 At SummerSlam , Orton defeated Chris Benoit for the championship . Orton became the youngest person ever to hold the title in WWE history at the age of 24 . Benoit congratulated Orton after the match , shaking his hand for showing the ability to " be a man " . The following night , after Orton successfully defended the championship against Benoit in a rematch , Evolution threw Orton a mock celebration , only to reveal that they were not pleased with his new victory . While Batista had Orton propped on his shoulders in elation , Triple H gave him a pleased thumbs up and then abruptly changed it to a thumbs @-@ down , which was followed by Batista 's dropping Orton to the mat . Ric Flair and Batista attacked Orton in the ring as Triple H revealed his jealousy for Orton 's title . He ordered Orton to hand over the championship , but he refused , spitting in Triple H 's face and hitting him with the title belt . Orton 's break @-@ up with Evolution began a new storyline for him as a fan favorite when he continued to feud with his former stablemates . A month later , Orton lost his championship to Triple H at Unforgiven . Seeking revenge , Orton lashed out at Evolution members , catching them by surprise during a show by giving them a large cake as a make @-@ up gift , which he came out of to beat and humiliate the group . At Taboo Tuesday , Orton defeated Ric Flair in a Steel Cage match . After this , Orton experienced another push , becoming General Manager of the Raw brand for a week following a match stipulation at Survivor Series where he picked up the win for his team by last pinning Triple H in a 4 @-@ on @-@ 4 Survivor Series match . He continued to feud with Triple H , using his authority to place his opponents at severe disadvantages during title defenses . Orton was granted another chance at the championship in January 2005 , but lost a six @-@ man championship Elimination Chamber match to Triple H at New Year 's Revolution . On the January 10 Raw , Orton defeated Batista to earn a match against Triple H at the Royal Rumble for the World Heavyweight title . At the Royal Rumble , Triple H defeated Orton to retain the World title . 
