Randal Keith "Randy" Orton[4][5][6] (born April 1, 1980)[7][8] is an American professional wrestler and actor who is signed with WWE, but is currently on hiatus due to injury. He is a 12-time world champion,[9][10] having held the WWE Championship/WWE World Heavyweight Championship eight times and the World Heavyweight Championship four times, and was the final holder of the World Heavyweight Championship.[11]
Orton is a third-generation professional wrestler; his grandfather Bob Orton, Sr., his father "Cowboy" Bob Orton, and his uncle Barry Orton all competed in the professional wrestling business.[7][12] Before being promoted to the main World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) roster, Orton trained in and wrestled for Mid-Missouri Wrestling Association-Southern Illinois Conference Wrestling for a month. He was then sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), where he held the OVW Hardcore Championship twice.[13]
Orton became a member of the stable Evolution shortly after his WWE debut, which quickly led to a Intercontinental Championship reign, his first title with the company.[14] He also acquired the moniker "The Legend Killer" during a storyline where he began disrespecting and then physically attacking WWE Hall of Famers and wrestling veterans.[1] At age 24, he became the youngest person ever to hold the World Heavyweight Championship.[15] With this win, he departed from Evolution and a feud with his former stablemates began. In 2006, Orton joined forces with Edge in a tag team known as Rated-RKO. Together, they held the World Tag Team Championship.[16]
After Rated-RKO disbanded in mid-2007, Orton gained two WWE Championship reigns in one night, and at 27, he became the youngest two-time WWE Champion.[17][18] He formed the group The Legacy with Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase in 2008. It disbanded in 2010 and Orton returned to singles competition. From 2013 to 2015, Orton was aligned with The Authority, who named him the "face of the WWE". Overall, he has won 14 total championships in WWE. He is also the winner of the 2009 Royal Rumble match[19] and has headlined many pay-per-view events for the organization, including WrestleManias XXV[20] and XXX.[21]
Contents [hide]
1 Early life
2 Military career
3 Professional wrestling career
3.1 Training (2000–2002)
3.2 World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment/WWE
3.2.1 Ohio Valley Wrestling (2001–2002)
3.2.2 Evolution (2002–2004)
3.2.3 The Legend Killer (2005–2007)
3.2.4 WWE Champion (2007–2011)
3.2.5 World Heavyweight Championship pursuits (2011–2012)
3.2.6 Feud with The Shield (2012–2013)
3.2.7 The Authority (2013–2014)
3.2.8 Various feuds and injury (2015–present)
4 Other media
5 Personal life
6 Filmography
6.1 Film
7 In wrestling
8 Championships and accomplishments
9 References
10 Further reading
11 External links
Early life
Orton was born in Knoxville, Tennessee,[7][8] the son of Bob Orton, Jr. and his wife Elaine. He is the grandson of Bob Orton, Sr. and the nephew of wrestler-turned-musician Barry Orton.[22] He has two younger siblings named Nate and Rebecca.[23] Knowing the hardships of life as a professional wrestler, Orton's parents tried to convince him to stay away from the business,[7] and his father warned him that life in the ring meant a life on the road and away from family.[1] Orton attended Hazelwood Central High School, where he was an amateur wrestler.[1][7]
Military career
After graduating from high school in 1998,[6] Orton enlisted with the United States Marine Corps. At the base, he received a bad conduct discharge a year later after deserting on two separate occasions and disobeying an order from a commanding officer.[24] Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, Private First Class Orton was tried and convicted under a special court-martial, subsequently spending 38 days in a military prison.[22]
Professional wrestling career
Training (2000–2002)
Orton made his wrestling debut in 2000 at the Mid-Missouri Wrestling Association-Southern Illinois Conference Wrestling (MMWA-SICW) in St. Louis, Missouri, an offshoot of the historic St. Louis Wrestling Club headed by Sam Muchnick.[3] There, he was trained by both the promotion and his father, Bob Orton Jr..[22] He wrestled for the promotion for one month,[25] where he performed with wrestlers such as Ace Strange and Mark Bland.[3][25] Orton also refereed a few matches with World Organized Wrestling, a promotion where his uncle Barry Orton worked.[2]
World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment/WWE
Ohio Valley Wrestling (2001–2002)
In 2001, Orton signed a deal with the then World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and was sent to its developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) in Louisville, Kentucky, where he continued his training. During his time in OVW, Orton wrestled the likes of Rico Constantino and The Prototype and teamed with Bobby Eaton during a tag team title tournament. He won the OVW Hardcore Championship on two separate occasions by defeating Mr. Black on February 14, 2001, and F
