For 20 years, Randy Orton has won several PPV tournaments, championships and a Hall of Fame resume for courage, determination, cunning and the three most dangerous letters in sports and entertainment: RKO.
Over the past two decades, the 42-year-old superstar has developed and perfected his finishing touches, but most importantly, he's been refining it to make sure it never goes out of style.
RKO wasn't the first of Randioton, the original ACE Crusher was created by John Laurenneitis, the WCW Hall of Famer DDP made the trick known, and Randy Oton helped it transcend the world of sports and entertainment and gain recognition in popular culture. In the process, Randy Oton secured its place in WWE history as the best terminator ever.
Why is Llandioton's RKO the greatest finishing touch in WWE history? The answer is mainly the following two points.
One is that there is nowhere to escape, and RKO's success lies in its simplicity. There are no lengthy settings and no complications. It was a man who weighed about 240 pounds, and he grabbed his opponent and pulled him hard into the ring with his head facing forward. It makes sense both logically and visually, and it's dizzying.
However, this move is so effective because it can be performed from any position in the ring and at any time of the game. So what has been on top of it for years is the "everywhere" tagline.
Llandi Otun is an eloquent man and a complex storyteller who strives to make sense to everything in his game. He also concocted new ways to execute his trusted terminator against opponents, preventing wrestlers from numbing their repetitiveness.
If you look at other great terminators of the last few decades, that's rarely the case. There's no way to spice up Hookhogan's scissor legs. Cold stone Austin couldn't add a different force to the guillotine to change it. The Locke Bomb is a simple uranage slam, while the Famous Gate attack can only be performed in one way.
Randioton improved this move, and without Llandioton's improvements and promotions, it would still be a simple Ace Crusher. It was Llandioton who distinguished this move from the rest of the world and helped define it. In a wrestler who doesn't know how to wrap, this is a basic move.
In an era when terminators must be bigger, more dazzling, and more focused on highlights, Randy Oton has managed to take a move that has been around for more than 30 years and developed it into the most glamorous and compelling Terminator.
Rather, the action has gone beyond wrestling. You search for RKO on YouTube and you will find about 370,000 results. Sure, there's a super clip of his favorite RKO, but you'll also find fan-made videos depicting Randy Otun eliminating Darth Vader or Superman in Iron Man in Star Wars. You'll see him rKO for a fallen teenager, a tumbling skater, or even one of his sons using RKO to get him into the pool.
RKO is a move that has become ingrained in popular culture and social media, thanks to his ability to catch opponents out of thin air. People who have never seen Orton play are familiar with his Terminator, as they are often found on various social software at home and abroad. It is a truly remarkable Terminator, and for that reason alone it entered the debate of the greatest Terminator of all time.
With his creativity and his influence, Llandioton gave RKO a greater meaning to this basic action, driving tens of thousands of wrestling fans crazy, which is why RKO will always be the greatest terminator in WWE history.