Throughout 2009 Randy Orton’s ‘Legacy’ commanded a huge presence on Raw, telling anyone who would listen that being third generation Superstars made them better than anyone else.
However as tension slowly grew between the ‘lackeys’ and the ‘leader’ cracks began to develop and at WrestleMania 26 the three will finally come to blows with Rhodes and DiBiase keen to assert their dominance.
How Legacy Formed
The first signs of a faction between Orton, DiBiase and Rhodes came about when Randy Orton returned to the WWE in 2008 after a prolonged absence and claimed that all the title holders at the time were disappointments.
DiBiase and Rhodes, then known as Priceless, took exception to this as they were the current Tag Team Champions. But rather than challenging Orton they decided to try and impress him, eventually doing so by attacking C.M Punk backstage.
Things were rocky at first, with an on-screen fall-out between DiBiase and Orton leading to the youngster being put out of action (in reality it was to allow him time off to film The Marine 2) but the group reconciled their differences in 2009 and Legacy formed properly.
Legacy’s Year of Success
In early 2009 Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes spent most of their time assisting Randy Orton in his persuit of the WWE Championship, and then his defence once he claimed the gold.
The gang’s underhanded style and continual manipulation of the numbers game saw the Legend Killer retain the title on a number of occasions, and win it back almost immediately when dropping it to Batista and John Cena.
However, after losing the belt to John Cena and falling foul of a stipulation whereby he could no longer challenge for the belt, Orton began to take his frustrations out on Rhodes and DiBiase, often blaming them for losses and challenging them to prove their worth.
Legacy Split Up
At Elimination Chamber 2010, just weeks away from WrestleMania XXVI Legacy finally imploded during the WWE Championship match.
Cody Rhodes ran to ringside and slipped a lead pipe to his team-mate, who then accidentally struck Orton with it.
Rather than helping his leader and focusing on someone else, DiBiase seized the moment and eliminated Orton, effectively bringing about the beginning of the end for the 3rd generation faction.
Having fallen victim to Orton’s sneak attacks in the past, Rhodes and DiBiase decided to strike first, formulating a plan to attack their mentor and break away on their own.
After numerous altercations between the divided members of the faction a Triple Threat match was booked for WrestleMania, however this still seemed to favour the cohesive unit of Rhodes and DiBiase.
But on the final Raw before WrestleMania the pair also began to show signs of a rift, as both men took cloaked jibes at each other and Cody Rhodes claimed he would be the one to pick up the win when the three of them meet.
What to Expect from the Legacy Triple Threat Match
Rhodes, DiBiase and Orton know each other’s styles and have worked together for so long that wrestling against each other should come naturally and if everything goes to plan this should be a great match.
Whether Rhodes and DiBiase are able to keep their friendship alive will be the big question, but with Ted tipped for bigger things it seems unlikely that any members of Legacy will be leaving Arizona alongside one another, unless this one has another twist in the tail.
Prediction: Randy Orton to pick up the win.
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Jay Davies - Jay Davies is a 25 year old graduate of the University of Lincoln's School of Journalism, currently residing in South Yorkshire, ...
