What is the first thing that comes into your mind when you hear the name Randy Orton? If you say anything apart from RKO, then you are probably lying. RKO is one of the most cult finishers in the WWE and it came right back into the spotlight at WrestleMania when Orton nailed Seth Rollins with a jaw-dropping variation.It did give us a reminder of how cool Orton’s finisher is and there won’t be any better to look back and enjoy some of the best RKO’s of the viper. So tighten the seatbelts and brace yourself for some awesome RKOs out of nowhere. And once you are through this, then RKO is surely going to be the first thing that’ll come to your mind when you hear Orton’s name.
#10 Rollins gets nailed
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Let’s start off with the most recent one shall we? Orton and Seth Rollins went into WrestleMania to settle a score and came out with something that no one expected. Their match at the show was top notch and the duo capped it off with an RKO that trended worldwide while WrestleMania was going on.
It proved to be the perfect ending for a solid match and presented Orton with a win. Though Rollins lost the match, he later went on to win the WWE Championship. So the bottom line is: the RKO out of nowhere worked as a lucky charm for Rollins at WrestleMania. (Not really, but you get the idea).
#9 Hogan kisses the car
Back when Orton was having his Legend killer gimmick, he had some memorable segments and this belongs to that list. Hulk Hogan was not happy about Orton sniffing around his daughter and decided to confront the viper.
Hogan was out in the backstage looking for Orton and eventually received an RKO which landed him right on top of a car. The move came out of nowhere and a legend getting knocked out like this made the fans go wild. Hogan did get his revenge later and went on to win the match against Orton but this was probably the best part of the feud that was short lived due to various reasons.
#8 Bad news for Barrett
If you liked Hogan getting RKO’d onto a car, then you are going to love this one. In place of Hogan we have Wade Barrett here and the moment happened back in 2011. Both superstars were leading teams into a traditional survivor series match and Randy decided to take the battle to the next level on one episode of SmackDown.
Orton and Barrett ended up backstage during the show and after some exchanges; Orton landed Barrett with an RKO on top of the car. It looked brutal from every angle and both men clearly felt the pain for a day or two. The end product however paid off and they deserve a place in the list.
#7 Lights off, Jericho
The 2010 Money in the Bank pay-per-view saw Orton compete in a Money in the Bank ladder match against The Miz, Chris Jericho, Edge, Evan Bourne, John Morrison, Mark Henry and Ted DiBiase. The outcome of the match wasn’t nothing special as Miz won it but there was a sequence in the match where Orton and Jericho teamed together for yet another awesome RKO.
Jericho was on a mission to bring down Edge from a ladder and when he reached halfway through, Orton came out of nowhere to deliver and RKO. The human highlight reel falling off the ladder was a sight of concern and awe but at the end of the day, it was the RKO that went down in the books under ‘memorable’ category.
#6 Lets teach the Punk a lesson
Money in the Bank matches have been a solid source of awesome RKOs and trust me, this is not the last time you are going to see the gimmick in the list. Speaking about this RKO, it happened back in WrestleMania 23. Mr. Kennedy, CM Punk, Booker T, Finlay, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy and Edge were the superstars alongside Orton in the match and almost everyone tasted RKO that night.
The best one from the lot was delivered to CM Punk. He was RKO’d from top of a ladder straight into the mat below. Punk was still in his rookie year in the WWE and didn’t have much hesitation in taking a bump off the ladder.
#5 Swiss Superman gets one as well
Third money in the bank entry in the list, and the victim here was Cesaro. Cesaro is known for producing his own surprise upper cuts here and there but this time around, the Swiss Superman was on the receiving side. Cesaro climbed to the top to retrieve the briefcase but before he could do that, Orton pushed the ladder and RKO’d a falling Cesaro.
It was a well plotted move and the willingness of Cesaro to put his body on the line just like that deserves appreciation as much as we should appreciate Orton for delivering the move.
#4 Rob Van Dam is high
Rob Van Dam has a history of taking some great bumps. He has mastered the trick from his ECW days itself and every time he got a chance take it out in WWE, Van Dam did it with pleasure. He took the idea of selling RKO into a whole new level with this one as he landed right on his head.
Now, for the ones who dont know the seriousness of landing on the head, it is the reason why Steve Austins career was cut short. It was just an ordinary RKO if it wasnt for the selling, so for the first time in the list, the full credit goes to Rob Van Dam here rather than Orton, who delivered the move.
#3 Selling master meets RKO
A wrestler who can deliver a credible move and a wrestler who can sell the move perfectly form a deadly combination. The Orton- Dolph Ziggler pairing is just that and the duo has managed to give us some memorable RKO’s down the lane.
The most memorable one perhaps would be the one that happened on Raw back in 2014. Orton showed some great strength first off all to set up the move when he caught Ziggler in midair while Ziggler was going for the famouser. He then tossed the show off into the air before nailing him down with a perfect RKO.
#2 Carlito Caribbean RKO
Remember Carlito? The guy who used to run around spitting apples at his opponents? He had a short term run in WWE in the mid-2000s and had some impressive in ring skills to showcase. One of Carlito’s best moments during his WWE run came thanks to Randy Orton.
Both men faced off at the Unforgiven pay-per-view in 2006 and at one point of the match, Carlito tried to spring board on to Orton. The Viper meanwhile proved his deadly instincts once again and knocked out Carlito with an RKO. Orton would later go on to win the match at the pay-per-view but despite the solid ending, the RKO was the highlight from the whole angle.
#1 Shooting Star.RKO Out of Nowhere
Now, Shooting star press is one of those moves which always manage to take the fans out of their seats. Evan Bourne in particular is known for pulling off the move with an excellent grace and everyone thought that it was just another day at the office for Bourne on July 12, 2010, but it wasn’t.
After setting up Orton, Bourne climbed up to the top rope and prepared to deliver the shooting star press. He had a perfect launch and just when he was going to hit Orton, RKO out of nowhere. It showed the speed with which the viper could strike and is still one of the benchmarks for unexpected RKOs.
