Randy Orton

Randy Orton is an American professional wrestler who has spent his main career with WWE. He is a third-generation wrestler and the son of WWE Hall of Famer “Cowboy” Bob Orton, the grandson of Bob Orton Sr., and the nephew of Barry Orton. After training with his father and working in Ohio Valley Wrestling, Orton made his WWE main roster debut on the April 25, 2002 episode of SmackDown.

Orton joined Triple H, Ric Flair, and Batista in Evolution in 2003. He won his first Intercontinental Championship later that year and developed the “Legend Killer” persona by targeting established wrestlers and former champions.

At SummerSlam 2004, Orton defeated Chris Benoit to become the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in WWE history at 24 years old. Evolution attacked him the following night, removing him from the group and beginning his rivalry with Triple H.

Over the next several years, Orton became a regular part of WWE’s world championship picture. His major rivalries included Mick Foley, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and John Cena. He also formed Rated-RKO with Edge, and the pair won the World Tag Team Championship while feuding with D-Generation X.

Orton later led The Legacy with Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr. The group supported Orton during his rivalry with the McMahon family and Triple H, including his victory in the 2009 Royal Rumble Match and another WWE Championship reign. The group eventually separated, with Orton defeating Rhodes and DiBiase in a Triple Threat Match at WrestleMania XXVI.

In 2013, Orton won the WWE Championship Money in the Bank contract and used it to cash in against Daniel Bryan at SummerSlam 2013. He then joined The Authority and defeated John Cena in a championship unification match at TLC. The victory unified the WWE Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship into the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Orton joined The Wyatt Family in 2016 and won the SmackDown Tag Team Championship with Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper. He won his second Royal Rumble Match in 2017 and defeated Wyatt for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 33. Orton later captured the United States Championship from Bobby Roode at Fastlane 2018, completing WWE’s Grand Slam.

During the early 2020s, Orton renewed his rivalry with Edge and later formed RK-Bro with Riddle. The team became two-time Raw Tag Team Champions before Orton suffered a serious back injury in May 2022. He remained out of action for 18 months before returning at Survivor Series WarGames in November 2023 and joining SmackDown.

Orton reentered WWE’s championship picture in 2024. He challenged Roman Reigns in a Fatal Four-Way Match at the Royal Rumble, reached the King of the Ring final against Gunther, and later challenged Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship at Bash in Berlin.

A rivalry with Kevin Owens led to Owens hitting Orton with a piledriver in November 2024, removing him from television for nearly four months. He returned at Elimination Chamber in March 2025 and attacked Owens after his match against Sami Zayn.

Their planned WrestleMania 41 match was canceled after Owens suffered a neck injury, leaving Orton to issue an open challenge that was answered by TNA World Champion Joe Hendry. Orton defeated Hendry and then challenged John Cena for the Undisputed WWE Championship at Backlash in St. Louis.

Later in 2025, Orton advanced to another King of the Ring final but lost to former Legacy partner Cody Rhodes at Night of Champions. He continued to appear on SmackDown through October, then, after approximately three months away from television, Orton reappeared on the January 2, 2026 episode of SmackDown.

Orton remained in the world championship picture during 2026. He won the Elimination Chamber Match and challenged former Legacy partner Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 42 Night 1.

Rhodes retained the title, but Orton attacked him with the punt kick after the match. Orton remained off television for the next four months before returning at SummerSlam 2026, where he interfered and hit Rhodes with an RKO during his championship match against CM Punk.

Orton’s career has included 14 world championship reigns, two Royal Rumble victories, one Money in the Bank victory, and championships across WWE’s singles and tag team divisions.

His best-known presentations have included the Legend Killer, The Viper, and the Apex Predator. His offense is led by the RKO, along with the hanging DDT and punt kick, which have remained regular parts of his matches and storylines throughout his career.