There are many stunning finishing moves in the wrestling world. However, one of the most iconic ones is Randy Orton’s RKO. The Viper has created numerous moments while hitting it and it is still considered one of the best final moves in WWE. But one thing that many people don’t know about is where did this move come from?
Randy Orton is not the first wrestler to use a cutter-style move as a finisher in the ring. He is also not the last to use this, as many other superstars, such as Cody Rhodes, use it today. Despite this, when fans think of the cutter-style moves, Orton’s RKO is the first thing that comes to their minds because he has been very successful with this move and gave them many memorable moments.
Orton credited Laurinaitis for RKO
The 44-year-old recently revealed in an interview that Diamond Dallas Page was the one who hit this move, but it was actually John Laurinaitis who helped him decide to use it as a final move. DDP had Diamond Cutter, Johnny Ace had Ace Crusher, and at that time he was head of the talent relations.
“We were trying to think of something that I could do to everybody no matter how big or how small they were and RKO was the move,” said Orton. The Viper also stated that every time it requires him to take a bump to perform that thing.
The Viper always delivers the best with RKO
While other wrestlers have used the cutter, Randy has often pioneered the unpredictable nature of this move, which has made it look classy and different from others. This is something that has become a big part of branding with the RKO, as WWE often emphasizes the fact that it can be hit out of nowhere. Additionally, Orton has displayed some of its most stunning versions over the years. One of the most incredible ones was his reversing Seth Rollins’ curb stomp mid-air and hitting him with the RKO at WrestleMania 31. The WWE audience always looks forward to these kinds of surprising RKO’s from Orton.
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Since Orton has returned after recovering from his back injury, he looks better than ever and is in great physical condition. The Viper is set to face Tama Tonga this week on SmackDown in the semi-finals of the King of Ring tournament. If he wins, Orton will face Gunther in the finals and he will need to create some magic with his RKO to win the King of the Ring crown.
