Awesome / Randy Orton

• Before Orton had the opportunity to follow through on a planned heel turn, he wound up injured in his first match on Raw after jumping brands. Whilst that shouldn't be a CMOA, it lead to Orton giving weekly news updates on the status of his injury as if it was the most pressing story in WWE.
• There was a hellacious spot during his WrestleMania 21 match with the Undertaker; Undertaker caught him and set him up for a choke slam. However, as Randy was going up, he suddenly twisted around and countered that chokeslam into an RKO. That's not the awesome part. As Undertaker and Orton land hard on the ground, Orton can be seen looking up from the fall in an incredibly nonchalant manner, as if to say "Yup, just RKO'd Taker. NBD Kthxbye."
• During his match with Mick Foley at Backlash, Randy Orton proved to be pretty hardcore when he let Mick drop him into a pile of thumbtacks. The look on Orton's face when it happened tells it all. There's no way kayfabe can fake this kind of screaming agony.
  • As Scott Keith pointed out, even Triple H wasn't crazy enough to do that spot during his 2000 feud with Foley, a feud that might have spilled more blood than any other in company history.
  • Anyone who had attempted this previously - including Foley himself - had done it fully clothed: in long sleeves and long pants. Orton did it wearing nothing but trunks.
  • In WWE: Story Time, Randy Orton reveals that he started regretting this after just trying to lie down on just one tack. So the fact that he finished going through all those tacks on his arm and back is a miracle.
    • The hardcore match against Foley at Backlash was the match that made Randy Orton. After the bloodstained hell that the Hardcore Legend put him through, nobody would ever question Orton's credibility again.
• SummerSlam 2004, when Orton pinned Chris Benoit clean to become the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in WWE history, after Orton's mentor Triple H had spent months failing to beat Benoit whilst cheating. (Orton pointed out the lack of outside interference to Triple H later on to blow more smoke in his face about his failure to beat Benoit, even with outside interference.)
  • Later on, Orton was told by Triple H to give him the belt or face the consequences. While seeming obedient at first, Orton spat in Triple H's face and officially broke away from Evolution, effectively becoming a face and racking up another CMOA for himself.
• Suckering Eric Bischoff into calling himself a legend, who only realised just what he'd done when he noticed the grin on Orton's face. Cue RKO.
• Whenever he gives the RKO to someone in midair.
  • Or from the top rope.
  • on the 7/12/10 edition of Raw, Randy's RKO on Evan Bourne while Bourne was in the middle of a Shooting Star Press. And Orton wasn't even standing. He went from laying on his back ''to a midair RKO''. He's that awesome, apparently.
  • He already countered John Cena's Attitude Adjustment into an RKO but on 9/13/10 he did it through a table.
  • Or what about this gem to Rey Mysterio? While Rey's on the apron and the ref is distracted with trying to grab Finlay's shillelagh... *snicker*, Randy Orton slides into the ring while Rey's trying to springboard, times the RKO perfectly with Rey's leap, slides out of the ring, and is already walking nonchalantly back up the ramp by the time the ref turns around.
  • In what may be one of his most phenomenal RKOs ever, he catches AJ Styles in the middle of setting up for the Phenomenal Forearm, and proceeds to drop him with a perfect RKO while AJ Styles was still balanced precariously on the top ropes. There were so many ways that could have misfired badly, but Randy Orton pulled it off perfectly.
• He and John Cena's 1-hour Iron Man match at Bragging Rights 2009. Orton lost, but it was still a CMOA on both wrestlers parts.
• On the 5/10/10 edition of RAW, Orton intimidates Vickie Guerrero into resigning as General Manager the same night she was announced as such.
• On the 12/6/10 edition of RAW, Randy Orton delivering an RKO to Michael Cole.
  • And the next week, he powerbombed "former WCW champion" David Arquette right through a table.
• On the 2/7/11 edition of Raw, The New Nexus attacks him. The first he does is bean David Otunga in the head with the mic, and later, when CM Punk taunts him, he gets his nose busted.
• On the 4/18/11 edition of Raw. The New Nexus attacks him, and CM Punk tries to punt him and gets the RKO!
• While the outcomes were fairly controversial, his matches with Christian for the WHC are possible Match Of The Year contenders.
• At Hell in a Cell 2011, after losing to Mark Henry, Mark tries to put him in the "Hall of Pain" (Mark wraps a steel chair around an unconscious victim's leg and hits it with a second-rope splash). At the last second, Orton revives and dodges the splash, then goes postal on Mark with the chair.
• On the 10/14/11 edition of Smackdown, he won a battle royale by last hitting The Miz with an RKO while both are on the apron. They both fall out, but Miz hits the ground first.
• On the 12/9/11 edition of Smackdown, he must defeat Dolph Ziggler in seven minutes, fifty three seconds. Despite Wade Barrett's interference, Randy pins Dolph with an RKO with two seconds to spare. Barrett angrily assaults Orton after the match and tries to send him through a table, but Orton fights him off, then powerbombs Ziggler through the table.
• At Tables Ladders and Chairs 2011, Wade Barrett positions a groggy Orton onto a table, climbs to the top rope, and goes for a diving splash. Orton pops up and gives him an RKO in midair, sending Barrett through the table.
  • And then, for added insult to injury, laughs as the ref rings the bell.
• At Hell in a Cell 2012, Alberto Del Rio tries to hit him with his step-up enzuigiri. Orton dodges and hits him with the RKO while Del Rio was still falling. It has to be seen to be believed.
  • Similarly at Money in the Bank 2013 during the titular match, yanking Rob Van Dam off the ladder from about the 10-ft. point and RKO-ing him right into the ground. It was a standout move in a match that already lends itself to a very high "Holy Shit!" Quotient... not to mention it was the move that led to Orton winning the match... and eventually, winning the WWE Title.
  • His RKO to Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 31 may have topped them all. Doubled over and in position for a Curb Stomp from Rollins, Orton counters by lifting his head and shoulders at the moment of impact, which boosts Rollins a good ten feet high, and delivers a monster RKO with no wasted motion. It was in gif format within five minutes, and wouldn't be the last time a finish involving Seth Rollins caused the internet to explode that night.
• Beating John Cena, cleanly, for the WWE AND World Heavyweight Titles... with the use of handcuffs, and becoming the first person to unify the two main event titles since Chris Jericho did it back in 2001.
• He may have lost the match at WrestleMania 30, but Randy Orton deserves immense props for accidentally landing flush and spine-first against a monitor during his Batista Bomb/RKO combo move on Daniel Bryan through an announce table and finishing the match without issue, including taking several more clean back bumps. On the grand stage where he was still supposed to lose, he didn't half ass it.
  • Not to mention near the end, where he kicked out of Bryan's Solid Knee Plus, which on every other occasion put Orton down for a three count. Orton may have went down, but he did so as a fighting champion.
  • He also didn't eat the final Finishing Move that ended the match. He lost but only by the technicality of the match stipulation.
• The conclusion to Randy Orton's match with Dolph Ziggler on the October 13, 2014 of Raw. As Ziggler is about to land a Famouser, Randy counters the move by tossing Ziggler into the air and landing a sick-looking RKO on him as he falls to the ground.
• Anyone who hoped Randy would regain the spark in his long-bland character had their hopes fulfilled on the Raw after Hell in a Cell 2014. He launches into a tirade against The Authority for celebrating Rollins' victory while dusting his own loss to Cena under the rug. He then launches at Rollins and has to be separated. When Triple H tries to calm him down, Randy R.K.O.s Rollins and leaves him practically dead to the world.
• After the last Raw of 2014 went off the air, Rollins was gloating in the ring, because the Authority was back. Cena was down, and it seemed all was going to end in disappointment. Suddenly, "I hear voices in my head..."' Cue Orton R.K.O.ing J&J Security and Rollins. Why they didn't put it on the air is beyond us.
• His appearance at Fast Lane, which culminated in him laying waste to the authority (including delivering a RKO to one of the J&J security members) and sending Rollins fleeing for his life. RKO Outta Nowhere, indeed.
• At the end of the 3/9/15 edition of Raw, he cost Rollins his match (and flipped the bird at him), and then he beat the living hell out of Seth. Honestly, one must watch the ass kicking to fully enjoy the awesome. Watch the beat down here.
• In his WrestleMania 31 showdown with Seth Rollins, he counters the curb stomp and pulls off an amazing RKO.
• The build for Orton's match against Brock Lesnar showed that the Viper isn't one for backing down:
  • With the build properly beginning at Battleground through an interview with Chris Jericho, it became obvious to everyone that the Viper was not going to be pulling any punches. After commenting that it takes numerous Suplexes to get to Suplex City, Orton states that "It only takes one RKO to get to Viperville...no enhancement needed." Pretty much everyone (including Orton himself) agrees that Lesnar won't take that jab against his failed drug tests lightly, but the fact that Randy Orton has the balls to openly spit in the face of the Beast loudly demands respect.
  • This continues on in the 8/1/2016 episode of RAW: while Paul Heyman was explaining why Orton doesn't stand a chance (which is Orton not having the opportunity to get into position to hit the RKO), immediately after Heyman said that, Orton arrives and RKO's Brock Lesnar from behind, mocking both Lesnar and Heyman before making his exit while the crowd chants "RKO!" repeatedly as the show ends.
  Heyman: You will never hit an RKO on the Beas—!
  (Cue Randy ambushing Lesnar with an RKO.)
• Survivor Series 2016. Randy was easily the MVP of the men's elimination match throughout, but two moments in particular stick out.
  • First, he stops Seth Rollins from hitting Bray Wyatt with a frog splash by intercepting him with an RKO.
  • Then, at the end of the match, Randy shoves Bray out of the path of Roman Reigns, taking a spear for him and allowing Bray (who was the legal man) the chance to nail Roman with Sister Abigail and score the winning pinfall.
• On the 2/28/2017 episode of Smackdown!, Randy made a Heel–Face Turn by betraying the Wyatt Family and dousing their compound in gasoline, with the intention of destroying Sister Abigail's soul. While this is happening, Bray Wyatt begs him to stop, but Orton ignores him and lights a match, with which the compound is destroyed while Bray Wyatt has a Villainous Breakdown. Not only did Orton break Wyatt, a rare feat that few short of The Undertaker have accomplished, the moment happened in the closing minutes of the show. That's how you end things.
  • Forget it just being a Villainous Breakdown like what Taker did to Wyatt; what Randy did had Bray Wyatt, a Wrestling Monster entity seemingly capable of Offscreen Teleportation, Demonic Possession, manipulation and brainwashing, ON THE VERGE OF TEARS.
• On the 9/5/2017 edition of SmackDown, Randy Orton versus Shinsuke Nakamura arguably became the best Nakamura match so far on the main roster, outdoing Shinsuke's match with John Cena and giving Shinsuke's match with Sami Zayn a run for its money.
• At Fastlane 2018, Randy defeated Bobby Roode to capture the only title he hadn't won yet in his career, the United States Championship. This victory also makes him the 18th WWE Grand Slam Champion, the 9th under the modern ruling.
• Capturing the WWE Title from Drew McIntyre for the 10th time at Hell in a Cell 2020.
• Motivated Randy Orton promos are quite amazing, as seen in the 11/9/2020 edition of Miz TV. Randy got a target in his back with former world champion Drew McIntyre, The Fiend, and the The Miz ^note who won the Money in the Bank briefcase with John Morrison all potentially gunning for him and the world title. His intensity at the guy who cost him the title 10 years ago is quite the sight to behold.
  Randy Orton: (Speaking to the Miz) I remember when they threw you out of the locker room. You know what? I never wanted them to let you back in. You (referring to John Morrison), you took your ball, you went home, and you wrestled for the minor leagues. (Faces Miz again) What did you do during that time? Nothing. But now you got that case. Big reality star. Big movie star. You got that case. You want this title, Miz? You want this title? You don't have to do it tonight in a six-man tag. You want this title? The only way you got it is with that case. You want it? Enough games. No setups. Take it (drops the belt to dare Miz to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase). Take it. TAKE IT!
• While it got overshadowed by the other big return of the night, the pop for Randy's return at Survivor Series was massive. And he hit an RKO on JD Mc Donough off the top of the War Games stage.

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