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“The Viper” Randy Orton won’t ever hit a man with three RKOs to pin him. And he credits Vince McMahon for drilling that philosophy into him from the jump.
Speaking to The Schmo at WWE World hours before his WWE WrestleMania 42 Night One main event with “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes, the 14-time world champion reflected on why the RKO has remained among WWE’s most protected finishers.
“It’s funny because that RKO is everything. Vince had a huge hand to play because when I would be wrestling somebody and I was younger, they would want to kick out of my finish. Vince would pull me aside and say, ‘We’re not going to do that. We’re not going to let that happen.’ I’ll never hit a guy with three RKOs to cover him and pin him. I’m not going to dilute my finish. That is always going to be a kill shot and I can hit it out of nowhere,” Orton said.
He added that a wrestler’s finisher is essential to being a WWE superstar.
The rule bent a little later that night. Orton landed RKOs on referee Charles Robinson and Pat McAfee in the main event, a bloody affair that saw Rhodes retain the Undisputed WWE Championship before leaving Allegiant Stadium with an orbital injury, three sutures, and four staples from a post-match punt.
Per “Wrestling Observer Radio,” Orton was originally slated to win his 15th world title before WWE flipped the finish. Rhodes remains not medically cleared, clouding his status for WWE Backlash on May 9 in Tampa.