Randy Orton reveals that the RKO is doing a number on him

Former WWE Champion Randy Orton recently confessed during a TV interview that his finishing move, the RKO, has been hurting him as much as it hurts his opponents.

Speaking to Fox 2 Now in his hometown of St. Louis, MO, The Viper admitted that using the move has taken a toll on his body. He even went as far as saying that he would've created a different finishing move if given the chance to go back in time.

“I kind of wish I could go back in time and create a finishing move that didn’t entail me jumping up as high as I can and landing on my back.'' said Orton. ''After doing that a couple of thousand times over the last few decades, I’m starting to feel it.”

HE DID IT!!!@RandyOrton gave @otiswwe the RKO! 👏👏👏#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/UrOPqk42Bw

— WWE (@WWE) December 28, 2021

Randy Orton and his RK-Bro partner Riddle recently lost the RAW Tag Team Championships to Alpha Academy on the January 10 episode of the Monday night show.

When did Randy Orton start using the RKO?

While Randy Orton's WWE career began back in 2001, it wasn't until two years later that he began using the finisher he's associated with.

As mentioned in the video above, the RKO was originally conceived by John Laurinaitis (then going by "Johnny Ace") as the Ace Crusher. It became prominent in the pro wrestling world when former WCW World Champion Diamond Dallas Page adopted it as his finisher, christening it the Diamond Cutter.

It's hard to imagine The Viper's career without the RKO, as it has been so engrained into his character these last couple of decades.

While it has yet to be announced, it's expected that Orton will most likely be in the Men's Royal Rumble match on January 29th. He will most likely hit a number of RKOs... out of nowhere.

Can you picture Orton ever using a different finisher? If so, what do you think would have been a good replacement?