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| “ | The Age of Orton has begun! | „ |
| ~ Randy Orton |
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is a professional wrestler and an antagonist in WWE. Orton is a third generation wrestler, his grandfather Bob Orton, Sr., and father "Cowboy" Bob Orton also competed in in the professional wrestling industry. Orton is a former member of two stables, Evolution and Legacy. After leaving Evolution, Orton became the WWE's Intercontinental Champion and later acquired the moniker "The Legend Killer" for his tirade of attacking and overall disrespect of Hall of Famers of the industry.
He is (currently) the youngest person to ever hold the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and after the betrayal, he had left Evolution, and in 2006 he formed a tag team called Rated-RKO with fellow wrestler Edge. Orton's moniker would later evolve into "The Viper", emphasizing on his cold and near psychopathic nature. Overall, Orton is a fourteen-time world champion (tying with Triple H), two-time Royal Rumble winner (2009 and 2017) and a 2013 Money in the Bank winner (For a contact for a WWE Championshp match)
Biography[]
Prior to his WWE career and time in Evolution, Randy Orton was enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, but received a Bad Conduct Discharge in 1999. He soon turned his attention to wrestling and trained at MMWA-SICW in St. Louis, Missouri. He was soon recruited into Ohio Valley Wrestling where he wrestled and trained further before officially joining the WWE roster as a professional wrestler.
Evolution[]
The stable known as Evolution consisted of WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair, Triple H, and Batista. Around 2004 stable mate Ric Flair would help Orton transition to "The Legend Killer" as he proclaimed himself and began to try to "kill" the Hall of Famers career in the WWE using his now signature move the "RKO". A series of matches called "Legend versus Legend Killer" began showing Orton versus the Legend of the week ranging from Mick Foley to Shawn Michaels. Orton later became the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in history by defeating wrestler Chris Benoit at WWE Pay-per-view SummerSlam. The other members threw him a mock celebration resulting in an assault of Orton by all other members. Orton in a series of weeks would seek revenge on the remaining members and ultimately end Evolution. After parting ways with Evolution, Orton would turn face and proceed to feud with Evolution for a while.
The Legend Killer[]
Orton would taunted The Undertaker, claiming he was unafraid of the eerie Deadman. On the March 21 edition of Raw, Orton turned heel once more after he delivered an RKO to his unsuspecting on-screen girlfriend, Stacy Keibler, knocking her unconscious. During Orton's promos, he would immediately run for cover when signs of The Undertaker's appearance were near (lightning, darkness, or smoke). When "legend" wrestler Jake Roberts advised Orton not to underestimate The Undertaker, Orton performed an RKO on Roberts as well. In the weeks leading up to WrestleMania, Orton became more defiant and unafraid of the Undertaker, taunting and assaulting him in the ring following distractions from his father, "Cowboy" Bob Orton. At WrestleMania 21, however, the heavily hyped match was unsuccessful for Orton, as he lost despite his father's interference. Orton later on went to beat The Undertaker at SummerSlam with assistance from his father, along with defeating The Undertaker in a handicap casket match, before chopping holes in the coffin and pouring gas into the coffin, before setting it on fire. The Undertaker later returned at Survivor Series, attacking all of the Smackdown locker room after Randy secured the victory for Team Smackdown. Orton later killed The Undertaker again by using an RKO on him when he was protecting Rey Mysterio from Big Show and Kane, before being placed on Rey Mysterio's lowrider and being rammed into the Smackdown stage, causing an explosion. The Undertaker put his career on the line by defeating both Randy and Bob at Armageddon, ending the feud. Randy Orton would later enter the 2006 Royal Rumble at #30, before being eliminated last by Rey Mysterio. Orton later disrespected Eddie Guerrero to throw Mysterio off in an negatively-received storyline, before winning Mysterio's title shot at No Way Out, before Theodore Long brought Mysterio back into the World Heavyweight Championship match at Wrestlemania 22 after he was upset with Orton winning dirty. Mysterio pinned Orton at Wrestlemania 22's World Heavyweight Championship match that also involved Kurt Angle, the previous World Heavyweight Champion.
The Legacy and Singles Competition[]
Randy Orton with Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase
Orton along with fellow wrestlers Ted DiBiase Jr., son of WWE Hall of Famer "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, and Cody Rhodes, son of WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes, formed The Legacy with minor help from wrestler Manu. After the 2009 Royal Rumble which Orton won with The Legacy's help, he and Legacy members carried out attacks (through matches and sideline assaults) on Orton's former Evolution stable mates Triple H and Batista and various other opponents of Orton's. He went on to win the WWE Championship and had a reign lasting until John Cena defeated Orton for the title. On January 11, 2010 Orton had qualified to challenge wrestler Sheamus at the years Royal Rumble. He lost the match due to interference by Cody Rhodes who Orton later attacked. Orton was disqualified from a rematch that his other Legacy stable mates interfered in and out of retaliation, he attacked the two once more. Ted DiBiase was later in competition with Orton for the WWE Championship which came to height at the WWE Pay-per-view Elimination Chamber where DiBiase hit Orton with a pipe which was passed to him by Rhodes. The end of Legacy was final at Wrestlemania XXVI where the three were pit against one another in a triple threat match, which Orton won, turning him into a fan favorite for the first time in over five years.
The Face of the WWE, The Authority, Departure and Feud with Seth Rollins[]
Randy Orton attacking Daniel Bryan while The Shield is holding him down.
At SummerSlam of 2013, Randy Orton turned heel again since 2010 where he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on a recently-Pedigreed Daniel Bryan and won the WWE Championship. On the next night of RAW, Randy Orton sides with Triple H again as a heel ever since Evolution where he is now named "The Face of the WWE". Randy Orton would go on to do Triple H's dirty work by attacking other wrestlers that questioned his decisions most notably Daniel Bryan. "The Hounds of Justice" The Shield commonly aid Orton in beatdowns of Daniel Bryan. Randy Orton would then go on to end the career of his former partner Cody Rhodes and even defeats his brother Goldust. However, Randy Orton then loses the WWE Championship back to Daniel Bryan after a fast count by WWE referee Scott Armstrong at the Night of Champions. On the next night of RAW, a really upset Randy Orton viciously attacks The Miz in his own hometown and even in front of his parents. Orton would continue this mean streak by taking it out on other wrestlers trying to earn back his WWE title.
Orton and Bryan faced off for the vacant title on at Battleground, but the match ended in a no contest after Big Show interfered and knocked out both men. Orton once again challenged Bryan for the vacant championship at Hell in a Cell, where he was successful in regaining the WWE Championship after the special guest referee Shawn Michaels hit Bryan with Sweet Chin Music for attacking Triple H.
At Survivor Series, after successfully defeating Big Show at Survivor Series, after the match Orton was confronted by World Heavyweight Champion and long-time rival John Cena.
Randy Orton successfully winning and becoming the first "WWE World Heavyweight Champion"
The following night on Raw, Cena suggested that there should only be "one champion" in WWE, so Triple H stated there would be a unification match at the TLC pay-per-view. Orton defeated Cena at the TLC to unify both world titles, and become the first "WWE World Heavyweight Champion" as well as being recognized as the final World Heavyweight Champion. Orton cemented his legacy with his title victory.
Orton goes on to defend his newly crowned WWE World Heavyweight Championship at the Royal Rumble successfully defending it, due to The Wyatt Family interference.
At WrestleMania XXX, he failed to retained the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Daniel Bryan and Batista, when Daniel Bryan forced Batista to tap out of the YES! Lock. Ending his 161 day reign as champion.
The night after Wrestemania, Orton and Batista were each denied a rematch for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and instead were forced by The Authority to team together to face WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos for the title, despite their issues with one another. The title match ended in a double count-out after the two united and attacked them.
At Extreme Rules and Payback, Evolution lost to The Shield. On the June 9 episode of Raw, The Authority automatically granted Orton a spot in the 2014 Money in the Bank ladder match for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship, but he couldn't regain the title.
On the July 21 episode of Raw, Roman Reigns attacked Orton, which cost him another shot at the title, causing Orton to retaliate the following week by viciously attacking Reigns and challenging him to a match at SummerSlam, which Orton lost. At Night of Champions, Orton defeated Chris Jericho.
On October 30 episode of Raw, Orton asked The Authority to face the loser of John Cena and Dean Ambrose's No Holds Barred Contract on a Pole match. Ambrose won the match, setting up a Hell in a Cell match between Orton and Cena. On the Raw before the event, Triple H revealed that the winner would receive a future WWE World Heavyweight Championship match against Brock Lesnar.
Later in the night in a 3-on-2 handicap street fight which pitted Orton, Kane, and Seth Rollins against Cena and Ambrose, Orton picked up the win but was immediately attacked by Rollins with a Curb Stomp. At Hell in a Cell, Cena defeated Orton. The following night on Raw, Orton attacked Rollins with an RKO, thus defying The Authority for not controlling Rollins the previous week and beginning a face turn for the first time since 2013.
Seth Rollins "curb stomping" a bloodied Randy Orton
On the November 3 Raw, after increasing frustration, Orton attacked Rollins during his Intercontinental Championship against Dolph Ziggler, causing Rollins to win by disqualification, and demanded a match with Rollins to settle their dispute, which Triple H granted in order to keep Orton on their side. Rollins won, and Orton completed his face turn by attacking The Authority before being attacked by The Authority, which ended with Rollins executing a Curb Stomp onto the steel steps on Orton. Resulting in his injury.
At Fastlane, after The Authority (Big Show, Seth Rollins, and Kane) defeated Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan and Ryback, Orton returned and saved Ziggler, Rowan and Ryback from a post-match beatdown. He later gave an RKO to Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury (J&J Security) and Kane.The next night on Raw, The Authority tried to convince Orton to come back to the "family", but Orton did not give an answer straight away until he saw them backstage. During a tag team match later that night, Orton became frustrated and upset after Rollins tagged himself into the match. After the match, Orton made his way towards Rollins in the ring, but was briefly interrupted by Jamie Noble who got an RKO for his troubles. Then Orton, much to Rollins' surprise, picked him up and only patted him on the shoulder, leaving his alignment at the time in question. On the March 9 edition of Raw, Orton insulted several members of The Authority, only to pass it off as a joke. During a 2-on-1 handicap match in which he teamed with Seth Rollins against Roman Reigns, he abandoned Rollins, allowing Reigns to get the victory. Following this, Orton viciously beat Rollins, eventually executing an RKO through the broadcast table.
A match between the two was made official for WrestleMania 31 on the condition that Orton would meet Rollins later on that same night in the ring. The bout never took place as every member of The Authority made their way to the ring to attack Orton. Their attempt to avenge Rollins was thwarted by Sting, who aided Orton in holding them off. Orton defeated Rollins at the event. After the loss, Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the main event. With Rollins as the new champion, Orton defeated Roman Reigns and Ryback in a triple threat match on the April 6 episode of Raw to become the #1 contender to face Rollins at Extreme Rules, but he failed to win the title from Rollins in a steel cage match that saw per the stipulation his RKO banned and Kane as the gatekeeper.
At Payback, Orton failed to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship when he was defeated by Rollins in a fatal four-way match that also included Dean Ambrose and Reigns.
At Money in the Bank, Orton failed to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship contract ladder match, which was won by Sheamus. Following this, Orton began feuding with Sheamus after both men attacked each other and faced off in various tag-team matches; Orton defeated Sheamus at Battleground, but lost to Sheamus at SummerSlam.
The Wyatt Family[]
Randy Orton after joining the Wyatt Family
After Orton's feud with Brock Lesnar in 2016, On the August 23 episode of SmackDown, Orton spoke about his match against Lesnar and declared that he and Lesnar would cross paths again, before Bray Wyatt interrupted him. He then proceeded to feud with Bray Wyatt. The following week, Orton accepted Wyatt's challenge for a match at Backlash. At Backlash, Orton was attacked backstage by Wyatt before the show and subsequently lost the scheduled match by forfeit. It was later revealed that Orton was not cleared to wrestle at the event due to a legitimate concussion that occurred the previous month at SummerSlam due to the concussion he received by Brock Lesnar. Orton later battled Lesnar again at a house show in Chicago in a no disqualification match, but lost once more. In the October 25, 2016 edition of SmackDown Live during a match between Bray Wyatt & Kane, Randy Orton came out to supposedly even the odds as Bray Wyatt & Luke Harper were about to ambush Kane, But then Orton RKOed Kane and left. After ambushing Kane, Orton then revealed that he would join The Wyatt Family.
The Wyatt Family winning the SmackDown Tag Team Championships.
On the November 1 edition of SmackDown, Wyatt and Harper helped Orton win his match against Kane, thus confirming Orton's alliance with the group and turning heel for the first time since 2014. The same night, Orton and Wyatt were revealed as members of Team SmackDown for Survivor Series. Team SmackDown defeated Team Raw at the event, where Orton eliminated Chris Jericho and Wyatt eliminated Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns; Orton and Wyatt were also the last two surviving members of their team, and they faced American Alpha (Jason Jordan and Chad Gable) in a winning bout to earn a shot at the SmackDown Tag Team Championship against Heath Slater and Rhyno. At TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, they won the titles, marking Orton's first tag team championship in a decade. It was later announced that Harper is also champion under the Freebird Rule.
On the December 27 edition of SmackDown Live, The Wyatts lost their SmackDown Tag Team Championship to American Alpha in a fatal four-way tag team match, after Orton accidentally hit Harper before being pinned.
On January 29, 2017 at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, Orton won the Royal Rumble for the second time in his career by lastly eliminating Roman Reigns.
On February 28 edition of SmackDown Live, Orton turns on Bray Wyatt while Wyatt was delivering his promo as he appeared on the screen, being seen inside Wyatt' compound, where he claimed that despite being Wyatt's home, it wasn't his, and declared his intentions to burn "Sister Abigail"'s soul and set the entire compound on fire after stating that he would face Wyatt at WrestleMania 33 and defeated him at the event.
Return of Legend Killer[]
Orton returned at Extreme Rules and attacked Jeff Hardy after Hardy's match against Shinsuke Nakamura for the United States Championship, turning heel in the process. Two nights later on SmackDown Live, Orton interfered in the rematch and attacked Hardy again. On the August 21 episode of SmackDown Live, Orton and Hardy faced off in a match that ended in a no-contest, with Hardy continuing to attack Orton after the match. At Hell in a Cell, Orton defeated Hardy in a Hell in a Cell match. On the October 9 episode of SmackDown Live, Orton defeated a returning Big Show to qualify for the WWE World Cup at Crown Jewel. At the event, he lost to Rey Mysterio in the first round. He then started a feud with Mysterio, stealing Mysterio's mask on the November 21 episode of SmackDown Live and carrying it with him for a few weeks. At TLC, Orton lost to Mysterio in a chairs match. At the Royal Rumble pay-per-view on January 27, 2019, Orton entered the namesake match at number 29, eliminating Mysterio before he was himself eliminated by Andrade. Orton competed in the Elimination Chamber match at the namesake event, where he eliminated AJ Styles before being eliminated by Kofi Kingston. He then started a feud with AJ Styles as a face, with the two berating each other about their history in the wrestling business. At WrestleMania 35, Orton lost to Styles. In July, Orton feuded with Kingston around the WWE Championship, having a match at SummerSlam and Clash of Champions, where Orton didn't win the title. At Crown Jewel and Survivor Series, Orton was part of multi-tag matches, but his team didn't win. As part of the 2019 WWE draft, Orton was drafted to Raw.
At the Royal Rumble on January 26, 2020, Orton entered the titular match at number 25 and eliminated Karl Anderson before he was eliminated by his former Rated-RKO tag team partner Edge, who was returning to competition for the first time since retiring due to career-ending neck injuries in 2011. The next night on Raw, Orton teased a Rated-RKO reunion with Edge before delivering an RKO and a con-chair-to, turning heel in the process. Orton and Edge then began a feud, facing each other in a Last Man Standing match at WrestleMania 36, which Orton lost. Their second match at Backlash, billed as the "Greatest Wrestling Match Ever", was won by Orton. The match put Edge out of action with a legitimate torn triceps, and the victory enabled Orton to call himself the "Greatest Wrestler Ever." The following night on Raw, Edge's friend and former tag team partner Christian challenged Orton to an unsanctioned match, which Orton won with assistance from Ric Flair. Orton would go on to revive his Legend Killer gimmick over the next few weeks, attacking legends such as Flair and Shawn Michaels while becoming more unhinged. During the following months, Orton feuded with the WWE Champion Drew McIntyre, failing to win the title at SummerSlam and Clash of Champions in an Ambulance match, until he defeated McIntyre at Hell In A Cell, winning his tenth WWE Championship. However, he would lose the title back to McIntyre on the November 16 episode of Raw.
On the November 23 episode of RAW, Orton would face AJ Styles in a match where the winner would advance to a triple threat to determine who will challenge Drew Mcintyre for the WWE Title at TLC. The Fiend would interfere during the match and AJ Styles would hit the phenomenal forearm and pick up the win. On the November 30 episode of RAW Orton would then be invited on "A Moment With Bliss" where Orton would try and expose The Fiend's weakness. Later on in the segment, The Fiend would appear and Alexa Bliss would be in the arms of Orton. As The Fiend held at his arms out for Bliss, Orton would give her back to The Fiend before rushing out of the ring with a smile on his face. On the December 7 episode of RAW, Orton would challenge Bray Wyatt to a match in which Wyatt accepted. During the match, Orton hit a RKO and as he was about to pin Wyatt, the lights would go out and The Fiend would appear and put Orton in the mandible claw as RAW went off the air. It was announced that at TLC, Orton would face The Fiend and defeated him in the event.Then in Fastlane ,Orton lost the match against Alexa Bliss due to the distractio by The FIend. On March 22,2021 episode Of RAW, Orton gave a RKO to the Fiend but he gave orton a sister abigail due to distraction by Alexa Bliss. on Wrestlemania 37, Orton defeated The Fiend by hitting a RKO.
Moveset[]
Signatures[]
Orton using the Spike DDT on Sheamus.
- Backbreaker: Orton grabs his opponents by their neck and pulls their back down onto his back. Randy Orton sometimes uses this move from the second rope.
- Randy Orton Stomp: Randy Orton stomps on all body parts in a circle. It seems that Orton only uses this move when he is a heel.
- Scoop Powerslam: Randy Orton catches his opponents with a quick powerslam. Orton uses this move mainly as a counter.
- Spike DDT: Randy Orton forces his opponent to the second rope and drops them head first into the mat. Randy Orton could also use this move from the third rope or off of other objects such as the barricade or the announcer table. Randy Orton can even use this move on two people at the same time.
Finishers[]
Randy Orton performing the RKO on John Cena.
- RKO: Randy Orton's main finishing move. Randy Orton strikes his opponents, usually out of nowhere, with this jumping cutter. Given it's nature and Orton's agility, the RKO can be used at anytime and anywhere.
- Punt Kick: Orton punts his opponents with a running kick. This move is infamous for sidelining superstars and this very move earned Orton the nickname "The Legend Killer". Superstars that suffered the Punt Kick include John Cena, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, CM Punk, etc. and legends that were at the wrong end of this move include Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair, Mick Foley, etc. Randy Orton rarely use this move now (though in 2013, he did use this move against Big Show).
External Links[]
Randy Orton on the Heroes Wiki