Randy Orton made major headlines on WWE Raw this week in Gunther’s absence. Orton hinted that he might have some new back-up ahead of Bash In Berlin. Orton claimed he would forge a ‘new legacy’ at Bash In Berlin.
The World Heavyweight Champion Gunther was defending his gold against Sheamus at a WWE Live event in Brussels on Monday. Orton was tasked with creating final hype for their Bash In Berlin match on his lonesome on WWE Raw.
Boy, did he manage it? Orton made the brash claim that come the end of Bash he would be a 15-time world champion.
Gunther losing his World Heavyweight Championship in his first televised defense would be unthinkable. Losing in the country that made him – Germany – would be even more heartbreaking.
Orton’s ‘new legacy’ quote is probably just clever wordplay. But there’s a chance Orton could be hinting that he’s going to form a new faction similar to his “Legacy” faction that ruled between 2008 and 2010.
We take a look at who the perfect candidates are for the “New Legacy”.
Original “Legacy”
Orton enlisted the then World Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr. as back-up in 2008. The three men bonded over being second and third-generation WWE superstars.
18 years later, Rhodes is finally the Undisputed WWE Champion so unlikely to want to play second fiddle to Orton.
Di Biase Jr. is set to stand trial for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering, and theft concerning programs receiving federal funds in January 2025. So it’s highly unlikely he’ll be involved.
Anoa’i family member Manu was in “Legacy” for three months before being kicked out of the group, and leaving WWE shortly after.
New “Legacy”
So if Orton is putting together a “New Legacy”, who are the likely candidates? Well, four months ago Bron Breakker would have been an excellent shout. The son of Rick Steiner, Breakker, had done little of interest before WrestleMania 40.
However, since his WWE Draft to WWE Raw, he has become one of the most exciting performers on Monday nights and is currently the Intercontinental Champion. Breakker would probably feel he doesn’t need to be part of a faction at this point.
“New Legacy”: Charlie Dempsey & Lexis King
Son of William Regal, Charlie Dempsey is currently the NXT Heritage Cup Champion. He is a unique performer who is committed to honoring the legacy of traditional European wrestling.
The image of him backing up Randy Orton with his giant NXT Heritage Cup would be fun to look at. Still relatively new to the WWE roster, Dempsey would be the perfect first pick for the “New Legacy”. His father is so respected that he could gain easy heat by putting him down.
Another good option for a NXT call-up would be Lexis King. It would give the son of Brian Pillman great exposure and allow him to ease into a role on the main roster. Having competed on AEW TV for many years, King could impress people straight away. King and Dempsey would make for an interesting odd couple of a tag team if they were to provide Orton’s backup as “New Legacy”.
Arn Anderson’s son Brock Anderson recently left AEW and is currently a free agent. He could make a shock debut as part of a “New Legacy” faction.
“The Rock” Dwayne Johnson’s daughter NXT General Manager Ava could be a left field option for a member of the “New Legacy”. As could Santino Marella’s daughter and NXT superstar Arianne Grace.
The Ultimate Shock: Ludwig Kaiser
But there is one person who could provide the ultimate shock on Saturday at Bash In Berlin. Ludwig Kaiser is the son of legendary German grappler Axel Dieter.
As Gunther’s backup, Kaiser often takes hits for the “Ring General”. Randy Orton administered a beating on Kaiser on WWE Raw.
Kaiser could execute the ultimate betrayal of Gunther on Saturday by aligning himself with Orton.
Kaiser could see the first WWE PLE from his native German as the opportunity to break away from Gunther. By costing him the World Heavyweight Championship, Kaiser could breakout and forge a “New Legacy”.
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