Approaching 30 years in WWE, Randy Orton is one of the most decorated wrestlers in the 21st century and will be remembered as one of the greatest performers in the modern era.
- Date of Birth: 1 April 1980
- Date of WWE main roster debut: April 25, 2002 on WWE SmackDown
- Finishing moves: RKO, Punt
- Signature move: Draping DDT
A third-generation wrestler, Randy Orton is the son of Bob Orton Jr. and the grandson of Bob Orton. With his family well aware of the highs and lows of the business, Orton’s father initially tried to persuade his son not to follow in his footsteps, aware of the travel schedule and time away from family that takes place.
After enlisting in the United States Marine Corps in 1998 and receiving a bad conduct discharge in 1999, Orton competed in his first match at MMWA/SICW in the year 2000. Later joining Ohio Valley Wrestling, Orton was a part of the legendary OVW training class that also included Shelton Benjamin, Brock Lesnar, and one of his greatest rivals, John Cena.
Making his main roster debut in 2002 as a babyface, Orton’s pro wrestling dreams hit a stumbling block just a few weeks later as he suffered a separated shoulder, meaning that he was sidelined for a number of months. While out with injury, Orton regularly provided updates via bignettes that slowly positioned him as a heel ready for his return. Orton was then firmly pushed into the spotlight as he was welcomed into the Evolution stable by Triple H, which also saw Ric Flair and later Batista join as members. From there, Orton became an integral part in Triple H keeping hold of the World Heavyweight Championship.
After capturing the Intercontinental Championship from Rob Van Dam, Orton declared himself to be “The Legend Killer”, frequently targeting names from the past and showing them disrespect. At Backlash 2004, Orton had his breakout performance as he defeated Mick Foley in a hardcore match that saw barbed wire and thumbtacks among the weapons used. After losing the IC Title, Orton was given the main event opportunity as he challenged Chris Benoit for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam. While the victory looked set to be a celebration for Evolution, Orton was kicked out of the group shortly afterwards and lost the title to Triple H at the next pay-per-view, turning face in the process.
Targeting The Game and Evolution, Orton defeated Ric Flair in a bloody steel cage match at Taboo Tuesday and pinned Triple H at Survivor Series, a show he would become very successful at, but never won back the title.
Continuing his mission to end the career of legends, Orton faced The Undertaker at WrestleMania 21, but was unable to break The Streak. However, in later interviews, it has been revealed that Orton was heavily considered at that point to be the one to be bestowed the honour. Continuing to feud with Undertaker, Orton and his father defeated The Deadman in a casket match later that year, but Undertaker won the feud after emerging victorious in his signature stipulation, Hell in a Cell.
Returning to the championship picture in 2006, Orton pinned Royal Rumble winner Rey Mysterio to earn a title match at WrestleMania 22, but Mysterio was later added to the match and won the title. From there, Orton crossed paths with Hulk Hogan, which led to the legend and Legend Killer facing off at SummerSlam that year. Hogan won in what would end up being his final WWE match.
Forming an alliance with Edge, known as Rated RKO, the duo targeted the reunited duo of Triple H and Shawn Michaels, with the alliance ending when Edge was traded to SmackDown. From there, Orton continued to target Michaels and hitting a punt on The Heartbreak Kid. Shortly afterwards, Orton set his sights on John Cena, frequently attacking Cena and his father.
Following more legend attacks, including Dusty Rhodes, Randy Orton won his first WWE Championship by being awarded the title by Vince McMahon at No Mercy. The title was vacated by John Cena due to injury. While Triple H quickly beat Orton at the start of the show, Orton ultimately emerged the champion at the end of the night after defeating The Game in a rematch.
Losing the title back to Triple H the following year, Orton was then sidelined with injury due to a broken collarbone. Upon returning, Orton was then placed in the veteran role, helping the upstarts as he was paired with fellow second-generation wrestlers Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr., collectively known as Legacy.
Becoming even more unhinged in 2009, Orton targeted the McMahon family and punted Vince McMahon in the head. Winning the Royal Rumble match, Orton also attacked Shane McMahon and targeted Stephanie until Triple H got involved. In what is the most viewed clip on WWE’s YouTube channel, Orton hit an RKO onto Stephanie and kissed her while she was unconscious as Triple H was handcuffed to the rope.
After losing to Triple H in the main event of WrestleMania 25, more championship reigns followed until Legacy imploded the following year, setting up a triple threat match at WrestleMania 26, which Orton won.
Over the next year, Orton transitioned into a full-fledged fan favourite, challenging for the World Title against Sheamus along with feuding with Wade Barrett and The Nexus, firmly cementing himself as one of WWE’s biggest stars. In 2011, Orton moved to SmackDown after the WWE Draft and quickly captured the World Heavyweight Championship from Christian, who finally won the big one after many years of fans hoping to see him reach the top.
In 2013, Randy Orton had slipped back into a heel role. After winning the Money in the Bank contract, he cashed in on Daniel Bryan at SummerSlam thanks to special guest referee Triple H’s help, becoming WWE Champion in the process and the centrepiece of “The Authority.” Marked as the powers that be’s pick to represent the company, Orton entered WrestleMania 30 as champion, defending in a triple threat against Bryan and Batista, which saw Bryan emerge the victor in one of the most feel-good endings to a Mania in its entire history. After Evolution reunited to take on The Shield, Orton remained a heel with The Authority that later saw Seth Rollins jon the group, leading to Orton defeating Rollins at WrestleMania 31.
In 2017, Orton won his second Royal Rumble match and defeated Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 33 to win back the WWE Championship. However, in one of the more infamous results in WWE history, Orton would lose the title to Jinder Mahal at Backlash that year.
In 2020, Orton reignited his feud with a returning Edge in dramatic fashion, including delivering an RKO to Edge’s wife Beth Phoenix. A Last Man Standing match at WrestleMania 36 took place followed by “The Greatest Match Ever” at Backlash, with Edge winning the fist and Orton the second.
The following year brought a new direction when Orton teamed with Matt Riddle to form RK-Bro. Initially reluctant, Orton grew into the role, and their odd-couple chemistry became one of WWE’s most popular acts with Orton playing the straight man to Riddle’s goofy side. Together they won the Raw Tag Team Championships and enjoyed a lengthy run until Orton’s physical condition forced him off television in 2022.
Orton underwent spinal fusion surgery, and it appeared that his in-ring career had come to an end with multiple sources advising him not to wrestle again. However, at Survivor Series: WarGames 2023, Orton made a triumphant return, joining Cody Rhodes’ team in a thunderous comeback moment and helping the team secure the victory.
Following his return, Randy Orton is still a regular feature on WWE programming and has been a part of multiple main event matches. While he has yet to win another World Title, many believe that The Viper still has one or 2 reigns left in him before calling time on his career.
Randy Orton WWE Championship Record
- WWE Championship – 10 reigns
- WWE World Heavyweight Championship – 4 reigns
- Intercontinental Championship -1 reign
- United States Championship – 1 reign
- Tag Team Championships – 4 reigns
- Royal Rumble winner – 2009 and 2017
- Money in the Bank winner 2013
Featured image: WWE