BOSTON – Randy Orton is a deviously cunning individual, and due to that very fact, the Legend Killer was able to lead his team to victory over Team Batista at Survivor Series with he and Cody Rhodes as the only survivors.

After it was announced that The Animal and the Legend Killer, two former teammates as part of Evolution, would lead two teams against one another at Survivor Series, both men couldn’t wait to prove that they were the better man. To make things even hairier for Orton, one of his teammates was announced to be Rhodes, who has expressed nothing but hatred for Orton, including with his complaints to Stephanie McMahon when she held an open forum on Raw.

At first, it was Team Orton’s William Regal that was quickly eliminated first, giving Team Batista an early advantage. The tides slowly switched to the advantage of the Legend Killer’s team in full force as first R-Truth, and then World Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston & CM Punk and ECW Champion Matt Hardy were all eliminated consecutively, leaving Batista at a 4-on-1 disadvantage.

The Animal was anything but down and out at this point, and he mounted a very respectable comeback. After eliminating both Mark Henry and United States Champion Shelton Benjamin, it seemed it was certain that Batista would be victorious, considering Orton and Rhodes couldn’t likely coexist. However, that was not to be the case.

All the momentum that Batista gained was put to a halt thanks to the craftiness of the Legend Killer, leading to the tides changing once again. After a devastating Batista Bomb, The Animal thought he had the pin on Rhodes, and that it would just be him against Orton one-on-one, but Batista hadn’t noticed that Orton had tagged himself in while Rhodes was hoisted up on his shoulders.

When the referee refused to count Batista’s pin on the second-generation Superstar, The Animal rose to his feet confused and as he turned around, an RKO was all the explanation he needed as his fate was sealed and the Legend Killer got the pin for the win.

On this night, Orton was the victor and secured the bragging rights from here on out in saying he is the better product of Evolution, but the question still lies as to where this leaves both he and Cody Rhodes as they were the only two men still standing.

Has the second-generation Superstar earned the Legend Killer’s respect, or was Rhodes just a pawn used on Orton’s road to victory? Also, what about Batista? Has the Legend Killer rid himself of The Animal’s wrath or will Batista come back at Orton with a ferocity unlike we’ve ever seen before?