Former WWE Champion Randy Orton has recalled the origins of his iconic finishing maneuver, the RKO.
Orton’s signature move is famous even outside of wrestling circles, with it at one point becoming a meme for the Viper to hit his move “outta nowhere”.
Speaking with Bally Sports Midwest, Orton recalled debuting the RKO after Triple H, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker encouraged him to find a signature move which he could use on anyone.
Orton explained:
“It was around 2003 and I needed a finishing move, I needed something I could end a match with, something I could get over and hopefully use for the rest of my career.
“Luckily I was around guys like Triple H, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker. They took me under their wing and one of the things they told me was ‘make sure you pick a move you could do to anybody, whether it’s the Big Show, a seven footer, or Rey Mysterio, a cruiserweight’.
“I came up with the RKO, which is like Diamond Dallas Page doing the Diamond Cutter or Johnny Ace doing the Ace Crusher. It’s basically a move that has been done before, I just put my own little spin on it so I’m able to catch guys out of nowhere with it, which is how it got famous.
“The RKO name was actually my idea, because it’s my initials. It just all made sense. “
Randy Orton is preparing for a huge match, with the Viper set to challenge for GUNTHER’s World Heavyweight Championship at the August 31 Bash In Berlin premium live event.
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