The rivalry between Mick Foley and Randy Orton is one of the more underrated storylines of the Ruthless Aggression Era. Few WWE angles ever had as many layers as Orton and Foley did setting up their feud before actually locking up. Foley showed a new side to his character after coming out of retirement to work with the younger star.

RELATED: Why Mick Foley Was Randy Orton's Most Important Rivalry (& Why It Was Undertaker)

WWE knew Orton would be a huge part of their future for decades, and this was his first step moving up the card. Orton was a part of Evolution to add more interesting tidbits to the story. WWE brought in other names to keep things hot and eventually created a huge match. The Foley vs Orton rivalry deserves another look back for the things that have been overlooked throughout the years.

10 WWE Didn't Utilize Triple H's Past Feud With Foley

Most fans would have assumed Triple H’s past rivalry with Mick Foley would have been referenced as a major part of the Randy Orton story. Triple H was Orton’s mentor after picking him as “the future” of wrestling when forming Evolution.

RELATED: Triple H Vs. Mick Foley: 10 Things Fans Forget About Their WWE Feud

WWE felt it was more ideal to keep Triple H away in his own World Championship programs with Shawn Michaels and Chris Benoit. Orton did get help from Ric Flair and Batista, but Foley’s history with Triple H played no part of this story.

9 Foley Refusing To Wrestle Orton Was The Story

WWE went a unique route of setting up the feud between Mick Foley and Randy Orton. The legacy of Foley made him one of the toughest wrestlers in WWE. Foley was known for taking part in the craziest spots with zero fear.

That made it more shocking when Foley walked out of the arena when booked to face Orton. The storyline was Foley fearing Orton’s Legend Killer status leading to him suffering injury. Orton mocking Foley for being a coward set the stage for the eventual match.

8 Orton Brutally Attacked Foley In MSG

The first memorable moment of the Randy Orton vs Mick Foley feud came in the backstage area of Madison Square Garden. WWE always added extra importance to shows taking place in MSG since it used to be considered the company’s home promotion.

Orton delivered a savage attack on Foley at the stairwells by kicking him down a flight of stairs. Fans were stunned since Orton was still getting over as a young heel and a moment like this against a legend felt like a huge moment.

7 Foley Eliminated Orton In Royal Rumble

Mick Foley eventually returned to WWE to get his revenge after Randy Orton called him a coward for months. The return was a perfect scenario for the 2004 Royal Rumble match since they needed the surprise entrants.

Orton was eliminated from the Rumble match by Foley to gain a matter of revenge. This set up Foley returning to WWE television for the next few months to set up the matches against Orton. Fans reacted positively to the moment and became invested in this feud.

6 Orton Represented Foley 8 Years Later

One of the funnier twists in the history between Mick Foley and Randy Orton featured them working on the same team many years later. Orton was now a face when Foley returned to lead a team of wrestlers representing him at Survivor Series 2012.

The previous hatred was now water under the bridge when Orton joined Foley’s face team along with partners Daniel Bryan, Kane, Kofi Kingston and The Miz. Dolph Ziggler led a heel team to defeat Team Foley in the traditional elimination match.

5 Were Involved In WWE Championship Match Together

Another interesting crossing of paths between Mick Foley and Randy Orton came when both men were competing for the WWE Championship. Vengeance: Night of Champions 2007 featured John Cena defending the top title against Foley, Orton, Bobby Lashley and Booker T in a five-way challenge.

RELATED: 10 Things You Forgot About The Randy Orton vs. The Undertaker Rivalry

Orton and Foley slightly referenced their past drama by having some exchanges to build the match and during the match. Cena ended up retaining in an exciting match that had the audience hot. Both Foley and Orton contributed to the match being a success.

4 Forgotten Eight-Man Tag Match

The feud is remembered for Randy Orton winning all the major matches against Mick Foley since everyone remembers their Backlash 2004 hardcore match and the attraction WrestleMania 20 tag match. However, there was another match involving the two throughout the build.

WWE booked a star-studded eight-man tag match for Raw of Foley joining Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit and Shelton Benjamin against Evolution. The faces won to give the audience a feel-good moment as Foley’s sole victory over Orton.

3 Rock Was A Heel Before His Return Reuniting With Foley

WWE reuniting The Rock and Sock Connection was among the most memorable parts of the Mick Foley vs Randy Orton feud. Rock returned ahead of WrestleMania 20 to give Foley some help after Evolution attacked him on a few occasions.

The handicap match saw Orton, Ric Flair and Batista getting the better of Rock and Foley on the biggest stage. An overlooked aspect of this was Rock turning face since his previous run before this stint was his infamous heel stint as Hollywood Rock.

2 Mick’s Final Singles Match As Cactus Jack

WWE did a good job selling the “three faces of Foley” story with his portrayals of Mankind, Dude Love and Cactus Jack. The hardcore persona of Cactus became the most popular during the final months of his full-time career.

Foley tapped into the Cactus Jack character for one final singles match against Randy Orton since the feud called for blood and violence. Future singles matches mostly saw Mick using the Foley name since his legendary status was more valuable than gimmicks.

1 Their Match Was For The Intercontinental Championship

Most wrestling fans of the Ruthless Aggression Era will always remember the must-watch hardcore match between Mick Foley and Randy Orton at Backlash 2004. The match was a huge success, and it helped Orton become a much bigger star.

However, one overlooked aspect of this match was the Intercontinental Championship being on the line. Orton was having a great title reign with matches against the likes of Rob Van Dam and Shelton Benjamin. Foley was a surprising name to challenge for the belt, but Orton retained.