| 1 | %% |
| 2 | %% TLANE: Administrivia/TypeLabelsAreNotExamples |
| 3 | %% |
| 4 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/randy_orton_2.jpg]] |
| 5 | [[caption-width-right:350:The Viper.\ |
| 6 | The Apex Predator.\ |
| 7 | [[HeroKiller The Legend Killer.]]]] |
| 8 | ->''"If you were to design a sports entertainer from the ground up, it would look '''exactly''' like Randy Orton."'' |
| 9 | -->-- '''Wrestling/JohnBradshawLayfield''' |
| 10 | |
| 11 | Randall Keith Orton (born on April 1, 1980 in Knoxville, Tennessee) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to the Wrestling/{{WWE}}. Orton is a third-generation professional wrestler; his grandfather Bob Orton Sr., father [[Wrestling/BobOrtonJr "Cowboy" Bob Orton]], as well as his uncle Barry O, all competed in the professional wrestling industry. |
| 12 | |
| 13 | Before being promoted to the main WWE roster, Orton trained in and wrestled for Mid-Missouri Wrestling Association-Southern Illinois Conference Wrestling for a month. He was then sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). There, Orton held the OVW Hardcore Championship on two separate occasions. |
| 14 | |
| 15 | After signing with WWE, Orton became a member of the stable Wrestling/{{Evolution}}, where he acquired the moniker "[[HeroKiller The Legend Killer]]": an unstoppable golem of a man who physically targeted Hall of Famers and other veterans of the industry, usually [[CombatPragmatist outside of appropriate restrictions]]. In 2004, Orton became the youngest World Heavyweight Champion when he won the title at the age of twenty-four (defeating Wrestling/ChrisBenoit). This win resulted in his departure from Evolution and a feud with his former stablemates. In 2006, Orton joined forces with Wrestling/{{Edge|Wrestler}} in a tag team known as...er, [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs Rated-RKO]]. Together, Orton and Edge held the World Tag Team Championship. After the team disbanded, Orton won the WWE Championship twice in one night in mid-2007 (said title changes being the only time that title changed hands that year). |
| 16 | |
| 17 | These days, Orton is better known for his decade-long feud with Wrestling/JohnCena -- actually much longer, originating back when they were both scrappy upstarts in OVW. Ironically, in an inversion of their usual WWE feud dynamic, Orton was the face and Cena was the heel. In fact, you would be forgiven for thinking these two are descended gods who have been fighting down through the centuries. There's been roughly 30 single matches between Cena and Orton, but if you count multiple matches —Tag Matches, Triple Threats, Hell in a Cells, Elimination Matches, Elimination Chambers — the number is [[TheUsualAdversaries probably around 125.]] |
| 18 | |
| 19 | Also considered one of the more [[BoringButPractical practical]]/lazy wrestlers in the near century-long existence of pro wrestling (counting the carny days); while every other wrestler was coming up with new crazy risky moves to finally put their opponent down, Randy Orton was the one man to go [[WhyDontYaJustShootHim "Why don't I kick him in the head really hard?"]] |
| 20 | |
| 21 | He is a ten time WWE World Heavyweight Champion[[note]]prior to TLC 2013 it was known as the WWE Championship before being merged with the World Heavyweight Championship[[/note]], a four time and final World Heavyweight Champion, one time Intercontinental Champion, one time United States Champion, a one time World Tag Team Champion alongside Wrestling/{{Edge|Wrestler}}, and a one time Smackdown Tag Team Champion alongside [[Wrestling/TheWyattFamily The Wyatt Family]]. In 2017, he won the second Royal Rumble of his career. |
| 22 | ---- |
| 23 | !! "I hear voices in my head. They counsel me. They understand. They trope to me.": |
| 24 | * AbortedArc: Looked to have a feud with Wrestling/ChrisJericho in 2012 after getting attack by Jericho in a match. Then it was all dropped when both got suspended within a week of each other, Orton for 60 days due to a Wellness Violation and Jericho for 30 days due to him kicking an Brazilian flag, which is a huge no no. |
| 25 | * AlwaysSomeoneBetter: |
| 26 | ** Daniel Bryan's looking to be this for Orton, as Randy has ''never'' been able to get one up on Bryan in a legitimate one-on-one scenario without any [[Wrestling/TripleH controversy]], [[Wrestling/ShawnMichaels interference]] [[Wrestling/{{Kane}} or]] [[Wrestling/TheWyattFamily distractions]]. This was discussed by Cole and company during their 12/16/13 main event encounter, which ended in a DQ win for Bryan when Orton low-blowed him, further emphasizing the point. |
| 27 | ** Ironically, during an interview with Wrestling/AJStyles on Talking Smack, Daniel confesses to AJ that the best wrestler he has ever been with in the ring, including AJ, is [[WorthyOpponent Randy]]. |
| 28 | ** In turn, Orton was this to Wrestling/CMPunk. Orton beat Punk in nearly every single one-on-one match they ever had; it took until 2013, Punk's last full year with the company, for him to finally beat Orton cleanly in a match. |
| 29 | %% (TLANE) * AntiHero: Compared to most of the smiling, rule-abiding faces in the organization, and YMMV on the extent, Orton fits this anywhere from type III-V. |
| 30 | * AntiVillain: In his feud with Edge in early 2020. While Randy is the unambiguous villain of the story, attacking his old friend and brutalizing his neck just after Edge came out of retirement, in Orton's own twisted mind he's doing his old friend a favor and trying to save him from himself, from taking his already-damaged body and ruining it beyond repair to chase the high of the roar of the crowd and the adrenaline rush of victory, by injuring him so badly he will have no choice but to go right back into retirement. |
| 31 | * AnimalMotif: Vipers, venomous snakes in general. |
| 32 | * ArchEnemy: |
| 33 | ** Wrestling/JohnCena and Wrestling/TripleH have been his biggest feuds. With Cena, that got so [[ItsPersonal personal]], Cena's father got involved - '''''twice.''''' His feud with Triple H went as far back as his days in Evolution, and him getting kicked out rather brutally after winning the World Heavyweight Title, which was something he couldn't forget and wouldn't let go of, and would later target Hunter's [[Characters/WWEMcMahonFamily family.]] |
| 34 | ** Wrestling/TheUndertaker for the period when he tried to break "The Streak", even proving he was badass enough, by turning heel again, since leaving Evolution, but giving his girlfriend Wrestling/StacyKeibler an RKO. |
| 35 | ** His feud with Wrestling/CMPunk was a two year long wait on the behalf of Punk, who previously had to vacate his title after being punted by Orton, and thus couldn't defend it on the ''Unforgiven'' [=PPV=] in 2008. This lead to Punk taking over leadership of Wrestling/TheNexus, and using its members to weaken Orton for their match at [=WrestleMania=] 27. |
| 36 | ** After Wrestling/{{Christian}} won the World Heavyweight title in 2011, for the first time, and five days later[[note]]actually just two with Smackdown being taped and all[[/note]] had to defend it against Orton, by popular vote by "WWE universe", and losing, their mutual respect for one another turned sour when Christian turned heel and demanded several re-matches for the title, ultimately winning it back, before losing it back to Orton about a month later. Christian is generally regarded as the rival Randy had the most chemistry with in regards to both matches and actual feud-building. |
| 37 | ** His short feud with Wrestling/CodyRhodes stemmed from their days in Legacy, with Rhodes feeling he never got the retribution he needed, and it got very bloody at one point, with Orton hitting Rhodes over the head with the ring bell, necessitating stitches. |
| 38 | ** Wrestling/WadeBarrett became a pain for him, when his team won at Wrestling/SurvivorSeries, pinning Orton, and at one point pushing Orton down a flight of stairs, their feud came to an end, a few months after that after Orton winning a No DQ match to settle things, once and for all. |
| 39 | ** When Wrestling/{{Kane}} returned from injury, Orton became a target, since prior to Wrestling/MarkHenry putting Kane on the shelf, they've had matches, which Kane lost, and Kane felt his humanity had taken over, so he needed to defeat Orton in order for him bury that humanity he had inside him. |
| 40 | ** Randy also had many issues with Wrestling/{{Batista}} over the years, stemming from Batista's part in Randy's ousting from Evolution, though it's only in the later runs of Batista's career that they have directly opposed each other. It's mainly due to the fact that while Randy hated Dave for his part in the betrayal, he hated Hunter far, ''far'' more. |
| 41 | ** Long story short, Randy tends to not make many friends. Then again, considering his character (regardless of his alignment), it's highly doubtful Randy's had any to ''begin'' with. |
| 42 | ** Most recently, he has been feuding with Seth Rollins of whom has replaced him as the "Face of the WWE." Irony set in a few months later when Orton allied himself with Reigns and Ambrose in their feud with the Wyatt Family, and showed as much chemistry with them as Seth himself did when they were in the Shield together. |
| 43 | ** Wrestling/JinderMahal from April until Battleground 2017. |
| 44 | ** Wrestling/JeffHardy after his FaceHeelTurn at Extreme Rules 2018. |
| 45 | ** Wrestling/ReyMysterio in fall 2018. |
| 46 | ** Wrestling/AJStyles after Styles provoke him that's Orton make it to the WWE because of his family and his stable Wrestling/{{Evolution}}, Rated-RKO, The Legacy, Wrestling/TheAuthority and Wrestling/TheWyattFamily and also provoke that's he failed the drug test. |
| 47 | ** Wrestling/{{Edge|Wrestler}}, who he's had a rivalry with dating back all the way to 2004. Edge was the one to end his eight-month reign as Intercontinental Champion, something that caused a significant amount of bad blood between them that never quite healed. They briefly buried the hatchet in late 2006 to form Rated-RKO, but the partnership barely lasted six months before collapsing due their respective egos. Later in 2010 Edge tried to force Randy to reform Rated-RKO, but Randy refused both because he knew Edge wasn't really sincere about the offer and because he was still recovering from the breakdown of Legacy at the time. They buried hatchet again after Edge's first retirement... and then reignited their rivalry the RAW ''right after Edge's return'', this time more bitter than ever before. |
| 48 | ** In 2020 he's feuded with Wrestling/DrewMcIntyre for the WWE Championship. |
| 49 | ** Wrestling/AlexaBliss was definitely this in late 2020/early 2021. Originally a byproduct of his rivalry with [[Wrestling/BrayWyatt The Fiend]], after Randy burned the Fiend alive at ''TLC 2020'', Alexa proceeded to screw him over in retaliation via various mind games. This included things like throwing a fireball at his face, distracting him during his matches, and somehow inflicting him with a malady that caused black ichor to pour out of his nose and mouth at inopportune times. It eventually reached a point where when Alexa offered to have a match with him at ''Fastlane 2021'', Randy immediately pounced at the opportunity just to finally get his hands on her. Alexa then ''won'' the match with the help of the returning Fiend. While Randy turned his attentions back to the Fiend after this, there's no question the damage Alexa did to him -- she's one of the few people to have ever really gotten into his head. |
| 50 | * AscendedMeme: The "RKO Outta Nowhere" meme, on two instances: |
| 51 | ** First was during the 4/20/2015 episode of ''[=RAW=]''. To put into context: Orton was slated for a cage match against Wrestling/SethRollins at ''Extreme Rules'' that year, with a stipulation that the RKO was banned. Seeing as he would not get to use it during their match (which was at that time a week away), Orton decided to "get it all out of his system" and RKO anyone he sees. One highlight was when he RKO'd Wrestling/HeathSlater through the table at the canteen; prior to the latter's OhCrap face, no one expected Orton to be there as the camera was focused on Slater. |
| 52 | ** The second was in the 8/1/2016 episode of ''[=RAW=]'', as buildup to his ''Wrestling/{{Summerslam}}'' match with Wrestling/BrockLesnar. To put into context: Wrestling/PaulHeyman was doing his usual LargeHam promo for his client, up to the point where he emphasized the fact that [[TemptingFate Orton can never hit the RKO on Lesnar]] (while the camera was focused on Lesnar). Cue RKO ''[[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu on Lesnar.]]'' The icing on the cake: Orton pointing at the "[=#OUTTANOWHERE=]" label on the back of his shirt. |
| 53 | ** Two others used as counters have since made it into the repertoire of Khaos' character Jet Brazie. |
| 54 | *** His RKO on Evan Bourne as Evan tried hitting Air Bourne became known in Jet's move pool as the EDEN Cutter, while one he hit as a counter to John Cena's Attitude Adjustment is a tables-only counter-cutter move dubbed the NEUE Cutter (the RKO in particular won Orton a Tables Match against Cena before Night of Champions 2010). |
| 55 | * AssholeVictim: Despite not "killing" anybody, Orton's punt has been treated as equal. So when CM Punk faced off Orton for revenge, he was more than justified. |
| 56 | * AudienceSurrogate: Arguably a big reason for his popularity. Contrasting him with John Cena (who's pretty much a straight-up Boy Scout aside from a few moments), Orton does what he wants, when he wants, to who he wants -- not only with [[KarmaHoudini very few consequences]], but also often [[invoked]][[EvilIsCool getting cheered for it]]. Who's lived long enough that ''hasn't'' wanted to go completely apeshit with impunity (on bosses and coworkers in particular) at least once? |
| 57 | * AwesomeButImpractical: The elevated "spike" DDT he uses from the second rope is really cool and brutal-looking, but if his victim's conscious enough to get his feet off the second rope, it'll get countered. Which WWE seems to recognize, as it's the one of his FiveMovesOfDoom that he never seems to get off on his first try. |
| 58 | * AxCrazy: Hell yes. |
| 59 | * BadassBoast: "I embrace hate! And hate embraces me!" |
| 60 | * BadassInANiceSuit: During his days in Wrestling/{{Evolution}}. |
| 61 | * BaldOfEvil: As a heel. |
| 62 | * BerserkButton: The one thing [[Wrestling/MoneyintheBank MitB]] 2011 taught us about Randy Orton? Don't spit in his face. Or do, if you're trying to get him disqualified. |
| 63 | ** On a more personal note outside of the ring, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXUrdHoJOFo never call him fragile]]. |
| 64 | * BigBad: In 2009, during the Road to ''Wrestling/WrestleMania'', due to his constant attacks of the [=McMahon=] family and his threatening to cancel the event all together should he be fired for his actions, along with winning the Wrestling/RoyalRumble match that year. |
| 65 | ** Again in 2020, following the return of his Legend Killer gimmick. Once more the most dangerous psychopath in the company (perhaps short of [[Wrestling/BrayWyatt the Fiend]]), Orton went on a rampage of brutally assaulting older wrestlers such as Wrestling/{{Edge|Wrestler}}, Wrestling/BigShow, and Wrestling/RicFlair, before finally punting out Wrestling/ShawnMichaels as a means to draw out current WWE Champion and [[TheHero company face]] Wrestling/DrewMcIntyre for a match at ''Wrestling/SummerSlam 2020''. |
| 66 | * BirdsOfAFeather: Legacy, a PowerStable Randy formed with Wrestling/CodyRhodes and Wrestling/TedDiBiaseJr, was built around the fact that all three of them were the sons of famous wrestlers. Manu, son of Afa from Wrestling/TheWildSamoans, and [[Wrestling/DeuceNDomino Sim Snuka]], son of [[Wrestling/JimmySnuka Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka]], were considered as entrants as well but ultimately didn't make the cut. |
| 67 | * BlackAndGrayMorality: During his feud with Wrestling/TripleH over the course of the first half of 2009, Orton was made out to be a DirtyCoward by repeatedly stalking and taunting Triple H, putting 'H's father-in-law Wrestling/VinceMcMahon and brother-in-law Wrestling/ShaneMcMahon in the hospital, knocking out his wife Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon and kissing her while unconscious, and using the members of Legacy (Cody Rhodes and Ted [=DiBiase=]) to do much of his dirty work and bail him out during matches. But you didn't have to be especially perceptive to point out that the [=McMahons=] [[AssholeVictim partially deserved it]] after insulting Orton's father and [[DisproportionateRetribution firing Orton's ally Chris Jericho simply for speaking rudely to Stephanie]]. (And this doesn't even take into account the fact that Orton and Jericho were right to complain, correctly accusing Wrestling/JohnBradshawLayfield of bribing Wrestling/ShawnMichaels to help him win a shot at John Cena's WWE Championship by unfair means.) Not to mention that Triple H had all this coming for a long time due to the fact that he'd had his Evolution stablemates attack Orton in a jealous rage after Orton won the World Heavyweight Championship in 2004. Not that this wasn't noted in {{Kayfabe}}, Triple H even used the fact he screwed Randy over to goad him into fighting him. |
| 68 | -->'''Triple H:''' I'm not a good person, Randy... |
| 69 | * BookEnds: Tapped out to John Cena's STF at the beginning of their Iron Man match at Bragging Rights 2009; this was done pragmatically, as a quick tap-out with more than 50 minutes left on the clock would leave him fresh and ready to continue. Near the end, he was forced to tap out for real with the score tied at 5 each, causing him to lose the WWE Championship. |
| 70 | * BoringButPractical: |
| 71 | ** Orton wrestles a very simple but effective wrestling style. Technically there's nothing wrong with that, but if you don't hold an appreciation for that sort of thing his matches tend to be boring as hell. |
| 72 | ** The crazy part is that he basically wrestles as a heel from the mid eighties, with his melodramatic knee drops and stomps, combined with his incredibly heelish middle rope DDT. Randy has great WrestlingPsychology…for a methodical heel, even though half the time he's a sociopathic face. |
| 73 | *** Considering his age and the fact that his father was in WWF in the mid-80s (and a heel), [[invoked]][[FridgeBrilliance Randy probably grew up watching a lot of mid-80s heels]]. |
| 74 | ** His wrestling style is also completely practical from a business standpoint. Guys who do really flashy moves and take crazy bumps through tables or off ladders or even just in the ring might be more entertaining for audiences to watch, but they can't put on a match like that every single night, and their bodies inevitably suffer for it. (Note how, since the NXT and indie influence on the main roster has become more pronounced in TheNewTens the standard work rate has increased somewhat but injuries have also seen a massive uptick) With his style, Orton could potentially wrestle a match five nights a week if the bosses asked him to, with a fairly low risk of injury (for him and for the other wrestler/s he's working with) and with comparatively little chance that he's going to have to retire prematurely. |
| 75 | *** [[EnforcedTrope Enforced]] at the beginning of his career by some of the legends that mentored him. He used to feature several top rope moves in his arsenal. Once he hit main event status, though, his mentor(s) advised him to remove them because, first off, they were too risky for a guy of his status and health history (he's got shoulder issues) and, second, because he didn't need them to get over. |
| 76 | ** This also applies to his FinishingMove, the RKO. No complex set ups, no need for immense strength when used on bigger opponents, just get in front of the opponent, grab their head, turn and drop. It's simple, but effective, and not only can it be used on anyone, even bigger guys like Wrestling/TheUndertaker and Wrestling/{{Kane}}, but it can come from anywhere; front of the opponent, behind the opponent, while the opponent is in mid-air, even as a quick counter to signatures and finishers, |
| 77 | * BrokenAce: Presented this way in kayfabe, with some RealitySubtext. Orton was the talented athlete that most of WWE's higher-ups envisioned at the top of the company back around 2003-2005, but never surpassed Wrestling/JohnCena's status mostly because of his inability to stay out of his own way. In kayfabe, especially, most of his heel turns, his most recent in particular, are marked with bouts of insecurity and paranoia — despite [[FridgeBrilliance (or perhaps because of)]] ostensibly being Wrestling/TheAuthority's handpicked champion.[[note]]Remember what Wrestling/TripleH did to Randy when they were in Wrestling/{{Evolution}}?[[/note]] And, both in and out of kayfabe, Orton still occasionally dips into anger and behavioral issues. |
| 78 | * CaptainObvious: "You might not know this about me, but I have a ''severe'' anger management problem." [[SarcasmMode No Randy, we'd never have guessed.]] We thought you just didn't realize that kicking people in the skull as hard as you can could cause significant injury. |
| 79 | * CatchPhrase: "My name is Randy Orton." |
| 80 | * CharacterizationMarchesOn: Orton was a clean-cut, respectful baby face when he first debuted in 2002. Even after he turned heel a few months later and became a JerkJock, he still had that wide-eyed enthusiastic personality. Contrast that to the modern day Orton, a sadistic monster with no redeeming qualities whatsoever, and it's like two different people. This can be attributed to his time in Wrestling/{{Evolution}} with him getting violently thrown out of the group, and his later quest to become a WWE Champion no matter what. He probably realized he couldn't keep those traits if he wanted to get anywhere in WWE. |
| 81 | * CheapHeat: During his feud with Wrestling/ReyMysterioJr, Orton told Rey that recently deceased Wrestling/EddieGuerrero was in Hell. Even for his {{Jerkass}} hat that he was sporting at the time, most everyone said that was going ''way'' too far. Even Wrestling/{{Tazz}} sounded legitimately off about that. In a shoot interview on [=WrestleMania=] Rewind, he stated it hurt to say it. He also stated that the comment was cleared by Eddie's family. |
| 82 | * CherryTapping: In a backstage brawl with Wrestling/WadeBarrett, Randy, in the middle of beating the crap out of Barrett, soaked him with a water hose and dumped the contents of a garbage can (although not the garbage can itself) onto his head. [[UnnecessaryRoughness Then he RKO'd him through the roof of a car.]] |
| 83 | * ChronicVillainy: Like most wrestlers in the modern era he’s a HeelFaceRevolvingDoor, but Randy has a tendency to randomly betray or attack people just for the hell of it. |
| 84 | * CombatPragmatist: Kicking people really hard in the head. |
| 85 | * CompositeCharacter: Since his 2005 move to Smackdown, Orton started to merge shreds of his Viper persona while also reviving some of the animation and personality he had during his membership and later feud with Evolution. |
| 86 | * ContinuityNod: |
| 87 | ** His "Randy News Network" vignettes from the first time he was out with injury. He pretty much started every promo with a hi and his name. Between then and now, actually, this was basically the gimmick of Dolph Ziggler. |
| 88 | ** Also, during his title celebration after his 2013 heel turn, he (among other things) tightly embraced Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon, at which point Wrestling/MichaelCole really flipped out and said something to the effect of, "After everything he's put that young lady through?" Of course, for those with decent memories, a younger Randy Orton feuded with the [=McMahon=] family — punting ''everyone'' he could get a foot to except for Stephanie herself, whom Orton once gave an RKO and once delivered an [[SignatureMove elevated DDT]] and [[DudeShesLikeInAComa kissed on the lips]] with a tied-up Wrestling/TripleH ForcedToWatch. |
| 89 | * CoolCar: His interest in them seems to be a minor character quirk of his that nobody really talks about - probably because it mainly shows up when he's a heel. But it seems like Randy is terribly GenreBlind about his rides, which usually [[RunningGag ends with them being defaced or destroyed.]] |
| 90 | * CreatorsPet: He became an InUniverse example of this throughout 2013-14. In this storyline, Wrestling/TheAuthority has decided he is the "Face" of the WWE, and they kept the championship on him at all costs under the guise that it's "best for business", and used their power and influence to clear any potential challengers to his position. By late 2014, Randy was being phased out of this role in favor of the new "Golden Boy," Wrestling/SethRollins. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPtrGv-m8q4 He didn't take too kindly to it.]] |
| 91 | * DangerousForbiddenTechnique: The Punt kick has become this -- apparently it's been legitimately banned, which is why Randy hasn't been seen using it as often in the last two years. Apparently, also, WWE relaxed that ban for Extreme Rules 2013, where Randy used it to beat Wrestling/TheBigShow, just to show how serious things had gotten... and then ''again'' at Survivor Series the same year... same guy, too. |
| 92 | ** Averted in 2020 where he started dishing Punts out like candy to active and retired superstars alike. |
| 93 | * DarkerAndEdgier: |
| 94 | ** The 'Viper' gimmick in comparison to his original 'Legend Killer' gimmick. |
| 95 | ** Also, he is pushed as a DarkerAndEdgier counterpart to John Cena. |
| 96 | * DeadpanSnarker: Usually with threats more than jokes. For example, when Ashton Kutcher guest-hosted RAW for his movie ''Film/{{Killers}}'', he told Wrestling/ZackRyder that he put a hit on him. Randy, being called the "Silent Assassin" and the "Legend Killer", was Zack's first suspect, claiming that Orton was trying to end his legend career before it started. Orton's response? |
| 97 | -->'''Randy:''' [[IfIWantedYouDead Zack, if I wanted to take you out, we wouldn't be having this conversation.]] |
| 98 | * DeathByAThousandCuts: It took almost twenty years, but it finally happened -- Orton got put on the shelf in 2022 thanks to a major back injury that would take the rest of the year to recover from. Incoming reports indicate this is partially a result of the accumulation of damage from performing the RKO for so many years. Considering Orton's hypermobile shoulders, it's more surprising that this is the first time Orton has had a major back injury like that since the start of his WWE career. |
| 99 | * {{Determinator}}: There is ''nothing'' Orton won't try in order to get what he wants. After Wrestling/WilliamRegal refused to grant him a rematch for John Cena's WWE Championship, Orton proved he was ready to take on Cena again… by ''forcefully pulling Cena's father out of the crowd and kicking him in the skull''. |
| 100 | * DidNotThinkThisThrough: According to ''WWE Story Time'', he began to think this prior to his infamous Hardcore Match in ''Backlash 2004'' when he tried placing himself on a tack. |
| 101 | * DidntSeeThatComing: RKO out of nowhere — you know it's coming, but ''when?'' |
| 102 | ** Ever since "RKO Outta Nowhere" became a thing, a large number of his matches - particularly on PPV - seem to be booked to end like this by design, in that Randy will typically try to hit an RKO straight-up at some early point in the match only to have it blocked. |
| 103 | * DirtyCoward[=/=]DudeWheresMyRespect: Headed this route after winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. |
| 104 | ** His first promo after winning the Championship: "You are ALL jealous of me!" |
| 105 | ** His reaction to his first title defense in a match against [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]]? "You can ALL kiss my ass!" |
| 106 | *** Then during the actual match, he intentionally DQ's himself by giving the challenger a [[GroinAttack low blow]]. |
| 107 | ** His reaction to a rematch with Wrestling/JohnCena at the Royal Rumble? Beating up the latter's father in an unprovoked attack after losing to Wrestling/KofiKingston and then calling out Wrestling/TheAuthority the very next week during their welcome-back promo for Wrestling/{{Batista}}. |
| 108 | ** His reaction to John arriving at the arena the very same night for some retribution? [[OhCrap He got the hell out of Dodge quickly]] before Cena gave him an Attitude Adjustment onto the concrete stands in the crowd. |
| 109 | * DisproportionateRetribution: |
| 110 | ** While inactive with injury in 2008, he punts CM Punk in the skull before a World Heavyweight Championship defense as the climax to a big beatdown by Legacy. Punk can't defend the championship that night, meaning Orton basically screwed him out of the title. Punk tries to go for revenge immediately but is beaten into the background shortly thereafter. A couple years and turns later, Punk and his [[Wrestling/TheNexus New Nexus]] cost Orton a WWE title match with Wrestling/TheMiz because he's never forgotten it. So Orton goes punting New Nexus members for consecutive weeks and threatening to beat Punk so bad he has to eat through a feeding tube. As the [[SociopathicHero babyface]] of the feud. |
| 111 | ** Then again, Punk ''did'' threaten Orton's wife at one point during the feud. That's a quick way to get on Orton's ''really bad side''. |
| 112 | * TheDragon: He served as this to Wrestling/TripleH during his time in Wrestling/TheAuthority. |
| 113 | * TheDreaded: Randy is a legend in his own right these days, but his legend inspires ''fear'' rather than respect. His uncontrollable rage, inability to be reasoned with, and overall insanity has made him absolutely terrifying to every non-main event talent on the roster. Even those who are considered "in his league" are wary of him, because he's liable to fly off the handle at any point, and with a finishing move that can ''literally'' come out of nowhere, that is ''not'' a good thing, as Randy HatesEveryoneEqually. No one, not even his allies or even his own family (by his own admission, no less) is safe from his wrath. Considering he's been like this since 2009 and his rampage has continued with few interruptions over the last decade, there's a good argument to make that he's one of the most feared wrestlers in WWE history. |
| 114 | * DullSurprise[=/=]CreepyMonotone: His rather… subdued speaking style either fits his character or displays his complete lack of charisma. It's a strange character quirk, for sure, but Orton was much more expressive during his younger days as the Legend Killer. |
| 115 | * MrFanservice: |
| 116 | ** Tanned, toned torso, [[WalkingShirtlessScene perpetually nearly naked]], dripping with sweat before the match has even started... |
| 117 | ** When Orton was in Evolution, his [=TitanTron=] entrance video even included an image of him being fawned over by a bevy of women as he grins [[HandsomeLech lecherously]]. |
| 118 | ** He's also posed for Playgirl. |
| 119 | ** On the November 14, 2013 edition of Monday Night Raw, Randy Orton cut the crowd to pieces by proclaiming that the girlfriends/wives/mothers of all the men in the audience were "Fantasizing about what it would be like to wake up to Randy Orton." Judging from the loud, immediate [[{{Squee}} shrieks of joy]] from the women in the building, he may have been right ([[AllGirlsWantBadBoys despite, or maybe because of, the fact that he was a heel at the time]]). There may have been some long car rides home from the arena that night for couples who attended the show. |
| 120 | * EnemyMine: He started to get along with with Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose in late 2015 due to some tag matches they had together. He even looked like he was considering joining up with them in their feud with the Wyatt Family. The Wyatts, sensing that, took him out — which only cemented his decision to ally himself with Reigns and Ambrose when he came back a few weeks later. |
| 121 | * EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: |
| 122 | ** As a face, Orton's wife (who seems to be [[TheOtherDarrin a different woman every time she appears onscreen]] — none of them are his RealLife wife, either) tends to get threatened a lot — and no matter how many voices he's hearing in his head, if his wife's in trouble, he'll put whatever he was doing on hold to go to save her. Some of the more GenreSavvy guys like CM Punk have taken advantage of this in feuds. [[note]]In that case Randy ran back to his trailer in the parking lot only to find CM Punk gone. Punk appears out of nowhere and beats Orton senseless with a wrench.[[/note]] |
| 123 | ** In 2005, his father, "Cowboy" Bob Orton, would assist his son in matches and the two seem to have a loving relationship. |
| 124 | * EvilerThanThou: He's infinitely more malicious and depraved than any just about any {{Heel}} on the roster, and sometimes he manages to prove it. The only heel to have ever really definitively outdone Orton is Brock Lesnar, and even Lesnar doesn't quite have the level of sadism that Orton does. |
| 125 | ** He manages to pull a SixthRangerTraitor on the Wrestling/WyattFamily and ''burns down their whole compound'' all while Bray is ForcedToWatch. |
| 126 | ** Exaggerated in the case of The Fiend. The Fiend is a ''literal demon'' possessing Bray Wyatt and yet is painted as the {{Face}} during their feud. It all ends with Randy burning The Fiend alive and seemingly killing him...for about a few months. |
| 127 | * EvilPowerVacuum: Before the brand extension was gradually phased out, Orton was drafted to ''[=SmackDown!=]'' to be its new top face after Wrestling/{{Edge|Wrestler}} had to retire. It's even been said they bumped up the draft ''six weeks early'' just to make it happen. Unfortunately, because Orton had to be the new top face for SD, the company had no real option for top heel besides Wrestling/CMPunk, who was on RAW, and even ''he'' turned face after the "Summer of Punk II" later that year. Wrestling/{{Christian}} had to turn heel just so Randy had someone to feud against, up until they moved to Wrestling/MarkHenry, who functioned as the top heel for ''SD'' for the rest of the year. As far as RAW went, they tried with Wrestling/AlbertoDelRio, Wrestling/TheMiz, Wrestling/RTruth and Wrestling/DolphZiggler, but it took the return of Wrestling/ChrisJericho for the company to have a real top heel again. |
| 128 | * {{Expy}}: |
| 129 | ** One of the theories behind why Orton is so popular is that many of his heelish antics (randomly attacking people) remind the audience of the antics of Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin. The fact that both have [[AnimalMotifs snake motifs]] (Austin is the Rattlesnake, Orton is the Viper) and the RKO has some similarities to the Stunner probably helps towards that. |
| 130 | ** Orton was [[BaldOfEvil bald]] during his heel run around 2009-2010 as well. |
| 131 | ** At one point, Randy stopped doing his signature "Release the Doves" pose and started doing Austin's pose (both arms raised, hands in fists, minus the middle fingers) during his entrance. |
| 132 | ** He is also a third generation superstar who later became the youngest world (World Heavyweight Champion to be precise) champion in history. [[CatchPhrase/DwayneJohnson Do you smell it?]] That makes him a CompositeCharacter of [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]] ''and'' Stone Cold. |
| 133 | *** Bonus points for the fact that shortly before winning that title, he had the longest reign with the Intercontinental Title since The Rock's reign with it in 1998. |
| 134 | ** Alternatively some of his physical mannerisms, the snake-related nickname, and the heel persona of being sadistic and merciless could be seen as a nod to [[Wrestling/JakeRoberts Jake "The Snake" Roberts]] (who, incidentally, had a hand in his training). |
| 135 | * FamilyUnfriendlyViolence |
| 136 | ** Orton smashing Wrestling/CodyRhodes in the head with the announcer's bell in their September 2011 match. He cracked Rhodes' head open, and blood was pouring out. Nauseating to look at, and Rhodes required nine staples to stitch his scalp back together. |
| 137 | ** In a shocking twist, he was also the ''recipient'' of this at ''Wrestling/SummerSlam 2016''. Wrestling/BrockLesnar's elbows did very, ''very'' bad things to Randy's forehead.[[note]]Seriously, it was even worse than everyone involved including Brock himself had anticipated. It's so bad, in fact, that an ongoing rumor for years is that Randy's WWE Title win at ''Wrestling/WrestleMania 33'' was something of a reward/apology for agreeing to go through with this spot.[[/note]] |
| 138 | * FaceHeelTurn: |
| 139 | ** On an episode of [=Raw=] in early 2005 when he RKO'd Wrestling/StacyKeibler, his on-screen girlfriend at the time, just to prove he could be ruthless enough to face Wrestling/TheUndertaker at ''Wrestling/WrestleMania 21''. |
| 140 | ** At ''Wrestling/SummerSlam 2013'' when he cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase on [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]] after he beat Wrestling/JohnCena. |
| 141 | ** At ''Extreme Rules 2018'', attacking Wrestling/JeffHardy after his match against Wrestling/ShinsukeNakamura and effectively returning to his "Legend Killer" persona. |
| 142 | ** In 2020 on the following night on Raw after Wrestling/RoyalRumble, Orton viciously attacked Wrestling/{{Edge|Wrestler}} with a RKO and a steel chair thus turning heel once again. So much for a short-lived HeelFaceTurn.... |
| 143 | * FatalFlaw: Wrestling/{{Christian}} took advantage of Randy's anger issues in their feud in 2011. He got rather good at it during the [[Wrestling/MoneyintheBank MitB]] PPV. |
| 144 | * FleetingDemographicRule: Independent maverick superstar takes the Championship by joining up with corporate forces against all continuity and character logic? Are we talking about Randy Orton or Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin? |
| 145 | * FinishingMove: The RKO, technically a jumping cutter. The move has been treated as a OneHitKill in the WWE that he uses to instantly end a match. |
| 146 | * FiveMovesOfDoom: Garvin Stomp, Elevated DDT, Powerslam, Twisting Backbreaker, RKO. He had also added [[Wrestling/KurtAngle Olympic Slam]] and a Powerbomb to his set for while, but it appears like the those two plus the Twisting Backbreaker have all but disappeared. He would use the Punt as a finisher for a while but that has since been banned. After all those changes, he was left with the running clotheslines, Powerslam, Elevated DDT, and RKO. |
| 147 | * {{Foreshadowing}}: The lengths he would go to during his feud with Wrestling/TheUndertaker, starting with RKO'ing [[Wrestling/StacyKeibler his own girlfriend]] at the time just to prove that point exactly, was really our first major look at the massive evil streak that was growing inside of him. |
| 148 | * [[ItAmusedMe For The Lulz]]: When he was feuding with Wrestling/{{Sheamus}} (Randy as champion), he planned to be very...''liberal'' with his FinishingMove... |
| 149 | -->'''Randy Orton:''' I would RKO ''my own grandmother'' if it meant keeping this title[[note]]the WWE Championship; Randy was on ''[[Wrestling/{{WWERaw}} Raw]]'' [[/note]]. And then I'd RKO ''your grandmother'' just to see the look on her face! |
| 150 | * FullFrontalAssault: not literally, but he [[https://www.cbssports.com/general/news/randy-orton-talks-facial-hair-family-and-respect-in-the-wwe-locker-room/ admitted in 2016]] that his rather limited attire has always made him "feel naked". |
| 151 | * FunnyBackgroundEvent: [[spoiler:Go back and watch Dean Ambrose tear-ass on the Authority with the hotdog cart, condiments and all. Randy is mostly curled up in a ball on the floor by the barrier, his face mostly obscured, but it's obvious that he's sneaking a few bites of a hot dog. That Dean Ambrose threw. And landed on the floor.]] |
| 152 | ** [[spoiler:Can be seen here at the beginning of [[https://threemanbooth.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/ambrosehotdog07_kev.gif this gif.]]]] |
| 153 | * FourTwentyBlazeIt: Pulls this one out during the 5/9/2022 RAW Talk segment, addressing Wrestling/TheUsos [[https://youtu.be/dCsT8OxqowM?t=172 by way of quoting]] Wrestling/RobVanDam (who in turn was paraphrasing Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin): |
| 154 | -->'''Orton:''' [=RK-Bro=] 420 says: "We just smoked your ass." |
| 155 | * FunnySchizophrenia: '''100% Averted''', while his mental health problems go unnamed he claims that he hears voices in his head. If you’re GenreSavvy, then probably you go “[[MentalHandicapMoralDeficiency So that’s why he’s such a sadist?]]”. Well no, as it turns out ''the voices are begging him to stop his actions''. This only serves to make him scarier because if Randy’s own sadistic mind can’t stop him, then what makes the wrestlers fighting against think they can? |
| 156 | * FunTShirt: In line with the AscendedMeme entry above, he wore a gray T-shirt with his initials printed on front and "[=#OuttaNowhere=]" at the back [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GVTfJbuPaTU during the 8/1/2016 episode of RAW]] |
| 157 | * FunWithAcronyms: The RKO. They're also his initials. |
| 158 | * GenerationXerox: He regularly uses the superplex in his matches; that move was often used by his father "Cowboy" Bob Orton. |
| 159 | * GenreBlindness: Invokes this on his opponents. [[Wrestling/EvanBourne How]] [[Wrestling/{{Christian}} many]] [[Wrestling/CMPunk guys]] have tried top rope moves on Randy only to get caught and RKO'd in mid-air? You'd think they would stop doing it by now. |
| 160 | ** Wrestling/AJStyles hilariously averted it once, faking a Phenomenal Forearm attempt, which resulted in Randy flopping back-first on the floor after RKO'ing the air. However, Orton recovered in time to get out of the way of a 450 splash, with AJ rolling through and then turning around into an RKO anyway. |
| 161 | * GenreSavvy: He was fighting Daniel Bryan. [[StuffBlowingUp Suddenly, there's a huge explosion of fire on the entrance stage.]] Randy abandons Bryan and the match to run to strike the first blow on the approaching Wrestling/{{Kane}}. Of course, he got his ass kicked anyway, but given Kane's penchant for mowing down anyone in his path, it was worth a shot. |
| 162 | * GeniusBruiser: It's not discussed ''ad nauseum'' like it is for some people — but if you look at Randy's career it becomes clear that he's very well versed in psychological warfare. [[FridgeBrilliance Which makes perfect sense]], given that he was mentored early in his career by [[Wrestling/JakeRoberts two]] [[Wrestling/TripleH masters]] of it. In fact, as a superior athlete, he likely would be ''better'' in the category of this trope than his two teachers. The only things that hold him back in such a regard have been his anger issues and his durability. |
| 163 | * GlassCannon: His career's been rather peppered with various injuries if you look at it very closely. The hypermobile shoulders don't help either. |
| 164 | * GoodIsNotNice: The basis of his entire face run. |
| 165 | * GoingCommando: There have been a couple of [[WardrobeMalfunction wardrobe malfunctions]] over the years, and all of them have confirmed that he doesn't wear anything underneath his trunks. |
| 166 | * GroinAttack: |
| 167 | ** A couple of his early feuds saw him getting hit in the nuts a lot. Then again, when one of the guys on the other end of the feud is Wrestling/RicFlair… |
| 168 | ** Fittingly enough, since Flair was one of his mentors — at least in kayfabe — he seems to have very few qualms about using them himself when frustrated. |
| 169 | * HairTriggerTemper: |
| 170 | ** He said it himself that he has anger problems. Just ask Christian, who spit in his face and received a [[GroinAttack boot to the junk]] in response. Or R-Truth, who hit him with a water bottle and received a steel chair. |
| 171 | ** Or that time when Wrestling/VinceMcMahon tried to [[{{Kayfabe}} fire him]] a few years back. Randy hit him in the face and then hit him with the [[OneHitKO punt]]. Then there was the time he punted Wrestling/{{Shane|McMahon}}. Wrestling/{{Stephanie|McMahon}} tried to tell him off, and guess what? [[WouldHitAGirl She got]] [[FinishingMove RKO'd]], too. |
| 172 | ** That's nothing compared to what happened to Wrestling/CodyRhodes, who hit him with his mask again. Only this time, Randy kicked out and hit Cody with his own mask. But then, he hit his head with a ''bell'' which accidentally busted his head open! There was uncensored footage when before he RKO'd Cody, he hit him with a steel chair while Cody's face was in a ''bloody mess''! Wow. |
| 173 | * HatesEveryoneEqually: Is as susceptible to attacking heels as he is to faces. In fact, the only way you can tell what alignment he is by who he attacks most frequently and who he gets placed into tag team matches with. That's the only thing about his character that really changes, otherwise he's the same sadistic sociopath that he's always been, and does not follow the normal rules of face/heel allegiance (such as never attacking someone of the same alignment). |
| 174 | * HearingVoices: "Voices" by Rev Theory served as his theme song when his character became [[TookALevelInBadass darker]], and at first, it had no official relevance to his character. Soon after, Randy was confirmed to have severe mental issues, especially with anger, and eventually, the voices in his head became canon. And even more terrifyingly, the voices themselves apparently don't approve of Randy's twisted actions. |
| 175 | -->'''Orton:''' In my world, there's no games. Just pain. Misery. Agony. Chaos. Voices begging me to stop. But I don't listen. |
| 176 | * HeelFaceTurn: |
| 177 | ** Of the oddest sort. His behavior never actually changed; the fans just kept cheering him more and more until WWE apparently threw its hands up and [[AscendedFanon went with it]]. The only difference was his choice of targets (and even then, he got cheered for delivering random, unprovoked [=RKOs=] to people like [[ItMakesSenseInContext Wayne Brady and Meatloaf]]). This put him in the same "too cool to boo" category of a lot of legends, such as Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin and Wrestling/TripleH, along with Wrestling/RicFlair, [[Wrestling/JakeRoberts Jake "The Snake" Roberts]], Wrestling/TheUndertaker, [[Wrestling/ScottHall Razor Ramon]], [[Wrestling/KevinNash Diesel]], Wrestling/{{Sabu}}, Wrestling/{{Tazz}}, Wrestling/RobVanDam, [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]], Wrestling/ChrisJericho, Wrestling/EddieGuerrero, Wrestling/{{Edge|Wrestler}}, Wrestling/{{Batista}}, [[OverlyLongGag etc]]… |
| 178 | * HeroKiller: Made a name for himself as a "Legend Killer" kicking the crap out of a bunch of [[ShapedLikeItself legends]]. Even after he moved on from that persona, his signature punt was notorious for putting out faces, most notably John Cena and Triple H. |
| 179 | * HoistByHisOwnPetard: |
| 180 | ** At ''Money In The Bank 2011'', Christian provoked Orton into getting himself disqualified and losing the World Heavyweight Title due to the stipulations by spitting in his face; something that Orton himself had a habit of doing back in his Evolution days. |
| 181 | ** And on a more meta level, a couple of his feuds have happened because, at some point, Orton didn't know where to draw the line. |
| 182 | ** Was set to star in the third installment of ''Film/TheMarine''. But due to his past history with the Marine Corps (he went AWOL and received a Bad Conduct Discharge after serving 38 days in military prison), he was pulled from the movie after some real marines wasn't all that pleased with him starring in the movie. [[note]]He was eventually replaced by Wrestling/TheMiz and was instead placed in the ''12 Rounds'' sequel.[[/note]] |
| 183 | ** His ''Clash of Champions 2020'' match against Wrestling/DrewMcintyre was built on this trope. Not only had he received three Claymore kicks and a broken jaw in recompense for the three Punt kicks and a broken jaw he had given Drew in the direct lead-up to the match, but all those legends and veterans he'd punted during his rampage over the last several months? All of them showed up to get their licks in while Randy was in his championship ambulance match with [=McIntyre=], which ended with [=McIntyre=] using the Punt kick on Orton himself (the first known time this has happened) and shutting him inside the ambulance for the win. |
| 184 | * HorrifyingTheHorror: On the October 11, 2016 episode of [[Wrestling/WWESmackDown SmackDown]], Randy invited Kane (his tag-team partner that night, and also WWE's resident demonic psychopath) on a trip through Randy's world. A world where "There's no games. Just pain. Misery. Agony. Chaos. Voices begging me to stop." |
| 185 | -->'''Kane:''' Randy... [[TheComicallySerious you got issues]]. |
| 186 | * HypercompetentSidekick: A large chunk of the last several years for Orton has seen the twelve-time World Champion as an enforcer to other stars. After he lost the title(s) himself, he spent a fairly lengthy stint helping to keep the titles on Wrestling/SethRollins (and[=/=]or off Wrestling/DanielBryan) as a member of Wrestling/TheAuthority. In 2016, he's a member of Wrestling/TheWyattFamily. |
| 187 | * IdiotBall: [[GroinAttack Low blowing]] Christian after he spat on him, when he was warned if he got disqualified Christian would win the world heavyweight title. Although maybe "Uncontrollable Anger Ball" would be more accurate. |
| 188 | * ICouldaBeenAContender: Downplayed example. While Orton today is a legend just below Cena in popularity and accolades, their positions could've easily been reversed years ago. Orton was actually the first choice for the new face of WWE after the first departure of Wrestling/BrockLesnar, thanks to his looks, lineage, and talent. (Un)fortunately, his initial face turn (after Evolution's betrayal) did not pan out well, due to him not being over enough with the crowd as a heel to get cheers from them and not experienced enough to get over as a face yet. Add that with Orton's backstage attitude, where it was alleged he wrecked an entire hotel room in a fit of drunken rage, and one can't really blame the company for cutting his first world title reign short. Orton wouldn't win another world title for three years — and when he did, it was firmly as the company's top heel. |
| 189 | * ImportantHaircut: |
| 190 | ** Check his hair from his OVW days to his first injury. |
| 191 | ** And again when he went to his 'Viper' gimmick. He shaved his bald, presumably to help himself physically resemble an actual snake. He stayed bald for a while, and has kept his hair overall shorter since then. |
| 192 | * [[{{Pun}} Incredibly Lame Pun]]: In his feud with Wrestling/RicFlair one article had the title [[Literature/HortonHearsAWho Orton Hears A Woo.]] |
| 193 | * InnocenceLost: Orton was the youngest and most idealistic member of Wrestling/{{Evolution}}. He originally debuted as a face, and even after turning heel and joining the stable, he still had his optimism. All those traits ''died'' when Evolution turned on him, and paved the way for him to become the sadistic monster he is today. This would come to haunt Wrestling/TripleH years later, when Orton completed his transformation into the Viper and finally took the initiative to avenge his lost innocence. |
| 194 | * InsaneTrollLogic: Randy Orton in 2020 is what happens when this trope is employed by a very dangerous man. Starting with Edge as the central target but also including the likes of Matt Hardy and Christian, Orton has been targeting men who he has the utmost respect for and setting out to eliminate them, all the while convincing himself that they either forced his hand or, in the case of Edge, that he's doing him a favor. Thus, very frequently he will commit a heinous attack, immediately become overwhelmed with concern for his victim and even allow some tinge of regret to seep in, then offer up some self-deluding justification for his actions before repeating the cycle all over again. Naturally, Edge at first accused him of using this logic as cover for resentment and jealousy, but it turns out Orton really thinks like this enough that it became an official reinterpretation of The Legend Killer. |
| 195 | * InsultBackfire: During their 2020 feud, Edge accused him of [[BrilliantButLazy half-assing his career]]... to which he responded that ''yes'', he phoned it in, and ''still'' accomplished more than anyone else, that's how damn good he is. |
| 196 | * InvincibleHero: |
| 197 | ** As of September 2010, some of the internet fanbase has started to turn on his push as the top face on Raw after one too many segments and matches that have ended in Orton [=RKOing=] everyone in sight. As of May 2011, it's only gotten worse. |
| 198 | ** Building on this, prior to losing the title to Mark Henry at Night of Champions, Orton hadn't lost cleanly since ''before the previous Wrestling/WrestleMania.'' |
| 199 | * ItRunsInTheFamily[=/=]WrestlingFamily: Ortons have been appearing on professional wrestling cards for at least the past half-century. Randy just happens to be the most famous and the most popular. |
| 200 | * IWorkAlone: Anytime Orton's been in a group, things have never worked out well. Something he has commented on and even stated that he works better alone. |
| 201 | * '''{{Jerkass}}''': Even as a face he is this. |
| 202 | * JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: Randy does not do things out of what little goodness his black heart has — he does it because it benefits him in some way or because somebody the audience doesn't like managed to piss him off. If it makes him come off as more heroic and more popular, the only benefit out of it for him is more merchandise sales. |
| 203 | * JumpingOutOfACake: Randy did this to Evolution on the ''Raw'' following ''Unforgiven'' 2004. He proceeded to whack Triple H in the head with the World Heavyweight Championship belt, which caused Hunter to fall head first into the cake. |
| 204 | * JustHereForGodzilla[=/=]WatchItForTheMeme: [[InvokedTrope Can invoke this among audiences.]] Say what you will about Randy, he's got one of the best [[FinishingMove finishers]] in the whole industry - to the point that even people that aren't fans of his sometimes deliberate and formulaic wrestling style will pop huge if he ends a relatively stock match with a particularly creative RKO variation. (That is to say, a lot of people tolerate Randy's matches ''just'' for the 'RKO Outta Nowhere'.) |
| 205 | * KarmaHoudini: As a {{face}} Orton never, ever gets paid back for any of the horrible things he does to people, and even as a heel he's done numerous things that he never gets punished for. This was CM Punk's motivation for making [[Wrestling/TheNexus The New Nexus]] target Orton. (See LargeHam.) He even punted them [[PutOnABus on a bus]] during their feud, and it would appears as this would apply again, but then three out of four of Orton's [[Wrestling/TheNexus punt victims]] came back off the bus to beat him down and cost him another shot at the WWE title. He then defeated all of them once again, dominated Wrestling/CMPunk twice in a row, and went on to win World Heavyweight Championship 2 days later in a match he only "earned" via Teddy Long's clear populist favoritism. Opening ''yet another'' clear floodgate of Karma Houdini-ness. Punk eventually did get payback on Orton two years after that, pinning him in a fatal four-way to face the Undertaker at WM, and again in a one-on-one encounter a few months later (and cleanly at that!), so there's that least. |
| 206 | * KickThemWhileTheyAreDown: His secondary finisher, a running punt to the head. Also, he's prone to stomping on his opponents repeatedly to weaken them. |
| 207 | * KillItWithFire: Has done this several times. |
| 208 | ** At the 2005 ''No Mercy'' pay-per-view, after he and his father defeated The Undertaker in a handicap Casket Match, they doused the casket in gasoline and set it ablaze. |
| 209 | ** At the 2020 ''Tables, Ladders and Chairs'' pay-per-view at the end of his main-event "Firefly Inferno" Match against Wrestling/BrayWyatt. Orton – after winning the match by achieving its objective (to set your opponent on fire) knocked Wyatt's alter-ego, the Fiend, unconscious in the ring with an RKO before dousing his prone body with gasoline and dropping a lighted match on it. [[note]](Of course, Windham Rotunda (who plays Bray Wyatt/The Fiend) didn't really burn. Because there was only a virtual audience at Tropicana Field, they did not see Rotunda quickly leave the ring and run to the back, and ring workers replace him with a lifelike mannequin dressed in the Fiend's clothing; the quick exchange was also not shown on-camera to the PPV audience, as they only saw Orton retrieve the gasoline cans and box of matches).[[/note]] |
| 210 | * KryptoniteFactor: Seems to have this relationship with Wrestling/KofiKingston, who has pinned him twice on television during his championship reigns. In the world of wrestling, this normally wouldn't be a big deal, except for the fact that Randy's a 12-time world champion and Kofi's the very definition of a perennial midcarder. One of the matches which Kofi won, completely cleanly, was on ''Raw'' (January 13, 2014), but felt more like a PPV main-event. It lasted 16 minutes and 46 seconds bell-to-bell, and Orton seemed to have the upper hand the entire match until Kofi surprised him with an SOS. Randy's not even immune to this guy when the face[=/=]heel roles are reversed and the two don't wrestle for about a year. He managed to roll up and pin Orton at the end of a tag match in 2015 after Randy had turned face again. |
| 211 | ** Has a [[DownplayedTrope less dramatic]] version with Ali, as the latter losing to the RKO a couple of times caused him to go out and come up with a unique counter to the move. Randy as a result now has an exceedingly hard time hitting Ali with the first attempt (even on weekly shows, where finishers typically, you know, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin finish matches.]]) |
| 212 | * LargeHam: |
| 213 | ** His slow and [[TheStoic stoic]] promo style is only a character effect of his Viper persona following the end of Rated-RKO; while he was the [[HeroKiller Legend Killer]], Orton was quite energetic as a speaker. |
| 214 | ** Even after going Viper, Orton has had his moments. A prime example is when he was leader of Legacy and attacked Wrestling/CMPunk, who was the World Heavyweight Champion at the time. After a few moments of allowing Legacy to pound on Punk, Orton appears from offscreen, delivers the punt kick to Punk, and shouts, "[[PunctuatedForEmphasis NOW THAT! THAT RIGHT THERE! WAS! IMPRESSIVE!!!]]" |
| 215 | * LaserGuidedKarma: Remember all those legends that Randy beat up during his 2020 heel run? Well, ''almost all of them'' (except Edge) made their return and returned the favor, costing him a match for the WWE championship against Wrestling/DrewMcIntyre. |
| 216 | * LightIsNotGood: In his early days with his golden pyro, flickering golden lights and even his theme song "Burn in My Light". |
| 217 | * ManlyTears: |
| 218 | ** After winning the World Heavyweight Championship for the first time at ''Summerslam 2004''. |
| 219 | ** Also during Wrestling/RicFlair's retirement ceremony the night after [=WrestleMania=] XXIV. |
| 220 | * MeanCharacterNiceActor: In {{Kayfabe}}, Randy is one of the most violent and sociopathic people in the company who cares very little for anyone besides himself, but off camera he's noted as one of the nicest and safest workers and even sings towards children. |
| 221 | * MemeAcknowledgement: Every time he hits the RKO, the commentators almost always make references to the associated meme, usually by adding the phrase "from out of nowhere". Also by the WWE, as evidenced by the FunTShirt entry. |
| 222 | * NiceJobBreakingItHero: |
| 223 | ** A possible literal example. After smashing Wrestling/CodyRhodes across the face with his own MaskOfPower and cracking it, the latter seems to have become even more dangerous than he was before. |
| 224 | ** Orton burning down the Wyatt Family Compound is what would eventually lead to the birth of Bray Wyatt's demonic alter ego known as The Fiend, which is widely considered one of the most unholy entities WWE has ever seen. |
| 225 | * NiceJobFixingItVillain: Back in 2009, Orton infamously got in the ear of the highers-up backstage to curtail the push of one Wrestling/KofiKingston (otherwise known as the "STUPID!!" incident). Ten years later, a match between Orton and main roster newcomer Wrestling/MustafaAli in the lead-up to the ''Elimination Chamber'' where both were participants in the titular match, ended up with Orton giving Ali a ''nasty'' facial injury. Ali couldn't work the Elimination Chamber match and was replaced by... Kofi Kingston. And the rest, as they say, is history. (And as a coda to the story, Orton and Kofi finally had that program for a main event title - but now with Kofi as the champion. Kofi won.) |
| 226 | * NoChallengeEqualsNoSatisfaction: He invoked this trope after Alexa Bliss tried to get him to set her on fire: Randy flat out said that he actually did want to do it, but because Alexa also wanted him to do it (and went to the lengths of soaking herself in gasoline and lying on the mat), that took all the fun out of it. |
| 227 | * OddFriendship: His tag team with Wrestling/MattRiddle, aptly named [="RK-Bro"=]. The wisecracking, scooter-riding goofball and relative newcomer and the subdued, grizzled veteran should have been like chalk and cheese -- but Riddle finally wore Randy down, and the two have formed a highly successful tag team. |
| 228 | * OhCrap: |
| 229 | ** After barely beating Wade Barrett who sent Nexus in before the match to take out his leg, Orton slumps against the turnbuckle, hurt and exhausted but still the WWE champion. Then he hears over the loudspeakers: "[[Wrestling/TheMiz AAAAAAAAWESOME!]]" as Miz's music hits and Miz comes to cash in his MITB contract. The look on Orton's face was perfectly understated as he looked into the camera almost as if he was saying [[YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe "Oh, you're shitting me with this..."]] |
| 230 | ** Also induced this from time to time, especially during his heel runs, if for no other reason than the fact that he was such a loose cannon and was liable to [[FinishingMove RKO]] or [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown punt]] anyone that was in his way - that includes his enemies, his ''allies'', [[WouldHitAGirl women]], guys sitting in the first row (just ask Wrestling/JohnCena's father) or even, by his own admission, his own grandmother.[[labelnote:*]]And then yours. [[ForTheEvulz Just because.]][[/labelnote]] |
| 231 | ** The time he was put in a gauntlet by Batista. The first two opponents were Wrestling/EvanBourne and Wrestling/JackSwagger, and Orton won both matches, but only after Swagger intentionally got counted out. Then Wrestling/MarkHenry came out, and it looked like he was going to do what Swagger did, but changed his mind, and "Oh crap" was definitely an accurate description of Orton's reaction. |
| 232 | * OhCrapThereAreFanficsOfUs: Someone mentioned wrestling fanfic to him. He looked it up, and had this response (somewhere between good-natured confusion and being slightly creeped out). Of course, he also said the stuff he saw was "always him and [[Wrestling/CodyRhodes Cody]]," which kind of implied he didn't dig very far. |
| 233 | * OlderHeroVersusYoungerVillain: The entire point of his "Legend Killer" gimmick in his younger days was him targeting older veteran wrestlers, some having just passed their prime, others being semi-retired, to either hit them with an RKO or beat them in a match as a way of adding notches on his resume. Two of the most notable ones especially were Wrestling/MickFoley, resulting in a hardcore match for the Intercontinental Championship which pretty much ''made'' Orton a big deal in early 2004, and Wrestling/TheUndertaker, who was the target of Orton's sadistic ambition for most of 2005 in a feud that saw Orton at his darkest before becoming The Viper. |
| 234 | * OneHitKill: |
| 235 | ** His RKO has been pushed as this. Like most [[FinishingMove finishing moves in WWE]], it usually takes a {{Nerf}} for [[RuleOfDrama drama's sake]] at [=PPVs=]. |
| 236 | ** His signature punt kick cranked it up to eleven, as it seemed to be reserved solely for when WWE wants to write someone out of the show for an extended period of time. The Punk kick has since been banned. Averted as of 2020, as Randy busts out the Punt kick often again. |
| 237 | * OOCIsSeriousBusiness: When the AxCrazy SociopathicHero becomes the OnlySaneMan trying to be the voice of reason in an EnemyMine team, you know things are serious. The commentators even point out this is the case and a sign of how serious a threat The Shield are. |
| 238 | * ParentChildTeam: Teamed up with his father, "Cowboy" Bob Orton, whilst Randy was feuding with Wrestling/TheUndertaker during the latter part of 2005. |
| 239 | * PetTheDog: While promoting Summerslam 2010 in Los Angeles, he did a charity appearance for MDA. |
| 240 | * [[TheQuietOne The Quiet]] [[TheStoic Stoic]]: |
| 241 | ** Randy Orton is a very cold person. In promos he's quiet and speaks slowly. Even his entrance reflects this, with him walking slowly to the ring, and in matches he rarely goes berserk. |
| 242 | * RedBaron[=/=]NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Previously known as "The Legend Killer" and now known as "The Viper" and "The Apex Predator." |
| 243 | * [[RememberWhenYouBlewUpASun Remember When You RKO'd A Sun?]]: Or remember when you destroyed half the [=McMahon=] family? After his loss to Daniel Bryan, Stephanie reminds him of that. She wants the more ruthless and vicious Randy Orton. And he was more than happy to oblige when he went out of his way to destroy The Miz. |
| 244 | * PopularityPower: The main reason why Randy became a face in 2010, and the main reason why Randy's been unable to turn heel until 2013. No matter who he [=RKOs=], the fans won't turn against him. Hell, if he RKO'd Cena, chances are he'd be ''cheered''. They only managed to turn him heel by putting him up against the massively over [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]] - anyone else (Cena, Sheamus, Triple H, maybe even Punk, who suffers a similar dilemma when he's a heel) and they would be on his side no matter what. Since then he's had an easier time turning heel, though he's still too popular to keep him a heel for long. |
| 245 | * PowerStable |
| 246 | ** Wrestling/{{Evolution}}: Until he got too successful and was kicked out by Triple H. |
| 247 | ** Legacy: Until it was dwindled down to three members and the other two finally got sick of him. |
| 248 | ** Wrestling/TheAuthority: Until he [[{{Irony}} stopped being successful]] and was kicked out by Triple H. |
| 249 | * PrettyBoy: Skirted this line in his early WWE days. |
| 250 | * PunctuatedForEmphasis: |
| 251 | ** His promos somehow manage to combine this with DullSurprise. The results are interesting to say the least. While it kinda sorta worked when he was a heel, as a face it's fairly… lackluster. |
| 252 | ** Anytime he ''does'' actually raise his voice (see the LargeHam reference) he usually invokes this trope. |
| 253 | * [[PutOnABus Punted On The Bus]]: |
| 254 | ** Randy's [[Wrestling/MichaelCole patented Punt]] was used to write out wrestlers who were being sent back to developmental, needed to be written out due to injuries or just taking a break, but has since been banned until Randy revived the move in 2020. |
| 255 | ** He himself has been PutOnABus on a few occasion after getting various injuries, mainly with his shoulder[[note]]having hypermobile shoulders tend to make him more injury prone[[/note]], and his string of concussions he had in 2011-2012. |
| 256 | * RageQuit: A pretty blatant one on the 12/15/13 RAW. Couldn't beat Daniel Bryan in a ''non-title match'' - cue GroinAttack. |
| 257 | * RealMenWearPink: He likes [[http://www.sescoops.com/wwe-trademarks-future-endeavored-orton-barney/ Barney]]. |
| 258 | * RedBaron: "The Viper," "The Apex Predator," for a time "The Legend Killer." |
| 259 | * ReformedButNotTamed: Randy's character didn't change at all during his face run other than the fact that he didn't insult the audience. [[HatesEveryoneEqually He still attacked everybody]] and still acted like the same {{Jerkass}} psychotic and sadistic sociopath he's been since [[strike:2009]] 2007. The only difference is that the fans ''cheered'' for him instead of booing him when he was doing those things and he just went with it. |
| 260 | * {{Sadist}}: Definitely wears this hat as a heel. Probably wears it in some measure as a face, too. |
| 261 | * SanitySlippage: |
| 262 | ** Randy's descent from the "Legend Killer" to the "Viper" was characterized as this and lasted years. It first began when Wrestling/{{Evolution}} betrayed him, causing him to lose his first world title a month later. Then came his feud with Wrestling/TheUndertaker, which saw him attack his girlfriend Wrestling/StacyKeibler in order to prove he was ruthless enough to take on 'Taker at ''[=WrestleMania=]''. Losing ''that'' feud (even with his father's help!) nearly pushed him over the deep end, and it was only his partnership with Wrestling/{{Edge|Wrestler}} as Rated-RKO that held him together. After that partnership broke down, there was nothing and no one stopping Randy from completely losing it, as seen during his first feud with Cena. 2008 saw several abrupt bouts of violence from him (including one case of him punting Wrestling/CMPunk in the head, costing ''him'' his first world title), and then 2009 happened and that's when everyone realized how completely and utterly insane he'd become. He assaulted every member of the [=McMahon=] family except Linda, punted several people in the head and put them on the shelf, and even once tried to blow Cena up with pyro. From that point on everyone openly acknowledged that he's crazy and he's been terrorizing WWE like that ever since. |
| 263 | ** Randy's feud with Wrestling/{{Christian}} was focused on Randy's [[UnstoppableRage anger]] [[HairTriggerTemper management]] [[BerserkButton issues]]. Instead, it came off as Randy being more unhinged than usual, and he seemed to enjoy his own pain and that of others. |
| 264 | * SemperFi: As mentioned earlier, he was enlisted with the USMC. He received a Bad Conduct Discharge for going AWOL on two occasions and disobeying an order from a CO. |
| 265 | * SlasherSmile: Expect a pretty painful move to be set up for his opponent when he sports one of these. Perhaps counterintuitively, it's even more sinister when he's a face. He puts on a wide grin, sticks his tongue out, and legitimately looks like he's losing his fucking mind. |
| 266 | * SociopathicHero: His babyface persona. Pretty much the same extremely violent, entirely unpredictable guy he is as a heel — he just attacks heels, smiles a bit more, and says [[CatchPhrase "My name is Randy Orton"]] before every promo. |
| 267 | * SpamAttack: As Orton proved during his NoHoldsBarredBeatdown on Seth Rollins during the March 9, 2015 episode of ''Monday Night Raw'', Orton's biggest rule during a fight or a match is "When in doubt, European Uppercut." |
| 268 | * StartOfDarkness: Getting kicked out of Wrestling/{{Evolution}}, something he never really got over, he went from being an arrogant "Legend Killer," to the cold-hearted monster we all have come to know as "The Viper." Hunter later lampshaded it in the promo that would manipulate Randy into facing him at ''Wrestling/WrestleMania XXV''. |
| 269 | * StartMyOwn: Evolution served as the blueprint for Legacy, except this time, Randy was the Centerpiece, his quest to keep the WWE Championship paralleling Hunter's attempts to keep a stranglehold on to the World Heavyweight Championship. It was also the biggest piece of evidence that Randy hadn't gotten over Evolution's betrayal four years prior. |
| 270 | * StockShonenRival: He's the pro-wrestling equivalent of this, being a darker AntiHero character who generally contrasts the more traditionally heroic babyfaces including but not limited to Wrestling/JohnCena, whom he's teamed up with just as much as he's fought. He also has the PrivilegedRival thing going for him, having come from a wrestling family whereas some of his more heroic face rivals like Cena and Wrestling/BryanDanielson weren't well connected from the start and had to work their way up in the industry. And even at his most heroic, Orton is still ReformedButNotTamed, being just as willing to beat up on babyfaces as he on the heels. |
| 271 | * StupidSexyFlanders: The announcers usually spend quite a bit of time talking about how good he looks. |
| 272 | * TakeThat: During an appearance on Wrestling/ChrisJericho's "Highlight Reel" at the 2016 Battleground pay-per-view. When asked about his then-upcoming [=SummerSlam=] opponent, Orton showed no fear of taking a trip to [[Wrestling/BrockLesnar Suplex City]], claiming that only one RKO is necessary for a trip to Viperville... "no enhancement needed."[[note]]It had been revealed in the days prior that Lesnar failed multiple drug tests, testing positive for performance enhancers[[/note]] |
| 273 | ** That same appearance, he also did this to Jericho, saying [[ItMakesSenseInContext "How epic of a statement could I have made if I came back...and faced Fandango?"]]. |
| 274 | * TallDarkAndHandsome |
| 275 | * TallDarkAndSnarky |
| 276 | * ThereAreNoPolice: After Orton supposedly killed the Fiend by setting him on fire, multiple fans and critics wondered how the hell Orton hadn't been arrested in-universe for murdering a man. It came up again when Alexa Bliss demanded that Orton set her on fire as well, and Orton's response was essentially 'I don't want to because you want me to and that takes the fun out of it', instead of 'I don't want to go to prison for murder'. |
| 277 | * ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Randy's ''modus operandi''. Notably, during his Iron Man match with Wrestling/JohnCena at Bragging Rights 2009, he tried to '''''blow Cena up''''' with pyrotechnics. Michael Cole called him "psycho", and rightfully so. |
| 278 | * ThreeMonthRule: He actually subverts it a lot. No matter his alignment, the many enemies he's had over the years (most notably Cena) will make it clear that they still don't like him (and maybe even still hate him). In fact, Randy's transformation from the suave Legend Killer to the sadistic Viper has always had his ousting from Wrestling/{{Evolution}} as his StartOfDarkness, and it's referenced frequently (most notably when the match and/or storyline somehow involves Wrestling/TripleH), despite Evolution having been dissolved in 2004. |
| 279 | * TookALevelInBadass: When he was the "Legend Killer", Orton was considered a young hot shot rookie with a lot of potential, but with too much ego and brashness for his own good. After he completed his transformation into the "Viper" however, he became one of the most dangerous and feared wrestlers on the roster. It also echoed in his career; after his first world title win, Randy didn't win another world title for three years -- not until he was close to leaving the Legend Killer persona behind and becoming the Viper he's known as today. |
| 280 | * TranquilFury: In comparison to the psychotic rage he frequently shows in matches, his backstage persona is almost perpetually reserved, stoic, and matter of fact. Unless you're Mr. Kennedy or Wrestling/KofiKingston. |
| 281 | * {{Troll}}: Randy has shades of this in his most recent heel run. |
| 282 | * UndyingLoyalty: As of the 2020s, Orton has indicated in several interviews that he would like to be "the next Undertaker", in that he'll never leave the company up until it's time for him to finally retire from his wrestling career. |
| 283 | * UngratefulBastard: Has been known to RKO people who just helped him win a match, as a face, including Wrestling/EvanBourne and Wrestling/JohnCena. |
| 284 | * UnnecessaryRoughness: It's kind of Randy's M.O. We could be here all day. |
| 285 | * TheUnsmile: It might simply be because we're so used to seeing him as the Viper, but even when he's [[http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/18200000/randy-orton-smile-randy-orton-18214477-400-267.jpg smiling sincerely,]] something about it looks a little... off. |
| 286 | * UnstoppableRage: Pretty much runs on it. See list below: |
| 287 | ** His pre-RKO freak out ground hitting ritual. |
| 288 | ** Also, his post-RKO/victory flailing about. |
| 289 | ** Seemed to combine this with BerserkButton at Money in the Bank 2011 when he utterly destroyed Christian when he spat in Ortons face, and got DQ'ed in the process, losing the title to Christian. |
| 290 | ** And when Cody Rhodes hit him with the mask again, the NoHoldsBarredBeatdown that ensued became ExtremeMeleeRevenge. |
| 291 | ** What he did to Wrestling/RomanReigns, while not as bloody, was certainly every bit as brutal. |
| 292 | ** His merciless pounding of Wrestling/SethRollins has to fall under this category as well. |
| 293 | * [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse What Happened to the Viper?]][=/=]PutOnABus: Orton disappeared off television after getting suspended for 60 days in the end of May of 2012 (for failing a drug test). No storyline injury or explanation was given either. After his return, all that was mentioned was that he'd been away. |
| 294 | * WhatTheHellHero: Is often the recipient. The thing about Randy is that he knows well that a lot of the stuff he does is reprehensibly wrong. He just doesn't ''care''. |
| 295 | * VillainSong: Well, when he ''is'' a [[{{heel}} villain]], his theme song "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWmH_-RxPMk Voices]]" could count. |
| 296 | * VillainTeamUp: With Wrestling/{{Edge|Wrestler}} when they formed Rated-RKO, and later with Wrestling/CodyRhodes and Ted [=DiBiase=] to form Legacy. Also teamed up with The Revival to torment Wrestling/KofiKingston and Wrestling/TheNewDay in 2019. |
| 297 | * VillainousBreakdown: Wrestling/{{Christian}} sent Orton on a month-long one of these in 2011. Orton defended the World Heavyweight Championship at ''Money in the Bank'' under the rule that the title could change hands via disqualification. Christian spat in Orton's face to get him angry. One kick in the nuts later, and Christian was the champ. Orton would demolish him at every opportunity, before winning the title back at ''[=SummerSlam=]'' in a no-DQ match. |
| 298 | * WalkingShirtlessScene: Taken to the extreme. Orton walks around in nothing but his UnderwearOfPower, even when there's no apparent reason for doing so: backstage when he's not wrestling, and even on nights when he's not scheduled to feature in a match. |
| 299 | * WatchThePaintJob: Every time someone gives a car. By the end of the night, it's going to be covered in orange paint. |
| 300 | * WildCard: |
| 301 | ** Randy is probably one of the best examples in modern WWE, his allegiances tend to be shaky at best. He targets pretty much anyone who pisses him off or is in the way of being the best, be they {{Face}} or {{Heel}}. It's safe to say the only allegiance he has is with himself. |
| 302 | ** On a meta-level, Orton's one of the best 'switch' guys on the entire roster, able to get the crowd to buy into him as a heel as much as they did when he was face. |
| 303 | * WorthyOpponent: |
| 304 | ** Wrestling/JohnCena, whose feud with him goes back to 2001 and their OVW days. After Cena gave his "retirement" speech on the 11.22.10 Raw, Orton met him in the back and they hugged goodbye. John has said multiple times that he respects Randy as a competitor. Randy hasn't said it as much, but he has said it before. Albeit reluctantly. |
| 305 | ** Wrestling/{{Christian}} ''was'' one of these, however his increasingly desperate begging for another shot after continuously losing has resulted in Orton getting frustrated with facing him. After Christian cost him the World Heavyweight Championship by spitting on him and causing Orton to disqualify himself as he beat the crap out of Christian, all Orton cared about after that point was beating him within an inch of his life. |
| 306 | * TheWorfBarrage: |
| 307 | ** Ran into this a bit in his 2011 feud with Wrestling/MarkHenry. Easily RKO'd him in a non-match context (the infamous "[=CheeRKO=]" that ended with a jumping split and a bunch of posturing, but when the ''Night Of Champions'' match rolled around, the move that had served as a OneHitKO on so many Superstars (including Mark Henry at points) was suddenly woefully ineffective. End result? Randy pretty much got his ass handed to him. Twice. For the World Heavyweight Championship on both occasions. |
| 308 | ** Similarly, Randy only needed one RKO to defeat Wrestling/TheUndertaker at ''Summerslam 2005''. At ''Armageddon 2005'', ''three'' [=RKOs=] and [[BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame a Tombstone]] were not enough, and Randy lost. |
| 309 | * TheWorfEffect: He is one of the many top-tier wrestlers that were fed to Wrestling/BrockLesnar during the New Tens to reinforce how dangerous Lesnar was and help cement his status as the BigBad of WWE. Randy in particular had it ''really'' bad, as during his match with Lesnar he got busted open by Lesnar's elbows alone and received a concussion that took him out of the next PPV. |
| 310 | * WouldHitAGirl: Just ask [[Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon Stephanie]]...or Wrestling/StacyKeibler, for that matter. But especially Stephanie. |
| 311 | ** In Wrestling/RoyalRumble (2019) he hit an RKO on Wrestling/NiaJax. |
| 312 | ** In episode March 2nd, 2020 on ''Raw'' during his feud with Edge, Randy hit an RKO on Wrestling/BethPhoenix. |
| 313 | ** He does the same on January 25, 2021 on ''Raw'' when he RKO Wrestling/AlexaBliss. |
| 314 | * WrestlingFamily: Is a third-generation wrestler, with his grandfather Bob Orton Sr, father [[Wrestling/BobOrtonJr "Cowboy" Bob Orton]] and uncle Barry O, having all been in the business. |
| 315 | * WrestlingPsychology: Was trained by [[Wrestling/JakeRoberts Jake "The Snake" Roberts.]] |
| 316 | * YouAreWhatYouHate: Randy's career took off when he became the "Legend Killer" and took down countless ring veterans and legends, such as Wrestling/MickFoley, in arrogant and oftentimes brutal ways. These days, he's undeniably a legend himself, one his younger self would've aimed for [[TooDumbToLive if he lacked any self-preservation]]. |
| 317 | * YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: When he was part of Evolution with Wrestling/TripleH, Wrestling/RicFlair and Wrestling/{{Batista}}, he won the World Heavyweight Championship from Wrestling/ChrisBenoit at Wrestling/SummerSlam. The next night following a rematch, in which he retained, the other seemed to be celebrating with him, only to turn on him and giving him one hell of a beatdown. Triple H tried to force Orton to relinquish the title the following week, only for Orton to spit in Triple H's face and run off with the title, thus setting off a {{face}} turn. |
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