Origins of the RKO: Randy Orton Reveals His Inspiration

Randy Orton made his return at Survivor Series back in November last year and in the months since then, firmly established himself as one of the top Superstars in WWE again. His RKO remains a devastating move and he has now revealed the inspiration behind his finisher.

The RKO is undeniably one of the most popular pro wrestling moves of all time. A few years back, Orton’s RKO gained meme status, with fans creating amusing edited vines featuring The Viper delivering his finisher to unsuspecting individuals.

While speaking with Bally Sports Midwest, Randy Orton talked about the development of his RKO finishing move. He recalled that in 2003, he needed a signature move that could effectively end matches and potentially last throughout his career. With guidance from wrestling legends like Triple H, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, and The Undertaker, Orton was advised to choose a move that could be executed on any opponent, whether they were a giant like Big Show or a smaller competitor like Rey Mysterio.

Orton explained that the RKO, inspired by moves like the Diamond Cutter and the Ace Crusher, was designed to be versatile and surprising. He added his unique twist to the move, allowing him to catch opponents off guard. On top of that, Orton came up with the name RKO, which stands for his initials, making it a personal and fitting choice.

“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.“

Earlier this year, Randy Orton also advocated jail time for a man who was hitting RKOs on unsuspecting strangers. Regardless, Orton’s move will go down in pro wrestling history as one of the best in the business and that’s never changing.

What’s your view on the origins of Randy Orton’s RKO? Is it the best finisher in all of professional wrestling? Sound off in the comments section below!