What Does RKO Mean?

For the past twenty years, Randy Orton has dominated WWE programming with his finishing move, the "RKO." Orton's RKO has transcended the ropes of a wrestling ring into the realm of pop culture, as "RKO out of nowhere" memes continue to flood the Internet. To the untrained eye, Orton's finisher seems like little more than a spectacularly violent leap, but there is merit in understanding the meaning behind the three most dangerous letters in sports entertainment.

The "RKO" is one of Orton's most identifying marks, which is appropriate considering its origins. The finisher takes after Orton's out-of-ring name, with RKO standing for Randal Keith Orton. Orton first debuted the finisher in a 2003 match against The Hurricane on "WWE RAW," and the move's original technique saw Orton perform a standing leap into a cutter. According to Fanatic Wrestling, the RKO's flexibility was its main appeal to a young Orton; a vertical leap meant the finisher could be performed on anyone, regardless of size.

Orton's finisher surged in popularity when the element of surprise was added. Having been a heel for most his career, Orton typically attacked his opponents from behind, and the RKO's lack of set-up meant Orton could deliver his deadly finisher with no pretense and in various contexts. Over his career, the RKO has been adapted to fit various in-ring scenarios, from being a standard match-ender to an impossible counter to some of wrestling's deadliest finishers. The move's simplicity allowed for the move to be shocking, and as commentators hysterically announced that Orton had landed an "RKO out of nowhere," fans began to subscribe to the terror of a surprise strike from "The Viper."

Orton has used the RKO to claim Royal Rumble victories, 14 world championship wins, and countless victories. Despite the admitted wear the move has inflicted onto Orton's body , the Hall of Famer still regularly uses the RKO in current WWE programming, much to the delight of WWE fans across generations. Now, the RKO is recognized as one of the most iconic moves in all of wrestling, and one that has talent old and new looking over their shoulder when "The Viper" is afoot.