Randy Orton is one of the most decorated performers to grace a WWE ring.
A second generation superstar, a 12-time World Champion, main event talent who is in many ways the perfect template as to what a WWE superstar would like - with his look, presence and smoothness.
Randy's selling point is undeniably his RKO, his trusted finishing move that can come at any moment, countering any type of move in the most dramatic of circumstances. It quite literally comes 'Outta Nowhere' - as demonstrated by his recent RKO delivered at the hands of an unsuspecting Brock Lesnar.
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Orton has hit plenty of memorable RKO's in his career - there's a reason why the whole 'RKO Outta Nowhere' thing was a viral sensation, so it was incredibly difficult, but we've tried to narrow it down to ten.
10. Randy 'kills' another legend
In his early days in WWE, Randy Orton had a chip on his shoulder and went through a phase where he had a mission to take out any old-timers or legends in professional wrestling. He 'killed', or at least attempted to, several big names such as Shawn Michaels, Hulk Hogan. He knew no boundaries and even hit a vicious RKO on legendary female wrestler the Fabulous Moolah on her 80th birthday, that stunned the crowd.
9. Rusev feels the wrath of the Viper
There are plenty of ways in which Randy Orton can strike with his deadly maneuver and one of the most impressive variations happened on the July 20th edition of Raw in 2015, where Orton, John Cena and Cesaro competed in a six-man tag match against Kevin Owens, Sheamus and Rusev - the latter was left behind by his partners as Orton and co seized the opportunity, the Viper hitting a beautiful RKO after a slingshot from Cesaro. The place went absolutely mental.
8. High-flying, high falling
The Apex Predator has competed in several Money in the Bank ladder matches over the years and that type of match-up opens up all sorts of possibilities when it comes to hitting the RKO. High-flyer Neville was climbing the ladder when Orton intervened and struck with a crisp counter.
7. Deadly RKO to Dolph
Dolph Ziggler and Randy Orton have had some incredible battles over the years, their styles meshing so well and each match bringing something new to the table. This bout on Raw in 2011 showcased Orton's impeccable timing when he delivered his finisher in explosive fashion.
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6. A Summer special
One of Randy Orton's best and most bitter rivalries was with Christian, with the two doing battle over the World Heavyweight Championship on Smackdown back in 2011. At Summerslam 2011, the two locked horns in a brutal No Holds Barred match for the top title on Smackdown and it was Orton who prevailed when he hit a sweet RKO to Christian on the steel steps.
5. Royal Randy
Back in 2008 at the Royal Rumble, then Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy was gunning for more glory and was No.1 contender for Randy Orton's WWE Championship. Hardy put in a stellar performance and went mightily close to winning the title but was ultimately undone by the quick thinking of Orton, who superbly reversed the Twist of Fate into his trusted RKO to retain his Championship.
4. Dolph Ziggler suffers another vicious RKO
Dolph Ziggler has a tendency to hit with impactful moves when Randy Orton is around and he features on the list again, thanks to an even more impressive RKO produced by Orton in October 2014 on Raw. It was a call-back to their 2011 bout, with Randy this time instantly dropping his opponent from a powerbomb position into the RKO for the three count.
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3. Orton can definitely see Cena
John Cena and Randy Orton are long-time rivals, for years they were the Rock and Austin of their generation and were always tussling it out for the gold at the top of the card. Orton has been hit by Cena's AA finisher, while Cena has been on the receiving end of a plethora of RKO's - probably more so than anyone else of Orton's opponents. At times, fans have grew tired of seeing Cena and Orton scrapping seen as though it has happened so many times, but they both put in one heck of a showing at Hell in a Cell 2014, which features one of my favourite RKO's ever, which as it so often does, came out of nowhere.
2. Bourne to be RKO'd
When there's a talented high-flyer wrestling Randy Orton, chances are the Viper's going to counter some sort of aerial move with his slick offence - Evan Bourne found that out first-hand. Looking for his 'Air Bourne' finisher from the top rope on a motionless Orton, Randy jumped up rapidly and hit one of the sweetest RKO's of all-time. Superb stuff.
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1. Wrestlemania Wonder
At Wrestlemania, the bar is raised and all the WWE superstars take it up another notch, their pain threshold goes up considerably while their value for their body decreases (see Shane McMahon's death-defying leap at Wrestlemania 32). This was also the case a year earlier when Seth Rollins and Randy Orton put their bodies on the line in Santa Clara at the Levi Stadium. Orton had already laid out Rollins' security team with RKO's but saved the best till last when he wonderfully countered the curb stomp into the greatest RKO he's ever hit. Orton got so caught up in the moment, he nearly forgot to pin Rollins.
And that folks is the ten greatest RKO's Outta Nowhere. But before we let you go, take a look at WWE's top 10 on their Youtube channel.
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Topics: Randy Orton, WWE