Randy Orton

Randy Orton (birth name: Randal Keith Orton) is an American professional wrestler and actor signed with WWE. The 14-time World Champion and a Grand Slam Champion is performing on the SmackDown brand as of October 2024. Orton is regarded as one of the best wrestlers of the generation with more than 20 years in the wrestling industry. The third-generation professional wrestler performed at Mid-Missouri Wrestling Association, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), etc. The former 'Evolution' member is also known as The Legend Killer and is the youngest and second-youngest to win the WWE Title at 24. He was also a member of other tag teams and stables such as Rated-RKO, RK Bro, The Legacy, etc. The 18th Grand Slam Champion has won the Royal Rumble twice and is also the 17th Triple Crown Champion. Orton has the Guinness World record for appearing in most PPV matches as a wrestler.

Also Read: Randy Orton Age

Early Life

Randy Orton was born on April 1, 1980 in Knoxville, Tennessee. He was born into a family full of pro wrestlers. His father Bob Orton Jr., grandfather Bob Orton and uncle Barry Orton were all professional wrestlers. However, his family did not want Randy to become a professional wrestler because of the hardships they faced in their real lives.

However, Orton worked towards becoming a pro wrestler and also participated in amateur wrestling during his college days. In 1998, he enlisted with the Marines but was discharged in 1999 due to disobeying an order from the commanding officer. After being discharged from the Marine Corps, Orton shifted his complete focus towards professional wrestling and made his debut in 2000 at the Mid-Missouri Wrestling Association-Southern Illinois Conference Wrestling.

Professional Wrestling Career

WWF/E (2001-Present)

Early Years and Evolution (2001-2004)

In 2001, Orton signed with WWF and began working for OVW. By 2002, he made his main roster debut on SmackDown. Later, he joined Triple H, Batista, and Ric Flair to form Evolution. The stable spent a year terrorizing superstars on RAW and feuding with Goldberg. At Armageddon, he won the Intercontinental Championship from RVD.

In 2004, he began feuding with Chris Benoit after Triple H lost the World Heavyweight Championship. At SummerSlam, he defeated Benoit to become the youngest World Heavyweight Champion. However, he was turned face when he was kicked out of the stable and lost the title.

Also Read: Randy Orton Height

Undertaker and Rated RKO (2005-2007)

After failing to regain the title from Triple H at Royal Rumble, Orton moved to SmackDown, where he began feuding with The Undertaker. At WrestleMania XXI, Orton lost to Taker. At SummerSlam, Orton defeated Taker. At Armageddon, Taker defeated Orton in a Hell in a Cell match to end their feud.

In 2006, Orton began feuding with Rey Mysterio for the World Heavyweight Championship and lost. After a short feud with Kurt Angle, Orton was suspended. Upon his return, Orton teamed up with Edge to form Rated RKO and feuded with DX. The team won the World Tag Team Championship.

In 2007, the team entered the Money in the Bank ladder match and lost. After Mania, Rated RKO was disbanded, and Orton began feuding with John Cena. After numerous failed attempts, Orton became the WWE Champion when Cena vacated the title due to an injury.

Also Read: Randy Orton Tattoos

World Championships and The Legacy (2008-2012)

In 2008, Orton defended his title against Jeff Hardy at Royal Rumble and won. After Cena's return, Orton began feuding with him. At WrestleMania XXIV, Orton defeated John Cena and Triple H. After Mania, he lost the title and got injured. By the end of the year, Orton returned and formed The Legacy.

In 2009, Orton won the Royal Rumble match and began feuding with Triple H and The McMahons. At WrestleMania XXV, Triple H defeated Randy Orton for the title. A month later, Orton won the title with the help of Legacy. At Extreme Rules, Orton lost the title to Batista. However, Batista vacated the title due to an injury.

In the same year, Orton won the WWE Championship on three occasions. After losing his feud with Cena, Orton had some dissension in his stable. In 2010, the stable imploded when Cody Rhodes attacked Randy Orton. At WrestleMania XXVI, Orton defeated Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase in a triple-threat match.

After Mania, Orton began feuding with Sheamus, where he won the WWE Championship. Over the year, Orton feuded with The Nexus and won. In November, Orton lost the title after The Miz cashed in. In 2011, Orton continued his feud with The Nexus. At WrestleMania XXVII, Orton defeated CM Punk.

After Mania, they drafted Orton to SmackDown, where he feuded with Christian over the summer and won the World Heavyweight Championship on two occasions. After feuding with Wade Barrett, Orton began feuding with Kane. At WrestleMania XXVIII, Kane defeated Randy Orton. In 2012, Orton spent the year feuding with Dolph Ziggler and The Shield.

The Authority (2013-2015)

In 2013, Orton entered the Royal Rumble and lost. At WrestleMania XXIX, Orton, Big Show, and Sheamus lost to The Shield. After Mania, Kane, Orton, and Bryan gave The Shield their first loss. At Money in the Bank, Orton won the Money in the Bank ladder match.

At SummerSlam, Orton cashed in on Daniel Bryan and won the WWE Championship. Orton became a part of The Authority and feuded with Bryan for months. At TLC, Orton defeated Cena to unify both the world titles. At WrestleMania XXX, Orton lost the title to Daniel Bryan.

After Mania, Orton joined Evolution and feuded with The Shield. After Payback, Orton began feuding with Roman Reigns. At SummerSlam, Reigns defeated Orton. In October, Orton began disputing with Seth Rollins.

Soon, Orton was taken out by the stable. In 2015, Orton returned and feuded with Seth Rollins. At WrestleMania 31, Orton defeated Seth Rollins. The rivalry went on for months, and Orton feuded with Sheamus before getting injured.

Also Read: Randy Orton Theme Song and Finisher

Return, Wyatt Family and United States Championship (2016-2018)

In 2016, Orton returned and began feuding with Brock Lesnar. At SummerSlam, Brock Lesnar defeated Randy Orton. After the draft, Orton went to SmackDown and began feuding with Bray Wyatt. By the end of the year, Orton joined the stable and won the SmackDown Tag Team Championship.

In 2017, Orton won the Royal Rumble match for the second time. Later, he left the stable and began feuding with Wyatt. At WrestleMania 33, Orton defeated Wyatt and won the WWE Championship. At Backlash, Orton lost the title to Jinder Mahal. Orton spent the rest of the year feuding with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.

In 2018, Orton challenged Bobby Roode for the United States Championship. At Fastlane, Orton won the title from Roode. At WrestleMania 34, Orton lost the title to Jinder Mahal. After Mania, Orton turned heel and began feuding with Jeff Hardy and defeated Hardy in a Hell in a Cell match. By the end of the year, Orton feuded with Rey Mysterio and won.

The Legend Killer and feud with the Fiend (2018-2021)

Randy Orton returned to Extreme Rules in 2018 attacked Jeff Hardy and turned heel. He defeated Hardy in a Hell in a Cell match and later started a fight with Rey Mysterio and faced a loss at TLC. Orton additionally fought with AJ Styles, losing to him at WrestleMania 35. He later challenged Kofi Kingston for the WWE Title at SummerSlam and Clash of Champions but was unsuccessful. In 2020, Orton reignited his feud with Edge, prompting their "Greatest Wrestling Match Ever" at Backlash, which Orton won. He then beat McIntyre at Hell in a Cell to come out on top for his tenth WWE Title, however, he lost the title back to McIntyre shortly after.

In 2020, Randy Orton started a feud with Fiend (Bawl Wyatt), and Alexa Bliss. At TLC, Orton beat Fiend in a Firefly Inferno match and set his body on fire. Orton continued his rivalry with Bliss, prompting a match at Fastlane, where Orton lost after interference from The Fiend. The rivalry ended at WrestleMania 37, where Orton defeated The Fiend after a distraction from Bliss, allowing Orton to hit an RKO for the win.

Also Read: Randy Orton haircut

Various Feuds and RK-BRO (2021-2022)

In 2019, Orton began feuding with AJ Styles. At WrestleMania 35, Styles defeated Randy Orton. At Super Show-Down, Orton defeated Triple H. After Mania, Orton reignited his old feud with Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship. During the feud, Orton teamed up with The Revival but lost. By the end of the year, Orton turned face.

In 2020, Orton attacked Edge and turned heel. At WrestleMania 36, Edge defeated Orton in a last-man-standing match. At Backlash, Orton defeated Edge. Over the summer, Orton feuded with Drew McIntyre. At Hell in a Cell, Orton won his 14th WWE Championship. Three weeks later, he lost the title. At TLC, Orton defeated The Fiend in a Firefly Inferno match. In 2021, The Fiend returned and feuded with Orton. At WrestleMania 37, Randy Orton defeated The Fiend. After Mania, Orton and Riddle began teaming up and formed RK-BRO. At SummerSlam, they defeated AJ Styles and Omos to win the RAW Tag Team Championships.

In 2022, they began feuding with The Alpha Academy. In January, they lost the titles to The Alpha Academy. By March, they regained the titles from The Academy. At WrestleMania 38, RK-BRO defeated The Street Profits and The Alpha Academy. They began feuding with The Usos and Roman Reigns which led to a title unification match in which RK-Bro lost. Orton sustained an injury in the match and went on an indefinite hiatus due to the same.

Return to WWE (2023-Present)

At Survivor Series WarGames 2023, Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn, and Jey Uso were set to face the four male members of Judgment Day before scales tipped to the latter side after Drew McIntyre joined the group. To even the odds, Rhodes called an old friend as the fifth member who was revealed to be Randy Orton on the November 20 episode of Monday Night RAW. He officially made his return to the company six days later at WarGames.

Randy Orton signed with SmackDown in December 2023 after being attacked by The Bloodline. He then looked for revenge on the faction. Orton beat Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso in separate matches. At IRoyal Rumble 2024, Orton competed in a fatal four-way match for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title but failed to win. Orton later qualified for the Elimination Chamber match, where he was the last man eliminated by Drew McIntyre. He kept on feuding with The Bloodline, losing a Tag Team Street Fight at Backlash, and participated in the King of the Ring competition, where he lost to Gunther in the final.

Randy Orton's Championships and Accomplishments

Randy Orton's Net Worth

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Randy Orton has a net worth of $7 million as of October 2024. WWE's Apex Predator earns mostly from his professional career with an approximately $4 million yearly salary. He also earns from various media & PPV appearances, brand endorsements, social media, several sponsorships, etc.

Randy Orton Family

Famous Professional wrestler Bob Orton Jr. is the father and his wife Elaine Orton is the mother of Randy Orton. He has two younger siblings, one sister, and a brother. The name of Orton's brother is Nathan Orton and his sister is Rebecca Orton.

Also Read: Randy Orton Parents

Randy Orton's Wife

Randy Orton has been married to Kim Marie Kessler since 2015. Kim Orton was an aspiring model during her teenage years and is currently the owner of Slthr, a clothing brand based around Randy Orton. The two have been happily married since November 14, 2015, and reside in St. Charles, Missouri. The couple have a daughter together. Previously, Orton was married to Samantha Speno from September 21, 2007, up until their divorce in June 2013. The couple had a daughter together.