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One of the most decorated stars in WWE history, Randy Orton has an arsenal filled with top-notch moves. But none top the list quite like his finisher, the RKO. Known as the three most destructive letters in sports entertainment, the RKO has been used by Orton to put down opponents with ease regardless of size.
From Rey Mysterio to The Big Show, every single man who has faced Orton has tasted the RKO. Not only have current WWE Superstars been haunted by the destructive maneuver, but many current AEW stars have also been hit with the move by Randy Orton.
Many of these stars would agree that no finisher is as unique and elegant as the RKO. Take a look at the 10 AEW stars who have been destroyed by an RKO.
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#10. AEW TNT Champion Miro wasn’t as tough when it came to taking an RKO from Randy Orton
AEW TNT Champion Miro (fka Rusev) is one of the most dominant man in the wrestling industry. However, Miro wasn’t as tough when it came to facing Randy.
The Viper had a few rivalries with The Bulgarian Brute on RAW and SmackDown. Miro was mostly on the receiving end of an RKO to end the match or segment.
On the September 25, 2017 episode of SmackDown, Aiden English hosted the Pride of Bulgaria Celebration for Miro. Randy crashed the celebration and hit Miro with a thunderous RKO.
#9. Randy Orton may have RKOed Matt Hardy to AEW
Matt Hardy is looking to make waves in AEW during the final years of his career. Hardy competed in WWE for several years, spread across many stints.
During his time in the company, Hardy had many matches with Randy. Most of their confrontations ended with Hardy taking an RKO from The Viper.
That’s not all, Randy was the last man to come across Matt before he left the company to join AEW. Hardy tried to confront Randy after the latter viciously attacked Edge and injured him.
The Broken one got nothing less than an RKO followed by an even more vicious assault by The Viper. Randy may have been the reason Matt was forced to leave for AEW.
#8. Randy Orton has nailed former AEW World Champion Jon Moxley with a few RKOs
Randy Orton and AEW star Jon Moxley (fka Dean Ambrose) competed in countless matches in 2013 and 2014. They traded victories during that period and hit each other with their finishers on many occasions.
Moxley was hit by RKOs by Randy during matches and segments. One particular match between the two on the July 7, 2014 episode of RAW saw Moxley nearly pick up a win before the Randy turned the tide and hit an RKO out of nowhere.
#7. AEW star Dustin Rhodes has taken a few RKOs from Randy Orton
AEW star Dustin Rhodes (fka Goldust) has competed against some of the biggest wrestlers in the industry, including Randy Orton. The two men had a good rivalry in WWE, and have successfully hit their finishers on each other a few times.
During one of their matches in September 2013, Dustin avoided an RKO and nearly picked up the win. However, The Viper bounced back and countered his opponent to hit a destructive RKO to pick up the victory on RAW.
#6. Randy Orton has RKOed AEW star, Jake Hager
Jake Hager competed in a few matches against The Apex Predator before leaving for AEW. Hager is one of the tougher men in AEW who is feared by most wrestlers. However, he was no match for Orton’s viciousness.
Hager was destroyed by Randy several times with an RKO. During one match, Orton countered Hager’s finisher and effortlessly hit an RKO to pick up the victory.
#5. AEW EVP Cody Rhodes has taken his fair share of RKOs from Randy Orton
AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes has fought The Viper on several occasions. This has allowed Orton to RKO the former Stardust numerous times.
That’s not all, as Cody and Randy have also teamed up for some time in WWE. During that time, Cody became one of the only men in history to watch their father get RKOed by The Legend Killer.
The Viper took down Dusty Rhodes with a vicious RKO in 2009 as Cody watched. Now that shows just how big a heel Randy can be.
#4. AEW star Christian Cage fell prey to an RKO from Randy Orton inside a steel cage
Randy Orton has delivered RKOs all around the arena during his career. Christian Cage is an unfortunate AEW star who has taken several finishers from The Viper.
A memorable RKO from Randy to Christian came inside a steel cage on the August 30, 2011 episode of SmackDown.
Both men climbed to the top of the cage and beat each other down before Orton delivered an RKO from the top turnbuckle to put Christian out for good. Christian tried his best to get revenge on Randy before departing WWE for AEW.
#3. Randy Orton took down AEW star CM Punk with an RKO at WrestleMania 27
Remember Randy Orton’s iconic RKO to Evan Bourne? Well, CM Punk tasted something similar at WrestleMania 27.
Punk and Orton’s paths met several times in WWE. This led to The Best in the World taking several RKOs from the 14-time world champion.
However, at WrestleMania 27, Punk was hit by one of the most beautiful RKOs of all time. He went for a springboard splash, and Orton caught him in mid-air for an RKO. The impact allowed Randy to pick up another big victory at WrestleMania.
#2. AEW Bryan Danielson has taken the RKO several times
Bryan Danielson (fka Daniel Bryan) and Randy Orton competed in many matches in WWE before the former joined AEW. The two traded several victories and gave fans moments to remember.
At WrestleMania XXX, Danielson picked up one of his biggest victories over Randy and Batista. Before his big win, Orton and Bryan had an extended rivalry in 2013.
One of Randy Orton’s most devastating RKOs came during a segment on RAW after Bryan’s engagement to Brie Bella. The Viper beat down the AEW star before putting him through the announce table with an RKO.
#1. Randy Orton has put down AEW star Chris Jericho with RKOs
Former AEW World Champion Chris Jericho has tasted some of the most destructive finishers during his illustrious career. Jericho competed in WWE for several years and had many rivalries with Randy during his time.
At Battleground 2016, Orton returned after a loss to Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. Jericho taunted him during a segment of The Highlight Reel. The Viper tricked Jericho and took him down with a beautiful RKO.
Fans have also watched Randy Orton and John Cena team up to deliver an Attitude Adjustment into an RKO to Jericho.
