It kind of dawned on me how "weird" Orton's career has been. Weird might not be the best word to describe it but I don't know. I mean, Orton is/was a top guy but at the same time, it kind of feels like he was never a top guy either. Maybe it is because all of his world titles reigns sucked (and this isn't an exaggeration - I'm fairly certain every title reign Orton had was dismal, especially compared to his work when he was a challenger). It is like he was simultaneously good and bad, overrated and underrated.
Orton wasn't always perfect, but between 2004-2011 I can truthfully say he was always one of the guys I looked forward to watching. He's had and excelled in some different roles too.
2003-2006ish: Legend Killer Orton. So many great moments that I remember from this run. Orton defeating Benoit for the world title is one of my favorite title changes. I didn't expect it at the time and it was a strong match, not to mention the finisher with Orton turning an attempted crossface into the RKO was awesome. You also had his tremendous feud and street fight with Cactus Jack, The Undertaker rivalry, and his early Intercontinental title run.
2007-2009: Lunatic Orton. This was another version of Orton filled with cool moments. Orton punting people was one of the bright spots in an otherwise sad 2007. It is just a shame it took Cena getting hurt for him to win the title, which he should have won earlier than No Mercy. Plus the title reign was terrible and it saw Orton stripped of all the characteristics that made him so fun. 2008 was a weird year for him since he was hurt in the middle of it, but then he formed Legacy and had his spectacular start to '09 when he punted McMahon (which was an AWESOME moment at the time), won the Royal Rumble, and then punted Steph the next week. Once again though, WWE ruined Orton's momentum by having him lose at WrestleMania. I didn't watch much of the WWE after WrestleMania 25 so I don't know what else he did that year, but a quick Wiki search shows he had a lot of matches with John Cena.
2010: ??? Orton. This was a bad year for Orton. Just kind of dragged after his babyface turn. Had a crappy feud with Barrett then lost the title to Miz.
2011-2012: Great Wrestler Orton. I loved Orton around this time and this is when I think he was at his most underrated, especially in 2011. He was churning out great matches consistently at this time.
2013-2015: Authority Orton. I remember being excited when he cashed in at SummerSlam, then I stopped watching the WWE until around the Royal Rumble of '14 because it was another title reign that stripped Orton of what made him cool. Orton/Rollins in '15 was a cool rivalry though, even if it made the Authority look like fools.
Then everything after that to now has been 2010 Orton x10. Boring as hell, no direction. This is what I mean when I say Orton has had a weird career. He is a 13 time World Champion but he has been floating for several years now as if he's Kane or Big Show. Nothing against them, but it is like the WWE literally has no more ideas for Orton and they are just waiting for him to retire. He doesn't even generate a reaction anymore and his matches aren't very good. I can't remember the last time I was like, "I can't wait to see this match Orton is in!" Even Show had a memorable match with Strowman last year. And because I don't watch the WWE other than the big PPVs ie. Rumble (I usually just read recaps to catch up), I actually can't even remember the last Orton match I watched.
For me, I think I'll remember Orton as the guy who was good and at his peak, great, but could/should have been even better if WWE booking allowed it.