Randy Orton
Encyclopedia
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American professional wrestler
and actor
. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand
. Orton is a third-generation
professional wrestler; his grandfather Bob Orton, Sr.
, father "Cowboy" Bob Orton
, as well as his uncle Barry O, all competed in the professional wrestling industry.
Before being promoted to the main World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now 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), where Orton held the OVW Hardcore Championship
on two separate occasions.
After signing with WWF, Orton became a member of the stable Evolution
, which quickly led to a WWE Intercontinental Championship
reign, his first title with the company. Orton also acquired the moniker "The Legend Killer" during a storyline where he began disrespecting Hall of Famers
and physically attacking veterans of the industry outside of appropriate restrictions. At age 24, Orton became the youngest person ever to hold the World Heavyweight Championship
. With this win, Orton departed from Evolution and a feud
with his former stablemates began. In 2006, Orton joined forces with Edge in a tag team
known as Rated-RKO
. Together, Orton and Edge held the World Tag Team Championship. After the team disbanded, during mid-2007, Orton gained two WWE Championship
reigns in one night. Orton formed the group The Legacy
with Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase
in 2008, however, they would disband in 2010 with Orton returning to singles competition. Overall, Orton has won eleven total championships in WWE, including being a nine-time world champion, having won the World Heavyweight Championship three times and the WWE Championship six times. He is also the winner of the 2009
Royal Rumble match.
, Tennessee. Son to Elaine and "Cowboy" Bob Orton
, he has two younger siblings—Becky and Nathan. Knowing from experience the hardships of life as a professional wrestler, Orton's parents tried to convince him to stay away from the business, and his father warned him that life in the ring meant a life on the road, away from family. Orton attended Hazelwood Central High School
, where he was an amateur wrestler. After graduating from Hazelwood in 1998, Orton enlisted with the United States Marine Corps
. There, he expressed his Christian
faith by telling another soldier that he "better believe in Jesus
." At the base, he received a bad conduct discharge a year later after going AWOL on two separate occasions and disobeying an order from a commanding officer. Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice
, Private First Class
Orton was tried and convicted under a special court-martial
and was put into a military prison
for thirty-eight days.
, Missouri, an offshoot of the historic St. Louis Wrestling Club
headed by Sam Muchnick
. There, he was trained by both the promotion and his father, "Cowboy" Bob Orton
. He wrestled for the promotion for one month, where he performed with wrestlers such as Ace Strange and Mark Bland. Orton also refereed
a few matches with World Organized Wrestling, a promotion where his uncle Barry Orton worked.
In 2001, Orton signed a deal with World Wrestling Entertainment
(WWE) and was sent to its developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling
(OVW) in Louisville
, Kentucky, where he continued his training. During his time in OVW, Orton wrestled the likes of Rico Constantino
and The Prototype
and teamed with Bobby Eaton
during a tag team
title tournament. He won the OVW Hardcore Championship
on two separate occasions by defeating Mr. Black on February 14, 2001, and Flash Flanagan on May 5, 2001.
's Fan Axxess, where he was defeated by Tommy Dreamer
. Orton's first televised WWF match was against Hardcore Holly
on SmackDown! on April 25, 2002. Soon after, Orton became a fan favorite
and was placed in a series of matches with Holly. In September 2002, Orton was drafted to the Raw
brand, where he defeated Stevie Richards
in his debut on the show. Within weeks of his debut on the Raw brand, Orton suffered a shoulder injury
, leaving him sidelined for months. While recovering, Orton still appeared on Raw in his own Randy News Network segment, a weekly vignette featuring him talking about his condition. The show interrupted other segments of Raw programming, which caused Orton to slowly transition himself into a narcissistic
and self-centered villain
.
After his injury healed, Orton joined the Evolution
stable, which consisted of Ric Flair
, Triple H
, and relative newcomer, Dave Batista. The group was pushed on Raw from 2003 to 2004, with the height of their dominance occurring after Armageddon
in 2003 when all of the men's titles on Raw were held by the members of Evolution. In 2003, Orton spent much of his time helping Triple H overcome challenges for the World Heavyweight Championship
. Orton joined Triple H in a six-man Elimination Chamber
match for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam
, involved primarily to secure Triple H's title defense, and was eliminated by Goldberg
.
Afterwards, Orton proclaimed himself "The Legend Killer", a young upstart who was so talented that he touted himself as the future of professional wrestling. He embarked on numerous storyline feuds with "legendary" wrestlers and gained infamy for his blatant disrespect of many older, well-respected names in wrestling history. With the help of his stablemate and mentor Ric Flair, he defeated Shawn Michaels
at Unforgiven
in the first of many high profile matches billed as "Legend versus Legend Killer." Orton then spat in the face of Harley Race
on the April 26, 2004, episode of Raw.
During this time, Orton began using the move that would become his signature finisher, the RKO, a jumping cutter named after his initials. Orton soon defeated Rob Van Dam
for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
at Armageddon on December 14, 2003. With this win, Orton started the longest Intercontinental title reign in seven years, holding the title for seven months.
Orton continued to establish himself as a "Legend Killer" throughout 2004, challenging the semi-retired wrestler Mick Foley
. Famed for his hardcore matches and ability to handle excruciating pain, Foley offered Orton a hardcore "Legend versus Legend Killer" match if Orton would put his Intercontinental Championship on the line. In a bloody match involving thumbtack
s and barbed wire
, Orton defeated Foley. Two months later at Bad Blood
, he successfully retained the Intercontinental Championship against Shelton Benjamin
.
In July, at Vengeance
, Edge defeated Orton to win the Intercontinental Championship, ending Orton's seven month title reign. After losing the Intercontinental Championship, Orton became the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship
after winning a 20 man battle royal on July 26. At SummerSlam
, Orton defeated Chris Benoit
for the championship. Orton became the youngest person ever to hold the title in WWE history at the age of 24. Benoit congratulated Orton after the match, shaking his hand for showing the ability to "be a man."
The following night, after Orton successfully defended the championship against Benoit in a rematch, Evolution threw Orton a mock celebration, only to reveal that they were not pleased with his new victory. While Batista had Orton propped on his shoulders in elation, Triple H gave him a pleased thumbs up and then abruptly changed it to a thumbs-down, which was followed by Batista's dropping Orton to the mat. Ric Flair and Batista attacked Orton in the ring as Triple H revealed his jealousy for Orton's title. He ordered Orton to hand over the championship, but he refused, spitting in Triple H's face and hitting him with the title belt. Orton's break-up with Evolution began a new storyline for him as a crowd favorite when he continued to feud with his former stablemates. A month later, Orton lost his championship to Triple H at Unforgiven
. Seeking revenge, Orton lashed out at Evolution members, catching them by surprise during a show by giving them a large cake as a make-up gift, which he came out of to beat and humiliate the group. At Taboo Tuesday
, Orton defeated Ric Flair in a Steel Cage match. After this, Orton experienced another push, becoming General Manager of the Raw brand for a week following a match stipulation at Survivor Series
where he picked up the win for his team by last pinning Triple H in a 4 on 4 Survivor Series match. He continued to feud with Triple H, using his authority to place his opponents at severe disadvantages during title defenses. Orton was granted another chance at the championship in January 2005, but lost a six-man championship Elimination Chamber match to Triple H at New Year's Revolution
. On the January 10 episode of Raw, Orton defeated Batista to earn a match against Triple H at the Royal Rumble
for the World Heavyweight title. At the Royal Rumble, Triple H defeated Orton to retain the World title.
and briefly feuded with Christian in February 2005. On the February 28 episode of Raw, "Superstar" Billy Graham made an appearance, in which he advised Orton to "go where no wrestler [had] gone before". Orton then produced a copy of SmackDown! magazine, which featured The Undertaker on the cover. Heeding Graham's advice, Orton claimed that he would set himself apart from all other wrestlers by ending The Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania
. Throughout March 2005, Orton taunted The Undertaker, claiming he was unafraid of him. On the March 21 episode of Raw, Orton turned into a villain once more after he delivered an RKO to his unsuspecting on-screen girlfriend, Stacy Keibler, knocking her unconscious
. During Orton's promos, he would immediately run for cover when signs of The Undertaker's appearance were near (lightning
, darkness
, or smoke
). When legendary wrestler Jake Roberts
advised Orton not to underestimate The Undertaker, Orton performed an RKO on Roberts as well. In the weeks leading up to WrestleMania, Orton became more defiant and unafraid of The Undertaker, taunting and assaulting him in the ring following distractions from his father, "Cowboy" Bob Orton
. At WrestleMania 21
, however, the heavily hyped match was unsuccessful for Orton, as he lost despite his father's interference.
The following night on Raw, Orton faced Batista, who had become World Heavyweight Champion. Orton stated on-screen that his match with The Undertaker had aggravated a shoulder injury. While sidelined, Orton appeared on Raw and claimed that he was ineligible for the WWE Draft Lottery due to his injury. He was informed by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon
that he was indeed a candidate for the draft, leaving a possibility of a return to SmackDown!. Orton returned to WWE programming for the SmackDown! brand on June 16, announcing that he was the second pick in the 2005 draft lottery
. He rekindled his feud with The Undertaker, defeating him at SummerSlam
following a distraction from his father. Two months later, Orton and his father Bob Orton defeated The Undertaker in a Handicap Casket match. The following month, Orton was a participant in the annual elimination match of Team SmackDown against Team Raw at Survivor Series
. In the match, Orton was the last remaining wrestler in the match, as he pinned Shawn Michaels
to get the victory for Team SmackDown. At the event, The Undertaker, who had been absent since Orton had apparently killed him on an episode of SmackDown!, returned by emerging from a flaming casket. The feud was finally settled with a Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon
, where The Undertaker offered to retire if he lost. On December 16, The Undertaker entered the ring to deliver a promo while one of his druids appeared to be standing in the ring. The Undertaker sustained an RKO from Orton in a surprise attack. The druid revealed himself to be Orton's father, who gave Orton The Undertaker's urn
, which, according to the storyline, allowed whomever held it to control The Undertaker. The Undertaker, however, beat both Ortons in a Hell in a Cell match, ending their nine-month-long feud.
Following Armageddon, Orton entered the 2006 Royal Rumble match
as the thirtieth and final wrestler, but he was eliminated by Rey Mysterio. Mysterio won the match and a title shot, and Orton urged him to put the title shot at stake in a match at No Way Out
. In the weeks preceding No Way Out, Orton made disparaging remarks about Eddie Guerrero
, Mysterio's friend who had died a few months previously, in an attempt to gain villain heat
. Many fans felt the comments were unwarranted and highly distasteful so soon after Guerrero's death in November 2005. Orton won at No Way Out, earning Mysterio's title shot for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 22
. General Manager Theodore Long
re-added Mysterio to the WrestleMania 22 title match, however, making it a Triple Threat match between Orton, Mysterio, and then-champion, Kurt Angle
. On April 2, at WrestleMania 22, Orton was pinned by Mysterio, making Mysterio the World Heavyweight Champion and ending their on-screen rivalry.
On April 4, 2006, Orton was suspended for sixty days for "unprofessional conduct." In an interview, Orton stated, "my conduct was unbecoming of a champion, which is what I will be again when I return." To cover for the suspension, a faked injury was devised, where Kurt Angle broke Orton's ankle during a grudge match. In July, Orton said his suspension resulted from smoking marijuana
backstage. Orton returned from his suspension in June to the Raw brand, where he entered a rivalry with Angle, culminating in matches at One Night Stand
and Vengeance
before engaging in a storyline feud with Hulk Hogan
. Orton began cutting promos insulting the aging Hogan and flirted with Hogan's then-eighteen-year-old daughter Brooke
. At SummerSlam
, the two met in a "Legend vs. Legend Killer" match, which Hogan won.
(DX) (Triple H
and Shawn Michaels
) cost Edge the WWE Championship numerous times, Edge approached Orton and asked him to join forces to defeat the team. Orton, whose championship reign had been ended by Triple H in 2004, agreed, forming the tag team Rated-RKO
. The two became the first to defeat DX since their reunion and quickly dominated the Raw brand's tag team division to become tag team champions. As part of the angle, Rated-RKO attacked Ric Flair with steel chairs to enrage DX on November 27. At New Year's Revolution
, Rated-RKO faced DX in a title defense, but the match was declared a no-contest when Triple H suffered a legitimate injury during the match.
With Triple H out of action, Rated-RKO continued their on-screen rivalry with remaining DX member Shawn Michaels. Michaels teamed with John Cena
to defeat Rated-RKO for the tag team championship on January 29. Orton and Edge suffered a series of losses to Cena and Michaels in the following months, building hatred towards one another. Edge and Orton also became rivals in their goals of achieving the WWE Championship
. Neither Edge nor Orton won the Championship, and they lost their claims as number one contenders after a failed match with Cena at Backlash
. Orton then continued his "Legend Killer" persona, attacking Shawn Michaels. Using frequent attacks to the head, including an elevated DDT and a running punt to the face, Orton defeated Michaels at Judgment Day
. When the kayfabe
wounded and concussed Michaels collapsed in the ring, the referee was forced to stop the match and award Orton the victory. Orton continued his attacks when he engaged himself in feuds with Rob Van Dam
, Ric Flair
, Dusty Rhodes
, and Sgt. Slaughter
.
On the July 23 episode of Raw, Orton was named as the number one contender at SummerSlam
for John Cena's WWE Championship. Weeks before their scheduled bout at SummerSlam, Orton attacked Cena on three separate occasions by performing RKOs on him. At SummerSlam, Orton lost the title match to Cena, who pinned Orton after executing an FU. The following night on Raw, Orton demanded a rematch for the title, but his request was declined by Raw General Manager William Regal. Orton then took his demands to Mr. McMahon, who also refused to give Orton a rematch unless he proved himself. That night, Orton interfered in Cena's match by assaulting Cena and kicking Cena's father, who was at ringside, in the head. Orton was granted his title rematch against Cena at Unforgiven
and won by disqualification when Cena refused to stop punching Orton in the corner; however, Cena retained the WWE title because a title cannot change hands by disqualification. After the match, Cena's father, who was again at ringside, kicked Orton in the head. At No Mercy
, Orton was awarded the WWE Championship by Mr. McMahon after Cena was stripped of the title due to an injury the previous week, which also ended the Orton-Cena storyline prematurely. Orton then lost the title to Triple H in the opening match of the show, making Orton's reign the fourth shortest in WWE history. Later in the night, Orton defeated Triple H in a Last Man Standing match to regain the title, thus becoming a two-time WWE Champion in one night.
Following No Mercy, Orton continued his feud with Shawn Michaels, who made his return on the October 8 episode of Raw and performed Sweet Chin Music on Orton. The two met in a title match at Cyber Sunday
after a match was made in which the fans would get to vote on either Michaels, Jeff Hardy
or Mr. Kennedy as the opponent. As a result, Michaels was voted to face Orton. In the match, Orton was disqualified when he performed a low blow
on Michaels, but Orton retained the title. In a scheduled rematch, Orton successfully defended the title at Survivor Series
against Michaels when he performed the RKO on Michaels for the win. The stipulation of the match was that if Michaels used Sweet Chin Music, the match would be stopped and Michaels would never get a chance at the WWE title, but if Orton got himself disqualified, he would lose the title.
After weeks of intensity between the two, Orton defeated Jeff Hardy to retain the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble
. Following this, he re-engaged in his feud with John Cena, who had returned from injury and won the 2008 Royal Rumble match. Instead of cashing in his title opportunity at WrestleMania XXIV
, Cena decided to face Orton for the title at No Way Out
. Orton lost the match after getting himself intentionally disqualified, thus retaining the title. At WrestleMania, Orton retained the WWE Championship in a Triple Threat match involving Cena and Triple H. Orton won the match by pinning Cena after a Pedigree from Triple H. The following month, at Backlash
, Orton lost the title to Triple H in a Fatal Four-Way Elimination match, which also included Cena and John "Bradshaw" Layfield
. After failing to win the title back at Judgment Day
, Orton faced Triple H in a Last Man Standing match at One Night Stand
for the title. Orton lost the match and legitimately broke his collarbone
. During this time, Orton dropped his Legend Killer gimmick and replaced it with his new gimmick known as The Viper and debuted his new entrance music, Voices.
Just before he made his return, Orton re-injured himself in a motorcycle accident, and, to keep on-screen exposure, he made an unexpected return to Raw at the beginning of September, criticizing all of the champions on the brand. Heel tag team Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase
took exception to this and tried to gain his respect. Unsuccessful until the pay-per-view event Unforgiven
, the two of them, alongside new recruit Manu
, assaulted World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk
, costing him his title. He made his in-ring return on the November 3 episode of Raw losing to Punk by disqualification after Ted DiBiase interfered. In retaliation, Orton punted DiBiase in the head. On the December 1 episode of Raw, Orton proposed that he along with Cody Rhodes and Manu form an alliance. The following week, they made it official by defeating Batista and Triple H, Orton's former stablemates, in a three-on-two handicap match, dubbing themselves The Legacy. On January 25, 2009, Orton won the 2009 Royal Rumble
match by last eliminating Triple H. On the March 2 episode of Raw, Orton challenged Triple H for the WWE title at WrestleMania XXV
, where Orton lost the match. Orton, however, won the title at Backlash
in a six-man tag team match with Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase, facing off against Triple H, Batista, and Shane McMahon
. At Extreme Rules, he dropped the title to Batista in a Steel Cage match. The following night on Raw, Orton and Legacy attacked Batista and (kayfabe) broke his arm, forcing him to vacate the title. It was later revealed that Batista was suffering from a torn biceps and Legacy was given on-screen credit for his injury. On the June 15 episode of Raw, Orton regained the title in a Fatal Four-Way match involving Triple H, John Cena and The Big Show
. Orton later lost the title to John Cena in an "I Quit" match at Breaking Point
, but defeated Cena to win back the championship in a Hell in a Cell match at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view in October. At Bragging Rights, Orton lost the title to Cena in a 60 minute Iron Man match
.
On the January 11, 2010, episode of Raw, Orton won a triple threat match, with the help of Rhodes and DiBiase, to challenge Sheamus at the Royal Rumble
for the WWE Championship. At the Royal Rumble, however, Orton failed to win the championship when Rhodes interfered, causing a disqualification. After the match, Orton attacked Rhodes and DiBiase. On the February 15 episode of Raw, Orton was again disqualified in a rematch after Rhodes and DiBiase interfered. Orton and DiBiase both competed in the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, and DiBiase eliminated Orton after hitting him with a pipe which Rhodes had passed to him. The next night on Raw, in a six-man tag team match, Orton attacked Rhodes and DiBiase in retaliation. At WrestleMania XXVI
, Orton defeated Rhodes and DiBiase in a triple threat match, turning him into a fan favorite
in the process for the first time since 2005.
in April, however, he was unsuccessful in defeating Swagger. After being speared by Edge, resulting in Orton losing a number one contender's match for the WWE Championship, on the WWE Draft episode of Raw, he faced Edge at the Over the Limit pay-per-view, but separated his right shoulder during the match, which concluded in a double countout. At Fatal 4-Way
in June, Orton competed in a fatal four-way match for the WWE Championship against John Cena, Sheamus and Edge but came up short. On the July 19 episode of Raw, he won a number one contender's match against Edge and Chris Jericho
giving him a match against Sheamus at SummerSlam
. At the event, Sheamus was disqualified for bringing a steel chair into the match giving Orton the victory, however, not the title. Immediately afterwards Orton took the steel chair and hit Sheamus with it and gave him an RKO. Orton defeated John Cena, Chris Jericho, Wade Barrett, Edge and Sheamus in a Six-Pack Challenge Elimination Match to become WWE Champion for the sixth time at Night of Champions
.
After defending his title against Sheamus at Hell in a Cell, Orton feuded with Wade Barrett
, who attempted to use John Cena to help capture Orton's championship. After successfully defending his title against Barrett at Bragging Rights and Survivor Series
, Orton defeated Barrett again on the November 22 episode of Raw, only to lose his title immediately afterwards to The Miz
, who cashed in his Money in the Bank
briefcase. Orton failed to recapture the title after losing a Tables match to The Miz at the TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs
pay-per-view and again in a singles match at the Royal Rumble
in January 2011 after interference from the New Nexus starting a feud between Punk and Orton. The following month at the Elimination Chamber
event Orton participated in the Raw Elimination Chamber match but was unsuccessful in winning. Over the ongoing weeks, Orton would punt all members of the New Nexus, Michael McGillicutty, David Otunga
, and Mason Ryan, removing each, one by one, from active competition. At WrestleMania XXVII
, Orton defeated CM Punk. On the April 11 episode of Raw, McGillicutty, Otunga and Ryan returned and cost Orton a number one contender's match for the WWE Championship. Two weeks later, at the 2011 WWE Draft
, Orton was drafted to SmackDown and beat Punk at Extreme Rules
thus ending his feud with New Nexus.
On April 29 episode of SmackDown, Orton made his debut his match in a tag team match with Christian against Alberto Del Rio and Brodus Clay
. The following week, Orton received a title opportunity against World Heavyweight Champion
, Christian. Orton was successful in defeating Christian to win his second World Heavyweight Championship. At Over the Limit and Capitol Punishment
, Orton successfully defended his championship against Christian. In July at Money in the Bank
, Orton lost the title to Christian after Christian spat in his face, which led to Orton lose control of his temper, kicked Christian in the groin and he got disqualified, in a match where the stipulation was if Orton got himself disqualified, or if the referee made a "bad call", Christian would automatically win the championship. A month later, at the SummerSlam
pay-per-view event, Orton regained the title when he defeated Christian in a No Holds Barred match. Orton ended his feud with Christian when he retained the World Championship in a Steel Cage Match on the August 30 episode of SmackDown. Orton then entered a feud with Mark Henry
after Henry became the number one contender to the World Heavyweight title after winning a 20-man Battle royal on the August 19 episode of SmackDown. Throughout weeks on SmackDown and on the September 11 episode of Raw, Henry would attack Orton getting the advantage over him. At Night of Champions
, Orton lost the World Heavyweight title to Henry. Two weeks later at Hell in a Cell
pay-per-view, He was again defeated by Henry in a Hell in a Cell match failing to regain the World Heavyweight Championship. A week later on Smackdown Orton received another shot against Henry after winning a 41 man battle royal, he was successful in winning the match by disqualification but failed to win the title after interference from rival Cody Rhodes
. He picked up a victory over Rhodes at Vengeance
. Orton ended his feud with Rhodes when he defeated him on the November 4th edition of Smackdown in a Street Fight. Orton would re-ignite his feud with Wade Barrett after both superstars were named captain for a traditional 5 on 5 Survivor Series elimination match. On the November 11th edition of Smackdown Orton was defeated by Barrett in a singles match but On the November 14th edition of RAW Orton won in a rematch by disqualification. His team was defeated at Survivor Series (2011)
with Wade Barrett
and Cody Rhodes being the sole survivors. The following night on RAW Orton continued his feud with Barrett when Orton distracted him during his match with Kofi.
pay-per-view. In March 2007, alongside Edge, John Cena
, and Bobby Lashley, Orton appeared on the NBC
game show Deal or No Deal
. In July 2009, Orton revealed he read for the lead role in The Marine 2 (2009), the sequel to the 2006 film The Marine
. He was given the part, but after injuring his collarbone, the film's producers decided to go with Ted DiBiase
. Orton has a supporting role in the film That's What I Am
, alongside Ed Harris
and Amy Madigan
. The film is a coming-of-age comedy written and directed by Michael Pavone
.
and Rochelle Loewen
. Loewen, who has called Orton "an animal," claimed that he vandalized her possessions and subjected her to harassment.
On March 19, 2007, Sports Illustrated
posted an article on its website as part of its continuing series investigating a steroid and HGH
ring used by a number of professional athletes in several sports. That article mentioned several current and former WWE wrestlers, including Orton who was alleged to have obtained clomiphene citrate
, anastrozole
and the steroid
s stanozolol
, nandrolone
, oxandrolone
, and testosterone
. WWE has since made a statement on this situation, claiming that the allegations preceded the Talent Wellness program WWE launched in February 2006.
He had a tattoo on his left arm that read "USMC" for United States Marine Corps but covered it up after receiving a bad conduct discharge from the service. He was sent home after serving thirty-eight days in military prison at Camp Pendleton in California.
Orton suffers from hypermobile
shoulders. After being medically cleared to wrestle and after he broke his collarbone in a Last Man Standing match at One Night Stand
against Triple H
, Orton re-injured his collarbone in a motorcycle accident.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
. Orton is a third-generation
Generation
Generation , also known as procreation in biological sciences, is the act of producing offspring....
professional wrestler; his grandfather Bob Orton, Sr.
Bob Orton
Robert Dale "Bob" Orton was an American professional wrestler. He was also known as Bob Orton, Sr. to distinguish him from his son, "Cowboy" Bob Orton, Jr...
, father "Cowboy" Bob Orton
Bob Orton, Jr.
Robert Keith Orton is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Cowboy" Bob Orton. He is the father of wrestler Randy Orton, who is signed to World Wrestling Entertainment...
, as well as his uncle Barry O, all competed in the professional wrestling industry.
Before being promoted to the main World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now 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
Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. OVW is run by owner Danny Davis and was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1997 until 2000...
(OVW), where Orton held the OVW Hardcore Championship
OVW Hardcore Championship
The OVW Hardcore Championship was a short-lived hardcore wrestling title in World Wrestling Entertainment's former developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling. The title was created in 2000 and was deactivated in 2001...
on two separate occasions.
After signing with WWF, Orton became a member of the stable Evolution
Evolution (professional wrestling)
Evolution was a villainous professional wrestling stable on WWE's Raw brand between 2003 and 2005. At the height of its existence, the group consisted of Triple H, Ric Flair, Randy Orton, Batista and briefly Eugene....
, which quickly led to a WWE Intercontinental Championship
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
reign, his first title with the company. Orton also acquired the moniker "The Legend Killer" during a storyline where he began disrespecting Hall of Famers
WWE Hall of Fame
The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for professional wrestlers maintained by WWE. It was officially created on the February 1, 1993 episode of the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw television program...
and physically attacking veterans of the industry outside of appropriate restrictions. At age 24, Orton became the youngest person ever to hold the World Heavyweight Championship
World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)
The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
. With this win, Orton departed from Evolution and a feud
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
with his former stablemates began. In 2006, Orton joined forces with Edge in a tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
known as Rated-RKO
Rated-RKO
Rated-RKO was a villainous professional wrestling tag team in World Wrestling Entertainment based on the Raw brand. The team consisted of Edge, Randy Orton, and Lita, their valet...
. Together, Orton and Edge held the World Tag Team Championship. After the team disbanded, during mid-2007, Orton gained two WWE Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
reigns in one night. Orton formed the group The Legacy
The Legacy (professional wrestling)
The Legacy was a villainous alliance of professional wrestlers in World Wrestling Entertainment. The group was led by Randy Orton and contained the tag team of Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase....
with Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase
Ted DiBiase, Jr.
Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase Jr. is an American professional wrestler and actor signed with WWE, where he appears on its SmackDown brand...
in 2008, however, they would disband in 2010 with Orton returning to singles competition. Overall, Orton has won eleven total championships in WWE, including being a nine-time world champion, having won the World Heavyweight Championship three times and the WWE Championship six times. He is also the winner of the 2009
Royal Rumble (2009)
Royal Rumble was the twenty-second annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on January 25, 2009 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan and featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown and ECW brands...
Royal Rumble match.
Early life
Orton was born on April 1, 1980, in KnoxvilleKnoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, Tennessee. Son to Elaine and "Cowboy" Bob Orton
Bob Orton, Jr.
Robert Keith Orton is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Cowboy" Bob Orton. He is the father of wrestler Randy Orton, who is signed to World Wrestling Entertainment...
, he has two younger siblings—Becky and Nathan. Knowing from experience the hardships of life as a professional wrestler, Orton's parents tried to convince him to stay away from the business, and his father warned him that life in the ring meant a life on the road, away from family. Orton attended Hazelwood Central High School
Hazelwood Central High School
Hazelwood Central High School is located at 15875 New Halls Ferry Road in unincorporated St. Louis County, adjacent to the current northeast boundary of Florissant, MO. The school is one of three high schools in the district, the others being Hazelwood West High School and Hazelwood East High School...
, where he was an amateur wrestler. After graduating from Hazelwood in 1998, Orton enlisted with the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
. There, he expressed his Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
faith by telling another soldier that he "better believe in Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
." At the base, he received a bad conduct discharge a year later after going AWOL on two separate occasions and disobeying an order from a commanding officer. Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice
Uniform Code of Military Justice
The Uniform Code of Military Justice , is the foundation of military law in the United States. It is was established by the United States Congress in accordance with the authority given by the United States Constitution in Article I, Section 8, which provides that "The Congress shall have Power . ....
, Private First Class
Private First Class
Private First Class is a military rank held by junior enlisted persons.- Singapore :The rank of Private First Class in the Singapore Armed Forces lies between the ranks of Private and Lance-Corporal . It is usually held by conscript soldiers midway through their national service term...
Orton was tried and convicted under a special court-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
and was put into a military prison
Military prison
A military prison is a prison operated by the military. Military prisons are used variously to house prisoners of war, enemy combatants, those whose freedom is deemed a national security risk by the military or national authorities, and members of the military found guilty of a serious crime...
for thirty-eight days.
Training
Orton made his wrestling debut in 2000 at the Mid-Missouri Wrestling Association-Southern Illinois Conference Wrestling (MMWA-SICW) in St. LouisSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri, an offshoot of the historic St. Louis Wrestling Club
St. Louis Wrestling Club
The St. Louis Wrestling Club was a professional wrestling promotion based in St. Louis, Missouri. It was owned and operated by Sam Muchnick. The promotion was a flagship member of the National Wrestling Alliance, and promoted primarily in the St. Louis area. It was colloquially referred to within...
headed by Sam Muchnick
Sam Muchnick
Sam Muchnick was an American professional wrestling promoter from St. Louis, Missouri. He is often deemed as wrestling’s equivalent of Pete Rozelle , and he was instrumental in establishing the National Wrestling Alliance, which became the industry’s top governing body, in 1948...
. There, he was trained by both the promotion and his father, "Cowboy" Bob Orton
Bob Orton, Jr.
Robert Keith Orton is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Cowboy" Bob Orton. He is the father of wrestler Randy Orton, who is signed to World Wrestling Entertainment...
. He wrestled for the promotion for one month, where he performed with wrestlers such as Ace Strange and Mark Bland. Orton also refereed
Referee (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling referee is the official figure that makes sure that wrestling matches move smoothly in an attempt to maintain kayfabe. The referee also has the ultimate power in the ring...
a few matches with World Organized Wrestling, a promotion where his uncle Barry Orton worked.
In 2001, Orton signed a deal with World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWE) and was sent to its developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. OVW is run by owner Danny Davis and was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1997 until 2000...
(OVW) in Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, Kentucky, where he continued his training. During his time in OVW, Orton wrestled the likes of Rico Constantino
Rico Constantino
Americo Sebastiano Costantino is a retired American professional wrestler and wrestling manager of Italian origin. He is best known by his ring names Rico Costantino and Rico in World Wrestling Entertainment from 2001 to 2004...
and The Prototype
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
and teamed with Bobby Eaton
Bobby Eaton
Robert Lee "Bobby" Eaton is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, who made his debut in 1976. Eaton is most famous for his work in tag teams, especially his days as one-half of the team the Midnight Express. Under the management of Jim Cornette, Eaton originally teamed with Dennis...
during a tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
title tournament. He won the OVW Hardcore Championship
OVW Hardcore Championship
The OVW Hardcore Championship was a short-lived hardcore wrestling title in World Wrestling Entertainment's former developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling. The title was created in 2000 and was deactivated in 2001...
on two separate occasions by defeating Mr. Black on February 14, 2001, and Flash Flanagan on May 5, 2001.
Evolution (2002–2005)
One of Orton's first official WWF appearances was March 16, 2002 at WrestleMania X8WrestleMania X8
WrestleMania X8 was the eighteenth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on March 17, 2002 at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario. The event marked the final WrestleMania event under the WWF name...
's Fan Axxess, where he was defeated by Tommy Dreamer
Tommy Dreamer
Thomas James "Tom" Laughlin is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is currently working for various promotions on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time spent with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment...
. Orton's first televised WWF match was against Hardcore Holly
Bob Holly
Robert "Bob" Howard better known by his ring name Bob "Hardcore" Holly, is a American professional wrestler. He is best known for his 15-year stint with World Wrestling Entertainment ....
on SmackDown! on April 25, 2002. Soon after, Orton became a fan favorite
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
and was placed in a series of matches with Holly. In September 2002, Orton was drafted to the Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
brand, where he defeated Stevie Richards
Stevie Richards
Michael Manna is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Stevie Richards. Also known by his ring names, Steven Richards and Dr...
in his debut on the show. Within weeks of his debut on the Raw brand, Orton suffered a shoulder injury
Separated shoulder
A separated shoulder , is a common injury to the acromioclavicular joint. This is not the same as a shoulder dislocation as that involves a dislocation of the glenohumeral joint...
, leaving him sidelined for months. While recovering, Orton still appeared on Raw in his own Randy News Network segment, a weekly vignette featuring him talking about his condition. The show interrupted other segments of Raw programming, which caused Orton to slowly transition himself into a narcissistic
Narcissism
Narcissism is a term with a wide range of meanings, depending on whether it is used to describe a central concept of psychoanalytic theory, a mental illness, a social or cultural problem, or simply a personality trait...
and self-centered villain
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
.
After his injury healed, Orton joined the Evolution
Evolution (professional wrestling)
Evolution was a villainous professional wrestling stable on WWE's Raw brand between 2003 and 2005. At the height of its existence, the group consisted of Triple H, Ric Flair, Randy Orton, Batista and briefly Eugene....
stable, which consisted of Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
, Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
, and relative newcomer, Dave Batista. The group was pushed on Raw from 2003 to 2004, with the height of their dominance occurring after Armageddon
Armageddon (2003)
Armageddon was the fourth Armageddon professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on December 14, 2003 at the TD Waterhouse Centre in Orlando, Florida and was a Raw brand-exclusive event...
in 2003 when all of the men's titles on Raw were held by the members of Evolution. In 2003, Orton spent much of his time helping Triple H overcome challenges for the World Heavyweight Championship
World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)
The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
. Orton joined Triple H in a six-man Elimination Chamber
Elimination Chamber
The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE promotion. It features a large chain-linked circular steel structure or "chamber" which encloses the ring. The chamber's floor is platformed over the ringside area which elevates it to ring level and within...
match for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam
SummerSlam (2003)
SummerSlam was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on August 24, 2003 at the America West Arena in Phoenix, Arizona...
, involved primarily to secure Triple H's title defense, and was eliminated by Goldberg
Bill Goldberg
Goldberg earned a scholarship to play for the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team where he served as a defensive tackle. He was taken in the 11th round, with the 302nd overall selection, in the 1990 NFL Draft....
.
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
at Unforgiven
Unforgiven (2003)
Unforgiven was the sixth annual Unforgiven professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on September 21, 2003 from the Giant Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania....
in the first of many high profile matches billed as "Legend versus Legend Killer." Orton then spat in the face of Harley Race
Harley Race
Harley Leland Race is a retired American professional wrestler and current promoter and trainer. During his career as a wrestler, he held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship 7 times...
on the April 26, 2004, episode of Raw.
During this time, Orton began using the move that would become his signature finisher, the RKO, a jumping cutter named after his initials. Orton soon defeated Rob Van Dam
Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander "Rob" Szatkowski , better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam , is an American professional wrestler and actor who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
at Armageddon on December 14, 2003. With this win, Orton started the longest Intercontinental title reign in seven years, holding the title for seven months.
Orton continued to establish himself as a "Legend Killer" throughout 2004, challenging the semi-retired wrestler Mick Foley
Mick Foley
Michael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he...
. Famed for his hardcore matches and ability to handle excruciating pain, Foley offered Orton a hardcore "Legend versus Legend Killer" match if Orton would put his Intercontinental Championship on the line. In a bloody match involving thumbtack
Thumbtack
A drawing pin , thumbtack , or push pin is a short nail or pin with a circular, sometimes domed, head, used to fasten items such as documents to a wall or board for display. Various designs and names are used. They are inserted and removed by hand, hence the terms "thumbtack" and "push pin"...
s and barbed wire
Barbed wire
Barbed wire, also known as barb wire , is a type of fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand. It is used to construct inexpensive fences and is used atop walls surrounding secured property...
, Orton defeated Foley. Two months later at Bad Blood
Bad Blood (2004)
Bad Blood was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on June 13, 2004 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. It was the third and final annual Bad Blood event....
, he successfully retained the Intercontinental Championship against Shelton Benjamin
Shelton Benjamin
Shelton James Benjamin is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment. Benjamin has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling in high school and at the University of Minnesota. In addition, Benjamin has acted...
.
In July, at Vengeance
Vengeance (2004)
Vengeance was the fourth annual Vengeance professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by American promotion, World Wrestling Entertainment...
, Edge defeated Orton to win the Intercontinental Championship, ending Orton's seven month title reign. After losing the Intercontinental Championship, Orton became the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship
World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)
The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
after winning a 20 man battle royal on July 26. At SummerSlam
SummerSlam (2004)
SummerSlam was the seventeenth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
, Orton defeated Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
for the championship. Orton became the youngest person ever to hold the title in WWE history at the age of 24. Benoit congratulated Orton after the match, shaking his hand for showing the ability to "be a man."
The following night, after Orton successfully defended the championship against Benoit in a rematch, Evolution threw Orton a mock celebration, only to reveal that they were not pleased with his new victory. While Batista had Orton propped on his shoulders in elation, Triple H gave him a pleased thumbs up and then abruptly changed it to a thumbs-down, which was followed by Batista's dropping Orton to the mat. Ric Flair and Batista attacked Orton in the ring as Triple H revealed his jealousy for Orton's title. He ordered Orton to hand over the championship, but he refused, spitting in Triple H's face and hitting him with the title belt. Orton's break-up with Evolution began a new storyline for him as a crowd favorite when he continued to feud with his former stablemates. A month later, Orton lost his championship to Triple H at Unforgiven
Unforgiven (2004)
Unforgiven was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on September 12, 2004 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon. It was the sixth annual Unforgiven event. The show's seven matches showcased prominent WWE wrestlers, who acted...
. Seeking revenge, Orton lashed out at Evolution members, catching them by surprise during a show by giving them a large cake as a make-up gift, which he came out of to beat and humiliate the group. At Taboo Tuesday
Taboo Tuesday (2004)
Taboo Tuesday was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on October 19, 2004 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was the first annual Taboo Tuesday event, marking the first time in which the fans were given the chance...
, Orton defeated Ric Flair in a Steel Cage match. After this, Orton experienced another push, becoming General Manager of the Raw brand for a week following a match stipulation at Survivor Series
Survivor Series (2004)
Survivor Series was the eighteenth annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
where he picked up the win for his team by last pinning Triple H in a 4 on 4 Survivor Series match. He continued to feud with Triple H, using his authority to place his opponents at severe disadvantages during title defenses. Orton was granted another chance at the championship in January 2005, but lost a six-man championship Elimination Chamber match to Triple H at New Year's Revolution
New Year's Revolution (2005)
New Year's Revolution was the first annual New Year's Revolution pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment. It took place on January 9, 2005 at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This event was the first pay-per-view event produced by WWE to be held in Puerto...
. On the January 10 episode of Raw, Orton defeated Batista to earn a match against Triple H at the Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (2005)
Royal Rumble was the eighteenth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on January 30, 2005 at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California and featured talent from both the Raw and SmackDown! brands...
for the World Heavyweight title. At the Royal Rumble, Triple H defeated Orton to retain the World title.
Singles competition (2005–2006)
Orton began an on-screen relationship with Stacy KeiblerStacy Keibler
Stacy Keibler is an American actress, model, and former professional wrestler and valet, best known for her work with World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment ....
and briefly feuded with Christian in February 2005. On the February 28 episode of Raw, "Superstar" Billy Graham made an appearance, in which he advised Orton to "go where no wrestler [had] gone before". Orton then produced a copy of SmackDown! magazine, which featured The Undertaker on the cover. Heeding Graham's advice, Orton claimed that he would set himself apart from all other wrestlers by ending The Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania
WrestleMania
WrestleMania is a professional wrestling pay-per-view event, produced annually in late March or early April by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut...
. Throughout March 2005, Orton taunted The Undertaker, claiming he was unafraid of him. On the March 21 episode of Raw, Orton turned into a villain once more after he delivered an RKO to his unsuspecting on-screen girlfriend, Stacy Keibler, knocking her unconscious
Unconsciousness
Unconsciousness is the condition of being not conscious—in a mental state that involves complete or near-complete lack of responsiveness to people and other environmental stimuli. Being in a comatose state or coma is a type of unconsciousness. Fainting due to a drop in blood pressure and a...
. During Orton's promos, he would immediately run for cover when signs of The Undertaker's appearance were near (lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
, darkness
Darkness
Darkness, in contrast with brightness, is a relative absence of visible light. It is the appearance of black in a color space. When light is not present, rod and cone cells within the eye are not stimulated. This lack of stimulation means photoreceptor cells are unable to distinguish color...
, or smoke
Smoke
Smoke is a collection of airborne solid and liquid particulates and gases emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with the quantity of air that is entrained or otherwise mixed into the mass. It is commonly an unwanted by-product of fires , but may also be used for pest...
). When legendary wrestler Jake Roberts
Jake Roberts
Aurelian Jake Smith, Jr. is a second-generation American professional wrestler, the son of former wrestler Aurelian "Grizzly" Smith...
advised Orton not to underestimate The Undertaker, Orton performed an RKO on Roberts as well. In the weeks leading up to WrestleMania, Orton became more defiant and unafraid of The Undertaker, taunting and assaulting him in the ring following distractions from his father, "Cowboy" Bob Orton
Bob Orton, Jr.
Robert Keith Orton is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Cowboy" Bob Orton. He is the father of wrestler Randy Orton, who is signed to World Wrestling Entertainment...
. At WrestleMania 21
WrestleMania 21
WrestleMania 21 was the twenty-first annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on April 3, 2005 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. It started off with an interpormotional battle royal, for which Booker T...
, however, the heavily hyped match was unsuccessful for Orton, as he lost despite his father's interference.
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
that he was indeed a candidate for the draft, leaving a possibility of a return to SmackDown!. Orton returned to WWE programming for the SmackDown! brand on June 16, announcing that he was the second pick in the 2005 draft lottery
2005 WWE Draft Lottery
The 2005 World Wrestling Entertainment Draft Lottery took place over a three week period in June. There were ten draft picks and an eleven-person trade conducted between the promotion's two brands: Raw and SmackDown!, where twenty-two superstars were drafted and traded overall...
. He rekindled his feud with The Undertaker, defeating him at SummerSlam
SummerSlam (2005)
SummerSlam was the eighteenth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on August 21, 2005 at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C...
following a distraction from his father. Two months later, Orton and his father Bob Orton defeated The Undertaker in a Handicap Casket match. The following month, Orton was a participant in the annual elimination match of Team SmackDown against Team Raw at Survivor Series
Survivor Series (2005)
Survivor Series was the 19th annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
. In the match, Orton was the last remaining wrestler in the match, as he pinned Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
to get the victory for Team SmackDown. At the event, The Undertaker, who had been absent since Orton had apparently killed him on an episode of SmackDown!, returned by emerging from a flaming casket. The feud was finally settled with a Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon
Armageddon (2005)
Armageddon was the sixth Armageddon professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on December 18, 2005 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island and was a SmackDown! brand-exclusive event.The main event was a Hell in a Cell...
, where The Undertaker offered to retire if he lost. On December 16, The Undertaker entered the ring to deliver a promo while one of his druids appeared to be standing in the ring. The Undertaker sustained an RKO from Orton in a surprise attack. The druid revealed himself to be Orton's father, who gave Orton The Undertaker's urn
Urn
An urn is a vase, ordinarily covered, that usually has a narrowed neck above a footed pedestal. "Knife urns" placed on pedestals flanking a dining-room sideboard were an English innovation for high-style dining rooms of the late 1760s...
, which, according to the storyline, allowed whomever held it to control The Undertaker. The Undertaker, however, beat both Ortons in a Hell in a Cell match, ending their nine-month-long feud.
Royal Rumble (2006)
Royal Rumble was the nineteenth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on January 29, 2006 in the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida and featured talent from the Raw and SmackDown! brands...
as the thirtieth and final wrestler, but he was eliminated by Rey Mysterio. Mysterio won the match and a title shot, and Orton urged him to put the title shot at stake in a match at No Way Out
No Way Out (2006)
No Way Out was the eighth annual No Way Out professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on February 19, 2006 at 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland and was a SmackDown! brand-exclusive event...
. In the weeks preceding No Way Out, Orton made disparaging remarks about Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Guerrero
Eduardo Gory "Eddie" Guerrero was a Mexican-American professional wrestler born into the Guerrero wrestling family. He wrestled in Mexico and Japan for several major professional wrestling promotions...
, Mysterio's friend who had died a few months previously, in an attempt to gain villain heat
Heat (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, heat refers to both crowd reaction and real-life animosity between those involved in the professional wrestling business. In terms of crowd reaction, heat is usually either cheers for a babyface or boos for a heel...
. Many fans felt the comments were unwarranted and highly distasteful so soon after Guerrero's death in November 2005. Orton won at No Way Out, earning Mysterio's title shot for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 22
WrestleMania 22
Notes: .The predominant feud on the SmackDown! brand was between Kurt Angle, Rey Mysterio, and Randy Orton over the World Heavyweight Championship. Mysterio won the 2006 Royal Rumble match, last eliminating Orton, to earn a World Championship match at WrestleMania. At No Way Out, Orton defeated...
. General Manager Theodore Long
Theodore Long
Theodore R. "Teddy" Long is an American professional wrestling manager and former referee who currently works for WWE on its SmackDown brand as its General Manager.-National Wrestling Alliance / World Championship Wrestling:...
re-added Mysterio to the WrestleMania 22 title match, however, making it a Triple Threat match between Orton, Mysterio, and then-champion, Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
. On April 2, at WrestleMania 22, Orton was pinned by Mysterio, making Mysterio the World Heavyweight Champion and ending their on-screen rivalry.
On April 4, 2006, Orton was suspended for sixty days for "unprofessional conduct." In an interview, Orton stated, "my conduct was unbecoming of a champion, which is what I will be again when I return." To cover for the suspension, a faked injury was devised, where Kurt Angle broke Orton's ankle during a grudge match. In July, Orton said his suspension resulted from smoking marijuana
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
backstage. Orton returned from his suspension in June to the Raw brand, where he entered a rivalry with Angle, culminating in matches at One Night Stand
ECW One Night Stand (2006)
ECW One Night Stand was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It was held on June 11, 2006 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, New York....
and Vengeance
Vengeance (2006)
Vengeance was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on June 25, 2006 at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was the sixth annual Vengeance event. Eight professional wrestling matches were featured on the...
before engaging in a storyline feud with Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
. Orton began cutting promos insulting the aging Hogan and flirted with Hogan's then-eighteen-year-old daughter Brooke
Brooke Hogan
Brooke Ellen Bollea , better known by her stage name Brooke Hogan, is an American singer, actress, model, socialite, and television personality, and the oldest child of professional wrestler Hulk Hogan . She appeared on the reality-television series Hogan Knows Best, which focused on her family,...
. At SummerSlam
SummerSlam (2006)
SummerSlam was the nineteenth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on August 20, 2006 at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, and featured performers from the Raw, SmackDown!, and ECW brands...
, the two met in a "Legend vs. Legend Killer" match, which Hogan won.
Rated-RKO and the Age of Orton (2006–2008)
After the newly reformed D-Generation XD-Generation X
D-Generation X was a professional wrestling stable in WWE . The group originated in the midst of the WWF's "Attitude Era" from 1997 to 2000...
(DX) (Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
and Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
) cost Edge the WWE Championship numerous times, Edge approached Orton and asked him to join forces to defeat the team. Orton, whose championship reign had been ended by Triple H in 2004, agreed, forming the tag team Rated-RKO
Rated-RKO
Rated-RKO was a villainous professional wrestling tag team in World Wrestling Entertainment based on the Raw brand. The team consisted of Edge, Randy Orton, and Lita, their valet...
. The two became the first to defeat DX since their reunion and quickly dominated the Raw brand's tag team division to become tag team champions. As part of the angle, Rated-RKO attacked Ric Flair with steel chairs to enrage DX on November 27. At New Year's Revolution
New Year's Revolution (2007)
New Year's Revolution was the third annual and final New Year's Revolution professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on January 7, 2007 at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri and featured wrestlers and other talent from WWE's Raw brand...
, Rated-RKO faced DX in a title defense, but the match was declared a no-contest when Triple H suffered a legitimate injury during the match.
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
to defeat Rated-RKO for the tag team championship on January 29. Orton and Edge suffered a series of losses to Cena and Michaels in the following months, building hatred towards one another. Edge and Orton also became rivals in their goals of achieving the WWE Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
. Neither Edge nor Orton won the Championship, and they lost their claims as number one contenders after a failed match with Cena at Backlash
Backlash (2007)
Backlash was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on April 29, 2007 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Following WrestleMania, all pay-per-views became tri-branded...
. Orton then continued his "Legend Killer" persona, attacking Shawn Michaels. Using frequent attacks to the head, including an elevated DDT and a running punt to the face, Orton defeated Michaels at Judgment Day
Judgment Day (2007)
Judgment Day was the ninth annual Judgment Day professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on May 20, 2007 from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri...
. When the kayfabe
Kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
wounded and concussed Michaels collapsed in the ring, the referee was forced to stop the match and award Orton the victory. Orton continued his attacks when he engaged himself in feuds with Rob Van Dam
Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander "Rob" Szatkowski , better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam , is an American professional wrestler and actor who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
, Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
, Dusty Rhodes
Dusty Rhodes (wrestler)
Virgil Riley Runnels, Jr. , better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler currently working for WWE...
, and Sgt. Slaughter
Sgt. Slaughter
Robert Remus , better known by his ring name Sgt. Slaughter, is an American former WWE personality and semi-retired professional wrestler. From the late 1970s to the early 1990s, Slaughter had success in the National Wrestling Alliance, American Wrestling Association, and World Wrestling...
.
On the July 23 episode of Raw, Orton was named as the number one contender at SummerSlam
SummerSlam (2007)
SummerSlam was the twentieth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on August 26, 2007 at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey and featured talent from each of WWE's three brands: Raw,...
for John Cena's WWE Championship. Weeks before their scheduled bout at SummerSlam, Orton attacked Cena on three separate occasions by performing RKOs on him. At SummerSlam, Orton lost the title match to Cena, who pinned Orton after executing an FU. The following night on Raw, Orton demanded a rematch for the title, but his request was declined by Raw General Manager William Regal. Orton then took his demands to Mr. McMahon, who also refused to give Orton a rematch unless he proved himself. That night, Orton interfered in Cena's match by assaulting Cena and kicking Cena's father, who was at ringside, in the head. Orton was granted his title rematch against Cena at Unforgiven
Unforgiven (2007)
Unforgiven was the tenth annual Unforgiven pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on September 16, 2007 from the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee and featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands.The main match on the SmackDown brand was The...
and won by disqualification when Cena refused to stop punching Orton in the corner; however, Cena retained the WWE title because a title cannot change hands by disqualification. After the match, Cena's father, who was again at ringside, kicked Orton in the head. At No Mercy
No Mercy (2007)
No Mercy was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on October 7, 2007 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois...
, Orton was awarded the WWE Championship by Mr. McMahon after Cena was stripped of the title due to an injury the previous week, which also ended the Orton-Cena storyline prematurely. Orton then lost the title to Triple H in the opening match of the show, making Orton's reign the fourth shortest in WWE history. Later in the night, Orton defeated Triple H in a Last Man Standing match to regain the title, thus becoming a two-time WWE Champion in one night.
Following No Mercy, Orton continued his feud with Shawn Michaels, who made his return on the October 8 episode of Raw and performed Sweet Chin Music on Orton. The two met in a title match at Cyber Sunday
Cyber Sunday (2007)
Cyber Sunday was the fourth annual Cyber Sunday professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on October 28, 2007 at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C...
after a match was made in which the fans would get to vote on either Michaels, Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion...
or Mr. Kennedy as the opponent. As a result, Michaels was voted to face Orton. In the match, Orton was disqualified when he performed a low blow
Groin attack
A groin attack is an attempt to cause pain to the groin area of one's opponent. The technique can be quickly debilitating, due to the large number of sensitive nerve endings in the penis and testicles of males, as well as the highly innervated vulva of females. A sufficiently powerful blow may...
on Michaels, but Orton retained the title. In a scheduled rematch, Orton successfully defended the title at Survivor Series
Survivor Series (2007)
Survivor Series was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on November 18, 2007 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida...
against Michaels when he performed the RKO on Michaels for the win. The stipulation of the match was that if Michaels used Sweet Chin Music, the match would be stopped and Michaels would never get a chance at the WWE title, but if Orton got himself disqualified, he would lose the title.
After weeks of intensity between the two, Orton defeated Jeff Hardy to retain the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (2008)
Royal Rumble was the twenty-first annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on January 27, 2008 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York and featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown and ECW brands. The event was...
. Following this, he re-engaged in his feud with John Cena, who had returned from injury and won the 2008 Royal Rumble match. Instead of cashing in his title opportunity at WrestleMania XXIV
WrestleMania XXIV
WrestleMania XXIV was the twenty-fourth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . The event took place on March 30, 2008, at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida and was the first WrestleMania to be held in the state of Florida...
, Cena decided to face Orton for the title at No Way Out
No Way Out (2008)
No Way Out was the ninth annual No Way Out professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on February 17, 2008 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada...
. Orton lost the match after getting himself intentionally disqualified, thus retaining the title. At WrestleMania, Orton retained the WWE Championship in a Triple Threat match involving Cena and Triple H. Orton won the match by pinning Cena after a Pedigree from Triple H. The following month, at Backlash
Backlash (2008)
Backlash was the tenth annual Backlash professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on April 27, 2008 at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland...
, Orton lost the title to Triple H in a Fatal Four-Way Elimination match, which also included Cena and John "Bradshaw" Layfield
John Layfield
John Charles Layfield is a former American professional wrestler, a former commentator/host for mixed martial arts promotion Vyper Fight League and financial analyst for Fox News...
. After failing to win the title back at Judgment Day
Judgment Day (2008)
Judgment Day was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on May 18, 2008 at the Qwest Center Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska...
, Orton faced Triple H in a Last Man Standing match at One Night Stand
One Night Stand (2008)
One Night Stand was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment that took place on June 1, 2008 at the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California. It was the fourth and final event promoted under the One Night Stand name...
for the title. Orton lost the match and legitimately broke his collarbone
Clavicle
In human anatomy, the clavicle or collar bone is a long bone of short length that serves as a strut between the scapula and the sternum. It is the only long bone in body that lies horizontally...
. During this time, Orton dropped his Legend Killer gimmick and replaced it with his new gimmick known as The Viper and debuted his new entrance music, Voices.
The Legacy (2008–2010)
Ted DiBiase, Jr.
Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase Jr. is an American professional wrestler and actor signed with WWE, where he appears on its SmackDown brand...
took exception to this and tried to gain his respect. Unsuccessful until the pay-per-view event Unforgiven
Unforgiven (2008)
Unforgiven was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on September 7, 2008 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio...
, the two of them, alongside new recruit Manu
Afa Anoa'i, Jr.
Afa Anoa'i, Jr. is an American professional wrestler of Samoan descent. He is best known for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he competed on its Raw brand under the ring name Manu.-World Xtreme Wrestling:...
, assaulted World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk
CM Punk
Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion....
, costing him his title. He made his in-ring return on the November 3 episode of Raw losing to Punk by disqualification after Ted DiBiase interfered. In retaliation, Orton punted DiBiase in the head. On the December 1 episode of Raw, Orton proposed that he along with Cody Rhodes and Manu form an alliance. The following week, they made it official by defeating Batista and Triple H, Orton's former stablemates, in a three-on-two handicap match, dubbing themselves The Legacy. On January 25, 2009, Orton won the 2009 Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (2009)
Royal Rumble was the twenty-second annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on January 25, 2009 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan and featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown and ECW brands...
match by last eliminating Triple H. On the March 2 episode of Raw, Orton challenged Triple H for the WWE title at WrestleMania XXV
WrestleMania XXV
WrestleMania XXV was the twenty-fifth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on April 5, 2009 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas...
, where Orton lost the match. Orton, however, won the title at Backlash
Backlash (2009)
Backlash was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on April 26, 2009 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island. The 11th and final event under the Backlash banner, it featured talent from all three WWE brands: Raw,...
in a six-man tag team match with Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase, facing off against Triple H, Batista, and Shane McMahon
Shane McMahon
Shane Brandon McMahon is an American executive, currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of YOU On Demand. A former executive and professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment , he is the son of WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon and former US Senate candidate Linda...
. At Extreme Rules, he dropped the title to Batista in a Steel Cage match. The following night on Raw, Orton and Legacy attacked Batista and (kayfabe) broke his arm, forcing him to vacate the title. It was later revealed that Batista was suffering from a torn biceps and Legacy was given on-screen credit for his injury. On the June 15 episode of Raw, Orton regained the title in a Fatal Four-Way match involving Triple H, John Cena and The Big Show
Paul Wight
Paul Donald Wight, Jr. , better known by his ring name, Big Show, is an American professional wrestler and actor, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand....
. Orton later lost the title to John Cena in an "I Quit" match at Breaking Point
WWE Breaking Point
Breaking Point was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on September 13, 2009 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands. The name of the event was voted by fans via...
, but defeated Cena to win back the championship in a Hell in a Cell match at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view in October. At Bragging Rights, Orton lost the title to Cena in a 60 minute Iron Man match
Iron Man match
An Iron Man match is a professional wrestling match type that is set to go a specific amount of time, usually 30 or 60 minutes, with the competitor with the most falls at the end of that time named the victor...
.
On the January 11, 2010, episode of Raw, Orton won a triple threat match, with the help of Rhodes and DiBiase, to challenge Sheamus at the Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (2010)
Royal Rumble was the twenty-third annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on January 31, 2010 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia and featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown and ECW brands...
for the WWE Championship. At the Royal Rumble, however, Orton failed to win the championship when Rhodes interfered, causing a disqualification. After the match, Orton attacked Rhodes and DiBiase. On the February 15 episode of Raw, Orton was again disqualified in a rematch after Rhodes and DiBiase interfered. Orton and DiBiase both competed in the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, and DiBiase eliminated Orton after hitting him with a pipe which Rhodes had passed to him. The next night on Raw, in a six-man tag team match, Orton attacked Rhodes and DiBiase in retaliation. At WrestleMania XXVI
WrestleMania XXVI
WrestleMania XXVI was the twenty-sixth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on March 28, 2010 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona. This was the fourth WrestleMania to...
, Orton defeated Rhodes and DiBiase in a triple threat match, turning him into a fan favorite
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
in the process for the first time since 2005.
Return to singles competition; World title Reigns (2010–present)
Following his departure from Legacy, Orton, now playing a babyface role, faced Jack Swagger for the World Heavyweight Championship at Extreme RulesExtreme Rules (2010)
Extreme Rules was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on April 25, 2010 at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. It was the second event promoted under the Extreme Rules name...
in April, however, he was unsuccessful in defeating Swagger. After being speared by Edge, resulting in Orton losing a number one contender's match for the WWE Championship, on the WWE Draft episode of Raw, he faced Edge at the Over the Limit pay-per-view, but separated his right shoulder during the match, which concluded in a double countout. At Fatal 4-Way
WWE Fatal 4-Way
Fatal 4-Way was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on June 20, 2010 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York...
in June, Orton competed in a fatal four-way match for the WWE Championship against John Cena, Sheamus and Edge but came up short. On the July 19 episode of Raw, he won a number one contender's match against Edge and Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
giving him a match against Sheamus at SummerSlam
SummerSlam (2010)
SummerSlam was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , that took place on August 15, 2010 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California for the second consecutive year...
. At the event, Sheamus was disqualified for bringing a steel chair into the match giving Orton the victory, however, not the title. Immediately afterwards Orton took the steel chair and hit Sheamus with it and gave him an RKO. Orton defeated John Cena, Chris Jericho, Wade Barrett, Edge and Sheamus in a Six-Pack Challenge Elimination Match to become WWE Champion for the sixth time at Night of Champions
Night of Champions (2010)
Night of Champions was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , that took place on September 19, 2010 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. It was the third annual event to be promoted solely under the Night of Champions name and the tenth...
.
After defending his title against Sheamus at Hell in a Cell, Orton feuded with Wade Barrett
Wade Barrett
Wade Barrett is a retired American soccer player. He is currently an assistant coach at Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo-College:...
, who attempted to use John Cena to help capture Orton's championship. After successfully defending his title against Barrett at Bragging Rights and Survivor Series
Survivor Series (2010)
Survivor Series was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , that took place on November 21, 2010 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida...
, Orton defeated Barrett again on the November 22 episode of Raw, only to lose his title immediately afterwards to The Miz
Mike Mizanin
Michael "Mike" Gregory Mizanin is an American professional wrestler and reality television personality better known by his nickname and ring name The Miz. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment on its Raw brand...
, who cashed in his Money in the Bank
Money in the Bank ladder match
The Money in the Bank ladder match is a professional wrestling ladder match held by WWE. The match can feature anywhere from six to ten participants from any WWE brand, with the objective being to retrieve a briefcase that is suspended 20 feet above the ring...
briefcase. Orton failed to recapture the title after losing a Tables match to The Miz at the TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (2010)
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on December 19, 2010 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. It was the second annual TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs event...
pay-per-view and again in a singles match at the Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (2011)
Royal Rumble was the 24th annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on January 30, 2011 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts....
in January 2011 after interference from the New Nexus starting a feud between Punk and Orton. The following month at the Elimination Chamber
Elimination Chamber (2011)
Elimination Chamber was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on February 20, 2011 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California...
event Orton participated in the Raw Elimination Chamber match but was unsuccessful in winning. Over the ongoing weeks, Orton would punt all members of the New Nexus, Michael McGillicutty, David Otunga
David Otunga
David Daniel Otunga is a professional wrestler and former reality television actor. He is signed to WWE, appearing on the Raw brand under his real name. He's a two-time WWE Tag Team Champion, having one reign each with Michael McGillicutty and John Cena. He was the runner-up on the first season...
, and Mason Ryan, removing each, one by one, from active competition. At WrestleMania XXVII
WrestleMania XXVII
WrestleMania XXVII was the twenty-seventh annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , held on April 3, 2011 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia...
, Orton defeated CM Punk. On the April 11 episode of Raw, McGillicutty, Otunga and Ryan returned and cost Orton a number one contender's match for the WWE Championship. Two weeks later, at the 2011 WWE Draft
2011 WWE Draft
The 2011 WWE Draft was the eighth annual draft held by WWE, which took place on April 25. With a core business of professional wrestling, the corporation held a draft to exchange personnel assigned to one of its two television programs that are independent brands that represent WWE...
, Orton was drafted to SmackDown and beat Punk at Extreme Rules
Extreme Rules (2011)
Extreme Rules was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by WWE, which took place on May 1, 2011 at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida...
thus ending his feud with New Nexus.
On April 29 episode of SmackDown, Orton made his debut his match in a tag team match with Christian against Alberto Del Rio and Brodus Clay
Brodus Clay
George Murdoch is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name, Brodus Clay. He is signed to WWE, where he wrestles on its Raw brand and its developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling...
. The following week, Orton received a title opportunity against World Heavyweight Champion
World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)
The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
, Christian. Orton was successful in defeating Christian to win his second World Heavyweight Championship. At Over the Limit and Capitol Punishment
WWE Capitol Punishment
Capitol Punishment was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by WWE, which took place on June 19, 2011 at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C....
, Orton successfully defended his championship against Christian. In July at Money in the Bank
Money in the Bank (2011)
Money in the Bank was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by WWE, which took place on July 17, 2011 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. It was the second annual Money in the Bank pay-per-view...
, Orton lost the title to Christian after Christian spat in his face, which led to Orton lose control of his temper, kicked Christian in the groin and he got disqualified, in a match where the stipulation was if Orton got himself disqualified, or if the referee made a "bad call", Christian would automatically win the championship. A month later, at the SummerSlam
SummerSlam (2011)
SummerSlam was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by WWE that took place on August 14, 2011. For the third consecutive year, SummerSlam was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, and it was the 24th annual SummerSlam event...
pay-per-view event, Orton regained the title when he defeated Christian in a No Holds Barred match. Orton ended his feud with Christian when he retained the World Championship in a Steel Cage Match on the August 30 episode of SmackDown. Orton then entered a feud with Mark Henry
Mark Henry
Mark Jerrold Henry is an American professional wrestler signed with WWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. He is a 1992 Olympian, and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic...
after Henry became the number one contender to the World Heavyweight title after winning a 20-man Battle royal on the August 19 episode of SmackDown. Throughout weeks on SmackDown and on the September 11 episode of Raw, Henry would attack Orton getting the advantage over him. At Night of Champions
Night of Champions (2011)
Night of Champions was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by WWE that took place on September 18, 2011 at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York. It was the 4th annual WWE Night of Champions event and the 11th in the WWE Vengeance overall timeline. Seven matches took...
, Orton lost the World Heavyweight title to Henry. Two weeks later at Hell in a Cell
Hell in a Cell (2011)
Hell in a Cell was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by WWE that took place on October 2, 2011 at the New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was the third annual Hell in a Cell event. Like the 2009 and 2010 events, this event also featured the Hell in a Cell match...
pay-per-view, He was again defeated by Henry in a Hell in a Cell match failing to regain the World Heavyweight Championship. A week later on Smackdown Orton received another shot against Henry after winning a 41 man battle royal, he was successful in winning the match by disqualification but failed to win the title after interference from rival Cody Rhodes
Cody Runnels
Cody Garrett Runnels is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Cody Rhodes. Runnels is signed to WWE where he wrestles on its SmackDown brand, and is the reigning Intercontinental Champion...
. He picked up a victory over Rhodes at Vengeance
Vengeance (2011)
Vengeance was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by WWE that took place on October 23, 2011 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. It is the 12th event under the Vengeance/Night of Champions chronology and the first event under the Vengeance name since the 2007 edition...
. Orton ended his feud with Rhodes when he defeated him on the November 4th edition of Smackdown in a Street Fight. Orton would re-ignite his feud with Wade Barrett after both superstars were named captain for a traditional 5 on 5 Survivor Series elimination match. On the November 11th edition of Smackdown Orton was defeated by Barrett in a singles match but On the November 14th edition of RAW Orton won in a rematch by disqualification. His team was defeated at Survivor Series (2011)
Survivor Series (2011)
Survivor Series was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by WWE that took place on November 20, 2011 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was the 25th annual Survivor Series event and the first one to take place in Madison Square Garden since the 2002 event...
with Wade Barrett
Wade Barrett
Wade Barrett is a retired American soccer player. He is currently an assistant coach at Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo-College:...
and Cody Rhodes being the sole survivors. The following night on RAW Orton continued his feud with Barrett when Orton distracted him during his match with Kofi.
Other media
In 2004, Orton appeared on the late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!, to promote the Taboo TuesdayTaboo Tuesday (2004)
Taboo Tuesday was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on October 19, 2004 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was the first annual Taboo Tuesday event, marking the first time in which the fans were given the chance...
pay-per-view. In March 2007, alongside Edge, John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
, and Bobby Lashley, Orton appeared on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
game show Deal or No Deal
Deal or No Deal (US game show)
Deal or No Deal is the American version of the international game show of Dutch origin of the same name. The show was hosted by Howie Mandel, and premiered on December 19, 2005, on National Broadcasting Company . The hour-long show typically aired at least twice a week during its run, and included...
. In July 2009, Orton revealed he read for the lead role in The Marine 2 (2009), the sequel to the 2006 film The Marine
The Marine
The Marine is a 2006 American action film starring wrestler John Cena. The film was directed by John Bonito, written by Michelle Gallagher and Alan B...
. He was given the part, but after injuring his collarbone, the film's producers decided to go with Ted DiBiase
Ted DiBiase, Jr.
Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase Jr. is an American professional wrestler and actor signed with WWE, where he appears on its SmackDown brand...
. Orton has a supporting role in the film That's What I Am
That's What I Am
That's What I Am is a drama film starring Ed Harris and Chase Ellison. The film is directed by Michael Pavone. Its release date was April 29, 2011 in limited release, having been released on DVD about four weeks later.-Plot:...
, alongside Ed Harris
Ed Harris
Edward Allen "Ed" Harris is an American actor, writer, and director, known for his performances in Appaloosa, Radio, The Rock, The Abyss, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, A History of Violence, and The Truman Show. Harris has also narrated commercials for The Home Depot and other companies...
and Amy Madigan
Amy Madigan
Amy Marie Madigan is an American actress who is known for her role as Annie Kinsella in the 1989 film Field of Dreams and Iris Crowe in the HBO television series Carnivale...
. The film is a coming-of-age comedy written and directed by Michael Pavone
Michael Pavone
Michael Pavone was the Executive Vice President of WWE Studios with WWE before his departure from the company in August 2011.-Television Writer:...
.
Controversy
While on the Raw brand, Orton was accused of harassing fellow WWE employees Amy WeberAmy Weber
Amy Marie Weber is an American actress, model, film producer, former professional wrestling valet, and singer who is best known for her time as a WWE Diva for World Wrestling Entertainment under the SmackDown! brand...
and Rochelle Loewen
Rochelle Loewen
Rochelle Nicole Loewen is a Canadian broadcaster, and former Glamour model,and WWE Diva on the SmackDown! brand.-Modeling career:...
. Loewen, who has called Orton "an animal," claimed that he vandalized her possessions and subjected her to harassment.
On March 19, 2007, Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
posted an article on its website as part of its continuing series investigating a steroid and HGH
Growth hormone treatment
Growth hormone treatment refers to the use of growth hormone in medical treatment. Growth hormone is a peptide hormone secreted by the pituitary gland that stimulates growth and cell reproduction. In the past, growth hormone was extracted from human pituitary glands. GH is now produced by...
ring used by a number of professional athletes in several sports. That article mentioned several current and former WWE wrestlers, including Orton who was alleged to have obtained clomiphene citrate
Clomifene
Clomifene or clomiphene or Clomid or Clomifert is a selective estrogen receptor modulator that increases production of gonadotropins by inhibiting negative feedback on the hypothalamus...
, anastrozole
Anastrozole
Anastrozole is an aromatase-inhibiting drug approved for treatment of breast cancer after surgery, as well as for metastasis in both pre and post-menopausal women. The severity of breast cancer is increased by estrogen, as sex hormones cause hyperplasia, and differentiation at estrogen receptor...
and the steroid
Anabolic steroid
Anabolic steroids, technically known as anabolic-androgen steroids or colloquially simply as "steroids", are drugs that mimic the effects of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone in the body. They increase protein synthesis within cells, which results in the buildup of cellular tissue ,...
s stanozolol
Stanozolol
Stanozolol, commonly sold under the name Winstrol , Tenabol and Winstrol Depot , was developed by Winthrop Laboratories in 1962...
, nandrolone
Nandrolone
Nandrolone is an anabolic steroid that may be present naturally in the human body, albeit in minute quantities of less than 0.4 ng/ml. Nandrolone is most commonly sold commercially as its decanoate ester and less commonly as a phenylpropionate ester...
, oxandrolone
Oxandrolone
Oxandrolone is a drug created by Raphael Pappo while at Searle Laboratories, now Pfizer Inc. under the trademark Anavar, and introduced into the US in 1964....
, and testosterone
Testosterone
Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group and is found in mammals, reptiles, birds, and other vertebrates. In mammals, testosterone is primarily secreted in the testes of males and the ovaries of females, although small amounts are also secreted by the adrenal glands...
. WWE has since made a statement on this situation, claiming that the allegations preceded the Talent Wellness program WWE launched in February 2006.
Personal life
In November 2005, Orton announced his engagement to his girlfriend Samantha Speno. They married on September 21, 2007. In December 2007, Orton announced that he and his wife were expecting their first child, a daughter. Orton and his wife welcomed Alanna Marie Orton on July 12, 2008.He had a tattoo on his left arm that read "USMC" for United States Marine Corps but covered it up after receiving a bad conduct discharge from the service. He was sent home after serving thirty-eight days in military prison at Camp Pendleton in California.
Orton suffers from hypermobile
Hypermobility
Hypermobility describes joints that stretch farther than is normal. For example, some hypermobile people can bend their thumbs backwards to their wrists, bend their knee joints backwards, put their leg behind the head or other contortionist performances...
shoulders. After being medically cleared to wrestle and after he broke his collarbone in a Last Man Standing match at One Night Stand
One Night Stand (2008)
One Night Stand was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment that took place on June 1, 2008 at the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California. It was the fourth and final event promoted under the One Night Stand name...
against Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
, Orton re-injured his collarbone in a motorcycle accident.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- RKO (Jumping cutter, sometimes from the top rope or used as a counter to a midair opponent) – 2003–present
- Running punt kick to an opponent's head - used mainly to cause a storyline concussion
- Signature moves
- Bodyscissors
- DropkickDropkickA dropkick is an attacking maneuver in professional wrestling. It is defined as an attack where the wrestler jumps up and kicks the opponent with the soles of both feet; this sees the wrestler twist as he or she jumps so that when the feet connect with the opponent one foot is raised higher than...
- European uppercut
- Falling clothesline
- Full nelson slam
- Gutwrench elevated neckbreaker
- Inverted headlock backbreaker
- Knee drop
- Lou thesz press followed by mounted punches
- Olympic slam
- Orton Stomp (Multiple stomps while circling a fallen opponent)
- PowerbombPowerbombA powerbomb is a professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted up and then slammed back-first down to the mat. The standard powerbomb sees an opponent first placed in a standing headscissors position...
sometimes through a TableTableTable or Tables may refer to:* Table * Table * Deliberative procedures:** Table , deferral or commencement of consideration** Table , contrasting usages* Tables , a class of board games... - Rope-hung DDT
- Side belly-to-belly suplex
- Snap scoop powerslam
- Spinebuster sometimes into a sit out position
- Superplex - adopted off his father, "Cowboy" Bob OrtonBob Orton, Jr.Robert Keith Orton is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Cowboy" Bob Orton. He is the father of wrestler Randy Orton, who is signed to World Wrestling Entertainment...
- Wrenching chinlock
- ManagersManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
- Ric FlairRic FlairRichard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
- "Cowboy" Bob OrtonBob Orton, Jr.Robert Keith Orton is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Cowboy" Bob Orton. He is the father of wrestler Randy Orton, who is signed to World Wrestling Entertainment...
- LitaAmy DumasAmy Christine Dumas , known by her primary stage name Lita, is the lead singer for the band The Luchagors as well as a retired professional wrestler and WWE Diva active from 1999 to 2006....
- Stacy KeiblerStacy KeiblerStacy Keibler is an American actress, model, and former professional wrestler and valet, best known for her work with World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment ....
- Ric Flair
- Tag-teams and Stables
- EvolutionEvolution (professional wrestling)Evolution was a villainous professional wrestling stable on WWE's Raw brand between 2003 and 2005. At the height of its existence, the group consisted of Triple H, Ric Flair, Randy Orton, Batista and briefly Eugene....
- Rated RKO
- The LegacyThe Legacy (professional wrestling)The Legacy was a villainous alliance of professional wrestlers in World Wrestling Entertainment. The group was led by Randy Orton and contained the tag team of Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase....
- Evolution
- Nicknames
- "The Legend Killer"
- "The Viper"
- "The Apex PredatorApex predatorApex predators are predators that have no predators of their own, residing at the top of their food chain. Zoologists define predation as the killing and consumption of another organism...
"
- Entrance themesMusic in professional wrestlingMusic in professional wrestling serves a variety of purposes. The most common uses of music in professional wrestling is that of the entrance theme, a song or piece of instrumental music which plays as a performer approaches the ring...
- "Line in the Sand" by Motörhead (2003–2004) (Used while a member of EvolutionEvolution (professional wrestling)Evolution was a villainous professional wrestling stable on WWE's Raw brand between 2003 and 2005. At the height of its existence, the group consisted of Triple H, Ric Flair, Randy Orton, Batista and briefly Eugene....
) - "Burn in My Light" by Mercy DriveMercy DriveMercy Drive was a Central Florida-based Hard rock band that created entrance themes for several World Wrestling Entertainment wrestlers, most notable for Maven Huffman and Randy Orton .-History:...
(August 30, 2004–May 5, 2008) - "This Fire Burns" by Killswitch EngageKillswitch EngageKillswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999 after the disbandment of Overcast and Aftershock. Killswitch Engage's current lineup consists of vocalist Howard Jones, bassist Mike D'Antonio, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and Adam Dutkiewicz, and drummer...
(March 3, 2006) - "Voices" by Rev TheoryRev TheoryRev Theory is an American hard rock band formed in 2002 in North Andover, Massachusetts. The band has released three studio albums: Truth Is Currency , Light It Up , and Justice . The song "Voices" is currently being used for World Wrestling Entertainment star Randy Orton...
(May 12, 2008–present)
- "Line in the Sand" by Motörhead (2003–2004) (Used while a member of Evolution
Championships and accomplishments
- Ohio Valley WrestlingOhio Valley WrestlingOhio Valley Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. OVW is run by owner Danny Davis and was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1997 until 2000...
- OVW Hardcore ChampionshipOVW Hardcore ChampionshipThe OVW Hardcore Championship was a short-lived hardcore wrestling title in World Wrestling Entertainment's former developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling. The title was created in 2000 and was deactivated in 2001...
(2 times)
- OVW Hardcore Championship
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI Feud of the Year (2009) vs. Triple HTriple HPaul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
- PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2007, 2009)
- PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year (2004)
- PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (2010)
- PWI Rookie of the Year (2001)
- PWI ranked him #1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2008
- PWI ranked him #2 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2011
- PWI Wrestler of the Year (2009, 2010)
- PWI Feud of the Year (2009) vs. Triple H
- World Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
- World Heavyweight ChampionshipWorld Heavyweight Championship (WWE)The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
(3 times) - World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Edge
- WWE ChampionshipWWE ChampionshipThe WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
(6 times) - WWE Intercontinental ChampionshipWWE Intercontinental ChampionshipThe WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
(1 time) - Royal RumbleRoyal RumbleThe Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view event, produced every January by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. The event was created in 1988, with its inaugural event taking place on January 24, 1988 at the Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario...
(2009Royal Rumble (2009)Royal Rumble was the twenty-second annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on January 25, 2009 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan and featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown and ECW brands...
) - Seventeenth Triple Crown Champion
- World Heavyweight Championship
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Most Improved (2004)