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.

* [[Asshole Victim]]: Despite not "killing" anybody, Orton's punt been treated as equal. So when [[CM Punk]] faced off Orton for revenge, he was more than justified.

* [[Awesome Yet Impractical]]: The elevated "spike" DDT he uses from the second rope is really cool and brutal-looking, but if his victim's conscious enough to get his feet off the second rope, it'll get countered. Which WWE seems to recognize, as it's the one of his [[Five Moves of Doom]] that he never seems to get off on his first try.

* [[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.

* [[Catch Phrase]]: "My name is [[Randy Orton]]."

** [[Continuity Nod]]: His "Randy News Network" vignettes from the first time he was out with injury. He pretty much started every promo with a hi and his name. Between then and now, actually, this was basically the gimmick of Dolph Ziggler.

* [[Cherry Tapping]]: In a recent backstage brawl with [[Wade Barrett]], Randy, in the middle of beating the crap out of Barrett, soaked him with a water hose and dumped the contents of a garbage can (although not the garbage can itself) onto his head. [[Unnecessary Roughness|Then he RKO'd him through the roof of a car.]]

* [[Combat Pragmatist]]: Kicking people really hard in the head.

** 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''?

** Suddenly the Olympic Slam, Powerbomb, and Twisting Backbreaker have all but disappeared. Now he's left with the running clotheslines, Powerslam, Elevated DDT, and RKO - and if the RKO doesn't work for some reason, he might try the Punt.

* [[Follow the Leader]]: WWE seems intent on trying to make as many [[Randy Orton]] clones as possible. Rob Conway tried to copy the "attack senior wrestlers" shtick, and Orton's look appears to be WWE's current gold standard. Crew cut, tribal tattoos, and trunks is practically the standard look in WWE nowadays. Hell, Ken(ny) Dykstra/Doane is a straight-up Orton clone on the indy circuit with moves like the "RKDoane."

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

** [[Genre Blindness]]: Not so much for him, but for his opponents. [[Evan Bourne|How]] [[Christian|many]] [[CM Punk|guys]] have tried [[I Have the High Ground|top rope moves]] on Randy only to get caught and RKO'd in mid-air? You'd think they would stop doing it by now.

* [[Glass Cannon]]: His career's been rather peppered with various injuries if you look at it very closely. The shoulder problems don't help, either.

** 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]].

** Along with [[Ric Flair]], [[Jake Roberts|Jake "The Snake" Roberts]], [[The Undertaker]], Razor Ramon, [[Kevin Nash|Diesel]], Sabu, Taz, [[Rob Van Dam]], [[Dwayne Johnson|The Rock]], [[Chris Jericho]], [[Eddie Guerrero]], [[Edge]], & [[Batista]] as well [[Overly Long Gag|of course]]...

* [[Hero-Killer]]: Made a name for himself as a "Legend Killer" kicking the crap out of a bunch of...[[Shaped Like Itself|legends]].

** And on a more meta level, a couple of his feuds have happened because, at some point, Orton didn't know where to draw the line.

* [[Hot Dad]]

* [[Idiot Ball]]: [[Groin Attack|Low blowing]] Christian after he spat on him, when he was warned if he got disqualified Christian would win the world heavyweight title.

* [[I Have the High Ground]]: ''Loves'' subverting this trope. It's almost to the point where attacking Orton from the top rope is like signing your own death warrant.

* [[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''.

** His signature punt kick cranks it [[Up to Eleven]], as it seems to be reserved solely for when WWE wants to write someone out of the show for an extended period of time.

* [[Out-of-Character Moment]]: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFPkz7RUcLw&feature=feedrec_grec_index This.]

* [[Pet the Dog]]: While promoting Summerslam 2010 in Los Angeles, he did a charity appearance for MDA.

* [[Red Baron]]/[[Names to Run Away From Really Fast]]: Previously known as "The Legend Killer" and now known as "the Viper" and "the Apex Predator".

* [[Refuge in Audacity]]: Face!Orton's calling card seems to be acting in a way that would usually draw tremendous heel heat, but taking it so far over the top that it his antics end up being entertaining.

** [[Designated Hero|Alternately...]]

* [[Sanity Slippage]]: In Randy's feud with [[Christian]] was focused on Randy's [[Unstoppable Rage|anger]] [[Hair-Trigger Temper|management]] [[Berserk Button|issues]]. Instead, it's came off as Randy actually being [[Up to Eleven|more unhinged than usual]], [[Sliding Scale of Anti-Heroes|and seemed to enjoy his own pain and that of others.]]

* [[Slasher Smile]]: Expect a pretty painful move to be set up for his opponent when he sports one of these.

* [[Tranquil Fury]]: In comparison to the psychotic rage he frequently shows in matches, his backstage persona is almost perpetually reserved, stoic and matter of fact.

** Unless you're Mr. Kennedy or Kofi Kingston.

* [[Ungrateful Bastard]]: Has been known to RKO people who just helped him win a match, [[Moral Dissonance|as a face]], including [[Evan Bourne]] and [[John Cena]].

* [[Unnecessary Roughness]]: It's kind of Randy's M.O. We could be here all day.

** 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.