton's WWE Career, Explained

The crowd erupted at this result, with a mixture of both joy and complete bewilderment at what they had seen. Orton’s first ever WWE Title reign was brought to an unceremonious end at just under 25 minutes, with the whole world crashing down around him. Although this isn’t the shortest WWE Title reign of all time, as the likes of Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan, John Cena, Yokozuna, and Andre The Giant all held the gold for around five minutes for an array of reasons like Money in the Bank cash-ins, impromptu challengers, and giving up the gold, Orton’s 24-minute run as champion is still in and among those shortest reigns.

Randy Orton Managed To Win Back The WWE Championship Quickly

In a way, it did feel like a waste of time to have Orton’s first reign with the top prize end so quickly, but he did manage to find a way back to the gold before the end of the night. Orton decided to enact his rematch clause in the main event of the same PPV, this time overcoming Triple H in a Last Man Standing match - the same stipulation that he was scheduled to do battle against Cena in.

RELATED: How One RKO On Stacy Keibler Secured Randy Orton’s Heel Turn in 2005

This time around, it was Orton who won the match, winning back the title on the same night as he lost it. Orton’s second reign would be far more successful, lasting 203 days before once again losing out to Triple H, who continued to be a thorn in his side. In hindsight, having Triple H simply replace Cena and lose to Orton would have been more beneficial for establishing and legitimizing Orton as a brand-new champion, rather than making him look weak by not only losing, but targeting a weakened Triple H on the same night, with The Game pulling triple duty on the PPV. Orton more than made up for this short reign with 10 more stints as WWE Champion, with 14 World Title wins overall.