How did Randy Orton improvise his signature move to prevent further injury? All you need to know about the RKO

Randy Orton’s RKO is considered by many fans to be one of the greatest finishers of all time. The Viper has been using the move since 2003. Orton initially had to figure out how to improvise the maneuver to prevent the toll on his shoulders. The person who helped him figure it out was none other than John Laurinaitis, one of the innovators of the cutter.

Randy Orton detailed the concept behind his popular finisher during his interview with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin on the Broken Skull Sessions in 2021. The multi-time former world champion told The Texas Rattlesnake he was experimenting with the RKO when Johnny Ace told him to try the Ace Crusher.

“Laurinaitis had my back, and I was trying this move. I believe it was called the overdrive,” Orton said. “And it was hurting my shoulder a little bit, which had already been fixed up. And so Laurinaitis was like, ‘Hey man, do the Ace Crusher.’ So I said, 'Okay.' Changed it up a little bit. Holy s**t, thank you, Johnny. Because now I got this thing, I can hit anybody with from anywhere. There’s no set up, there’s no nothing, boom and it just happens.” (00:52 - 01: 14)

The 43-year-old star revealed he came up with the name “RKO” for his finisher and asked Vince McMahon about it during a backstage interaction. As the Viper recalled, the boss was walking down the hallway at the time when he was asked what he thought of the name. “I like it,” Vince told Orton, and the rest was history.

---

Randy Orton’s RKO hits 20 years in WWE

Orton was only in his early twenties when he debuted the iconic finisher. The former Evolution star performed the move during his match against The Hurricane (Shane Helms) on the June 9, 2003, episode of WWE RAW.

WWE celebrated the 20th anniversary of the signature maneuver by dropping a new video on their social media handles. The eight-minute-long clip features the 20 greatest RKOs from the star’s legendary career.

The Viper hasn’t competed in a WWE ring since May 2022. However, Orton is seemingly training for a potential comeback. It remains to be seen if he’ll return to active in-ring competition in the buildup to SummerSlam 2023.

Do you miss watching Randy Orton on your TV? Let us know in the comments section below.