| The Legacy | |
|---|---|
 The stable's logo | |
| Stable | |
| Leader | Randy Orton |
| Members | Cody Rhodes Ted DiBiase Jr. Manu Sim Snuka |
| Name(s) | The Legacy Priceless (Rhodes and DiBiase) |
| Debut | June 29, 2008 (as a Tag Team) September 1, 2008 (Pre-Legacy Alliance)[note 1] December 1, 2008 (officially as Legacy) |
| Years active | 2008–2010 2011 |
The Legacy was avillainousprofessional wrestlingstable in theprofessional wrestling promotionWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), who competed on itsRawbrand from 2008 to 2010. Originally, The Legacy was a group led byRandy Orton that contained the tag team ofCody Rhodes andTed DiBiase. Two other wrestlers,Manu andSim Snuka, were briefly members of the stable as well. The concept behind the group was that each member was a multi-generational wrestler. The name The Legacy was a reference to their extensive family histories in wrestling.
In June 2008, Rhodes and DiBiase first formed an alliance after winning theWorld Tag Team Championship atNight of Champions, when Rhodes betrayed his original partner,Hardcore Holly, to align with DiBiase. Soon after, the pair tried to earn Orton's respect, which they eventually did. Together, the team helped Orton win the2009 Royal Rumble match, giving Orton an opportunity to compete in the main event atWrestleMania 25. The team also wrestled together in a tag team match to win theWWE Championship for Orton atBacklash. The team helped Orton win the championship three times over the course of 2009 despite a tumultuous relationship which saw Orton often physically attacking his two students. This led to Orton splitting from the group in early 2010. Rhodes and DiBiase eventually turned on each other in their match with Orton atWrestleMania XXVI.
The concept behind the group was that each member is a multi-generational wrestler. The name of the faction, The Legacy, referred to their extensive family histories in wrestling.[1] Randy Orton's father (Bob Orton, Jr.), uncle (Barry Orton) and grandfather (Bob Orton, Sr.) were all professional wrestlers. Ted DiBiase Jr., meanwhile, takes his name from his father, (Ted DiBiase) who wrestled before him along with both his grandparents (adoptive grandfather,Mike DiBiase and grandmotherHelen Hild).[2][3] Cody Rhodes followed in the footsteps of his father (Dusty Rhodes), his brother (Dustin Rhodes), and his two uncles (Jerry Sags andFred Ottman), who preceded him in the business.[4] Due to their status as multi-generation wrestlers, all the members of The Legacy believed themselves to be superior to the other wrestlers in WWE, in storyline.[5]
The Legacy has been compared to the former WWE factionEvolution of which Orton was a member, but Rhodes and DiBiase have said that they saw the comparison as an opportunity to prove themselves and show their potential.[6]
Cody Rhodes was aWorld Tag Team Champion throughout the beginning of 2008 alongside Hardcore Holly, who was acting as a mentor to him.[7] Ted DiBiase made his first WWE appearance on the May 26 episode ofRaw, in which heclaimed that he and a mystery partner would take the World Tag Team Championship from Rhodes and Holly.[8] At theNight of Championspay-per-view event in June, DiBiase revealed his partner was running late and started the match without him, however Rhodes quicklybetrayed Hardcore Holly by attacking him. This turned Rhodes into avillainous character and meant that he and DiBiase won the championship.[9]
In September,Randy Orton, who at the time was injured, made an appearance onRaw, where he criticized all the champions, mocking Rhodes and DiBiase for allowing their title belts to be stolen byCryme Tyme (Shad Gaspard andJTG).[10] The two responded by assaulting Cryme Tyme and introducingManu (son ofAfa the Wild Samoan, nephew ofSika the Wild Samoan and cousin ofRosey andRoman Reigns) as their new member atUnforgiven.[10][11] This did little to impress Orton, so later that evening Rhodes, DiBiase, and Manu assaultedWorld Heavyweight ChampionCM Punk as Orton confronted him backstage. This allowed Orton topunt Punk in the head, removing him from his championship match, and gaining Orton's respect.[11]
When Orton was well enough to wrestle, Punk demanded a match with him, which he won viadisqualification when DiBiase interfered. As a result, Orton punted DiBiase in the head, putting him out of action; this storyline was put in place in order for DiBiase to take time off to filmThe Marine 2.[12][13] Orton then invited Rhodes and Manu to form a group with him called The Legacy, and used them to help in his rivalry withBatista leading to a three-on-twohandicap match where Batista was put out of action for four months.[14][15]
AfterSim Snuka, the son ofJimmy Snuka, also expressed interest in joining the group, Orton made him qualify through a series of tests which Manu failed that same week.[16] On the January 5 episode ofRaw, Snuka and Rhodes won a tag team match against Cryme Tyme. Before the match, Orton informed them that they had to win the match in order to be part of the group. After the match, Orton explained that since Snuka did not pick up thepinfall, he was out of the group.[17] The following week, Manu and Snuka informed Rhodes that they were intending to assault Orton and had brought someone to help them do so, giving Rhodes an ultimatum to choose a side. When Rhodes refused to side with them, Manu and Snuka brought out a returning Ted DiBiase to aid them, and tried to assault Orton with Rhodes seemingly ready to attack Orton as well. Instead DiBiase joined The Legacy, attacking Manu and Snuka, and forgiving Orton for attacking him.[18]
With The Legacy finally formed, Manu and Snuka still wanted revenge on Orton. Fearing they would try to convinceRaw general managerStephanie McMahon to fire him, Orton went to speak to her himself but their conversation ended in an argument. WhenVince McMahon, Stephanie's father, made his return that night Orton maintained he was owed an apology. His brashness angered McMahon who responded by trying to fire Orton, but before he could finish his sentence Orton slapped McMahon and gave him a running punt which left him hospitalized in the storyline.[19] During the 30-manRoyal Rumble match at theRoyal Rumble the group worked as a team, making them three of the last four contestants in the ring withTriple H as the other. Ultimately, in throwing out Rhodes and DiBiase, Triple H was distracted enough to allow Orton to throw him over the top rope and win the match.[20] The next evening onRaw, The Legacy came to the ring accompanied by lawyers and doctors, with Orton explaining his outburst against McMahon was a result ofintermittent explosive disorder (IED) and threatened to sue the company and cancelWrestleMania 25 if he was fired, as winning the Royal Rumble match guaranteed him a championship match at WrestleMania. Instead he was booked for ano holds barred match with Vince's son,Shane, atNo Way Out in February, which Orton won.[21][22] The night after No Way Out, they fought again in an unsanctioned match until Orton punted Shaneunconscious. Stephanie McMahon came to the ring to oversee her brother being carried away by the paramedics and shouted at Orton until he performed anRKO, hisfinishing move, to her. Triple H ran to the ring and chased away the group, standing over the body of Stephanie McMahon. The next week, Orton and The Legacy attacked Triple H, when Stephanie came out to stop The Legacy, Orton attacked and made out with her before hitting Triple H with a sledgehammer.[23]
In an interview onSmackDown that week, Triple H revealed his real life marriage to Stephanie (even though they had divorced on-screen in 2002 prior to their actual marriage).[24] Originally, Orton announced he did not have intentions of facing Triple H, who at the time was theWWE Champion, but instead planned to face the World Heavyweight Champion. Triple H, however, goaded Orton into "avenging" his first World Championship loss and ousting from their previous stable,Evolution, and Orton changed his mind, leading to their match being booked for WrestleMania.[25] Orton revealed that he had targeted the McMahon family in order to avenge his unceremonious departure from Evolution in 2004. Due to the intensity of the rivalry, the decision was made that the WWE Championship could change hands at WrestleMania due to acountout or disqualification; despite this, Triple H won the match after hitting Orton with a sledgehammer while thereferee was knocked down.[26]
The night after WrestleMania, Orton demanded a rematch, threateningLinda McMahon (Vince's wife) as well as their grandchildren. McMahon did not grant him the rematch but scheduled a six-man tag team match for the pay-per-viewBacklash between Triple H and Shane and Vince McMahon and The Legacy, with a preview that evening between Vince and Orton. However, Raw's general manager at that time,Vickie Guerrero, made their six-man tag team match a WWE Championship match. The stipulation was that if Triple H's team won, he retained the championship, while if The Legacy won, Orton would win the title. As thesingles match progressed, Shane and Triple H came to Vince's aid, causing both Rhodes and DiBiase to interfere until a returningBatista appeared and cleared the ring; McMahon then announced that Batista was to replace him in the match at Backlash.[27] At Backlash, Orton, Rhodes, and DiBiase won when Orton pinned Triple H after an RKO and a running punt, leaving Triple H hospitalized according to the storyline.[28] In spite of Triple H's absence, Shane McMahon continued his feud with the group, leading to another match between him and Orton on the May 4 episode ofRaw. After the original match ended in a no contest due to interference, Rhodes and DiBiase won singles matches to be entered into a handicap match with all of The Legacy facing Shane later that night. This match was used to write him out of the storyline, as The Legacy members used the steel ring steps to shatter his ankle.[29]
Batista was left on his own as a result of The Legacy attacking Shane McMahon, but continued to challenge Orton for the WWE Championship. Orton and Batista had a match atJudgment Day, but it ended with Orton intentionally slapping the referee to cause a disqualification, which meant that the championship did not change hands.[30] In their rematch, however, which was held inside a steel cage at theExtreme Rules pay-per-view, Batista won the championship.[31]
The following night onRaw, during Batista's celebratory speech, The Legacy attacked Batista, and injured him in storyline. This storyline was used to cover a real injury Batista had sustained.[32] Orton then invoked his rematch clause, with the stipulation that he would win the title if Batista didn't show. However, as the 10-count progressed, Orton, Rhodes, and DiBiase were all attacked by a returning Triple H.[33] The following week, a match was held to determine the new WWE Champion between Orton, Triple H,John Cena andBig Show, which Orton won.[34] AtThe Bash pay-per-view, signs of dissention between DiBiase and Orton appeared when DiBiase argued with Orton backstage. Despite this, DiBiase and Rhodes both helped Orton retain his WWE Championship later that night against Triple H.[35] This tension was later expanded upon when DiBiase'sfather booked Orton and DiBiase in a match onRaw while he was in charge; Orton won the match but the team showed solidarity later in the same evening by interfering in a WWE Championship contender match between Triple H and Cena, leading to it being ruled a no contest. This made the subsequent match atNight of Champions a triple threat contest.[36] Similar tensions arose briefly in the group late in August when Rhodes' father, Dusty, booked Orton and Rhodes in a match onRaw. It quickly turned out to be a ruse with Dusty's intention to allow The Legacy to attack Cena, who was special guest referee. Despite the four standing tall together, Orton quickly gave an RKO to Dusty which angered Rhodes though he would fall in line.[37]
After Orton retained the championship in July's Night of Champions, the team worked together again to prevent Triple H from receiving a rematch against Orton by slowing hisBeat The Clock Challenge match, so that he did not have the quickest time and did not receive a championship match.[38] As a result, Triple H refocused his attention on Rhodes and DiBiase, losing to them in a handicap match, and reformingD-Generation X (DX) withShawn Michaels.[39] Rhodes and DiBiase faced DX atSummerSlam, but lost the match, although they later defeated DX in a Submissions Count Anywhere match at theBreaking Point pay-per-view, using a combinedfigure-four leg lockandMillion Dollar Dream on Shawn Michaels.[40][41] The following month DX defeated DiBiase and Rhodes at theHell in a Cell pay-per-view by locking DiBiase out of the cell and double-teaming Rhodes, just as the team had done to Michaels earlier in the match.[42] Meanwhile, Orton retained the title against Cena at SummerSlam after the match was restarted a number of times to prevent Orton sneaking a win through disqualification and count out, with anunknown fan, later revealed to be Ted's brotherBrett, eventually coming in from the crowd to attack the referee and cause a distraction which helped Orton retain.[40] AtBreaking Point, Orton lost the WWE Championship to John Cena in an"I Quit" match[41] only to win it the next month in aHell in a Cell match at the eponymous event.[42] AtBragging Rights, Orton lost the championship to Cena in a 60-minuteIron Man match with the stipulation that it would be the last championship match between the two. Earlier in the evening Rhodes appeared on Team Raw in a match that pitted Raw against SmackDown in a tag team match. He was seen backstage blamingKofi Kingston for the loss and in retaliation Kingston ran out to chase away Rhodes and DiBiase when they interfered in the Iron Man match.[43]
Kingston won a return match againstChris Jericho the following night, who had pinned him at Bragging Rights, but after the match Orton attacked him. Kingston retaliated by vandalising aNASCAR that Rhodes and DiBiase bought Orton to cheer him up after his title loss.[44] The rivalry continued when, atMadison Square Garden, Orton attackedHall of FamerRoddy Piper, but just before he could deliver a punt Kingston came out and attacked Orton, making him bleed and leg dropping him through a table.[45] Kofi headed a team at November'sSurvivor Series against Orton's team of The Legacy,William Regal and CM Punk which ended with Kingston eliminating Punk and then Orton in quick succession to become the sole survivor whileChristian eliminated Rhodes and DiBiase earlier.[46] The next night onRawJesse Ventura announced the contender for the WWE Championship would be determined by a series of matches contested for by wrestlers who had never held the title before. Despite this Orton managed to persuade Ventura to allow him into the tournament by defeatingEvan Bourne while Rhodes and DiBiase defeatedCryme Tyme to make it through but in the Battle Royal final were eliminated by Mark Henry while Orton was pulled over by Kingston, who held on to the ropes after Orton had thrown him out.[47] Orton defeated Kingston the following week on November 30'sRaw after he was attacked from behind by both Rhodes and DiBiase separately,[48] while Kingston took a return win the following week after guest refereeMark Cuban made a fast count[49] leading to arubber match at theTLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs pay-per-view, which Orton won.[50]
On the January 11, 2010, episode ofRaw, guest hostMike Tyson announced that the winner of a triple threat match later that night between Orton, Kingston, and John Cena would challengeSheamus for the WWE Championship at theRoyal Rumble. Orton ultimately won with the help of The Legacy, who attacked Cena and Kingston.[51] At the Royal Rumble, Orton failed to win the championship when he was disqualified when Rhodes tried to interfere. After the match, Orton attacked Rhodes and DiBiase, who attempted to aid Rhodes.[52] On the February 15 episode ofRaw, Orton took on Sheamus in a non-title rematch, but was again disqualified after Rhodes and DiBiase interfered.[53] During the WWE ChampionshipElimination Chamber match at theElimination Chamber pay-per-view, in which both Orton and DiBiase participated, Rhodes passed a pipe to DiBiase. DiBiase hit Orton with it, and eliminated him.[54]
The next night onRaw, The Legacy participated in a six-man tag team match against Kingston,Yoshi Tatsu, andEvan Bourne, designed to show their unity, but Orton attacked Rhodes and DiBiase[55] and the following week onRaw, Rhodes and DiBiase attacked Orton in retaliation, although Orton was able to fight them off.[56] Orton's split from the group was cemented when he lost a handicap match against both Rhodes and DiBiase onRaw and showed increasing signs of becoming a fan favorite.[57] This led to a Triple Threat Match between all three members atWrestleMania XXVI, where Rhodes and DiBiase proclaimed neither minded not winning so long as Orton was pinned, but in the match Orton pinned DiBiase. DiBiase and Rhodes attacked each other during the match, ending the duo, and Rhodes was punted by Orton and taken out of action for approximately a month.[58] The split was confirmed when Rhodes moved toSmackDown brand during the2010 WWE Supplemental Draft.[59]
Cody Rhodes reformed his alliance with Ted DiBiase on the May 20 episode ofSmackDown, and the duo went on to feud withSin Cara andDaniel Bryan.[60][61][62] In August, Rhodes attacked DiBiase after DiBiase lost a match to Orton, ending their alliance.[63] On the September 16 episode ofSmackDown, DiBiase disguised himself as a member of the audience by wearing a paper bag – part of Rhodes's gimmick – to allow him to attack Rhodes.[64] This led to DiBiase unsuccessfully challenging Rhodes for Rhodes'sIntercontinental Championship atNight of Champions.[65] Rhodes and Orton spent much of the latter part of 2011 feuding with each other.[66][67][68]
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| * | Founding member (Tag Team) |
|---|---|
| ** | Founding member (Stable) |
| L | Leader |
| Member | Joined | Left | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cody Rhodes | */** | June 29, 2008 | March 28, 2010 |
| Ted DiBiase Jr. | * | June 29, 2008 January 12, 2009 | November 3, 2008 March 28, 2010 |
| Manu | ** | September 7, 2008 | December 29, 2008 |
| Randy Orton | **/L | September 1, 2008 | February 22, 2010 |
| Sim Snuka | December 29, 2008 | January 5, 2009 | |
