Randy Orton: Difference between revisions

[[File:backlash-poster_9546.jpg|frame|The WWE's Apex Predator]]

 

 

Before being promoted to the main WWE roster, Orton trained in and wrestled for Mid-Missouri Wrestling Association-Southern Illinois Conference Wrestling for a month. He was then sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). There, Orton held the OVW Hardcore Championship on two separate occasions.

 

As usual, [[wikipedia:Randy Orton|That Other Wiki]] has more details on his career.

 

* [[Anti-Hero]]: Compared to most of the smiling, rule-abiding faces in the organization, Orton definitely fits this.

** YMMV on the extent, he can be seen as anywhere from type III-V.

* [[Black and Gray Morality]] / [[Straw Man Has a Point]]: During his feud with [[Triple H]] over the course of the first half of 2009, Orton was made out to be a [[Dirty Coward]] by repeatedly stalking and taunting [[Triple H]], putting 'H's father-in-law [[Vince McMahon]] and brother-in-law [[Shane McMahon]] in the hospital, knocking out and nearly raping his wife [[Stephanie McMahon]]-Helmsley, and using the members of Legacy ([[Cody Rhodes]] and Ted DiBiase) to do much of his dirty work and bail him out during matches. But you didn't have to be especially perceptive to point out that the McMahons [[Asshole Victim|partially deserved it]] after insulting Orton's father and [[Disproportionate Retribution|firing Orton's ally Chris Jericho simply for speaking rudely to Stephanie]]. (And this doesn't even take into account the fact that Orton and Jericho were right to complain, correctly accusing John "Bradshaw" Layfield of bribing [[Shawn Michaels]] to help him win a shot at [[John Cena]]'s WWE Championship by unfair means.) Not to mention that [[Triple H]] had all this coming for a long time due to the fact that he'd had his Evolution stablemates attack Orton in a jealous rage after Orton won the World Heavyweight Championship in 2004.

** Not that this wasn't noted in [[Kayfabe]], Triple H even used the fact he screwed Randy over to goad him into fighting him.

* [[Boring but Practical]]: Orton wrestles a very simple, but effective wrestling style. Technically there's nothing wrong with that, but if you don't hold an appreciation for that sort of thing his matches tend to be boring as hell.

** The crazy part is that he basically wrestles as a heel from the mid eighties, with his melodramatic knee drops and stomps, combined with his incredibly heelish middle rope DDT. Randy has great [[Wrestling Psychology]]...for a methodical heel, even though he's a sociopathic face.

** Also, he is pushed as a [[Darker and Edgier]] counterpart to [[John Cena]].

* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: Usually with threats more than jokes. For example, when Ashton Kutcher guest-hosted RAW for his movie ''[[Killers]]'', he told [[Zack Ryder]] that he put a hit on him. Randy, being called the "Silent Assassin" and the "Legend Killer", was Zack's first suspect, claiming that Orton was trying to end his legend career before it started. Orton's response?

* [[Determinator]]: There is ''nothing'' Orton won't try in order to get what he wants. After William Regal refused to grant him a rematch for [[John Cena]]'s WWE Championship, Orton proved he was ready to take on Cena again....by ''handcuffing Cena's father and kicking him in the skull''.

* [[Didn't See That Coming]]: RKO out of nowhere- you know it's coming, but ''when''?

** Also, in a recent feud with [[Kane (wrestling)|Kane]], he proceeded to kidnap and torture [[Paul Bearer]] - just like [[Edge]] had done about two years ago. Cruelly (and somewhat hilariously) subverted when [[Kane (wrestling)|Kane]] revealed he didn't give two shits about Bearer anymore.

* [[For the Lulz]]: When he was feuding with [[Sheamus]] (Randy as champion), he planned to be very...''liberal'' with his [[Finishing Move]]...

* [[Fun with Acronyms]]: The RKO.

* [[Genre Savvy]]: He was fighting [[Daniel Bryan]]. [[Stuff Blowing Up|Suddenly, there's a huge explosion of fire on the entrance stage.]] Randy abandons Bryan and the match to run to strike the first blow on the approaching [[Kane (wrestling)|Kane]]. Of course, he got his ass kicked anyway, but given Kane's penchant for mowing down anyone in his path, it was worth a shot.

** That's nothing compared to what happened to [[Cody Rhodes]] who hit him with his mask again. Only this time, Randy kicked out and hits Cody with his own mask. But then, he hit his head with a ''bell'' which accidentally bust his head open! There was uncensored footage when before he RKO'd Cody, he hit him with a steel chair while Cody's face was in a ''bloody mess''! Wow.

* [[Hearing Voices]]: His current theme song, "Voices" by Rev Theory.

** Of course, the song was chosen to fit his character, who apparently hears voices while he's in the middle of destroying his opponents.

* [[Heel Face Turn]]: Of the oddest sort. His behavior never changed, the fans just kept cheering him more and more until the WWE apparently threw its hands up and [[Sure Why Not|went with it]]. The only thing different now is his choice of targets. Apart from Orton, the only other person to ever really pull that off was [[Stone Cold Steve Austin]].

* [[Important Haircut]]: Check his hair from his OVW days to his first injury.

** And again when he went to his 'Viper' gimmick.

* [[Invincible Hero]]: As of September 2010, some of the internet fanbase has started to turn on his push as the top face on Raw after one too many segments and matches that have ended in Orton RKOing everyone in sight. As of May 2011, it's only gotten worse.

** Building on this, prior to losing the title to Mark Henry at Night of Champions, Orton hadn't lost cleanly since ''before the previous Wrestlemania.''

*** He then defeated all of them once again, dominated [[CM Punk]] twice in a row, and went on to win World Heavyweight Championship 2 days later in a match he only "earned" via Teddy Long's clear populist favoritism. Opening ''yet another'' clear floodgate of Karma Houdini-ness.

* [[Kick Them While They Are Down]]: His secondary finisher, a running punt to the head. Also, he's prone to stomping on his opponents repeatedly to weaken them.

** His slow promo style is only a character affect of his Viper persona, while he was the [[Hero-Killer|Legend Killer]], Orton was quite energetic as a speaker.

* [[Manly Tears]]: After winning the World Heavyweight Championship for the first time at ''Summerslam 2004''.

** John has said multiple times that he respects Randy as a competitor. Randy hasn't said it as much, but he has said it before. Albeit reluctantly.

** [[Christian]] ''was'' one of these, however his increasingly desperate begging for another shot after continuously losing has resulted in Orton getting frustrated with facing him.

** Similarly, Randy only needed one RKO to defeat [[The Undertaker]] at ''Summerslam 2005''. At ''Armageddon 2005'', ''three'' RKOs and [[Beat Them At Their Own Game|a Tombstone]] were not enough, and Randy lost.

* [[Would Hit a Girl]]: Just ask [[Stephanie McMahon|Stephanie]]...or Stacy Keibler, for that matter. But especially Stephanie.