Although his repertoire has evolved throughout the years, Randy Orton has kept certain moves as permanent staples of his offense. His RKO finishing maneuver is the most famous, but his Elevated DDT is rightfully hailed as “Vintage Orton!
To execute this move, opponents are typically placed in between the middle and top ropes of the wrestling ring. While the opponent’s feet are positioned on the middle rope, Orton keeps their head secure with a front facelock. In one swift motion, adversaries are then driven face-first into the mat as Orton purposely falls backwards.
RVD Takes Credit
During a recent interview with Sportskeeda’s WrestleBinge, WWE Hall of Famer RVD revealed that he is the man who inspired Orton’s now signature move.
“I was wrestling Randy one time, and I was trying to get in [the ring]. He kicked the rope when I was coming in, and he pulled me out over the second rope and he grabbed me and boom, he gave me the DDT,” RVD said.
“Who do you think gave him that move? Right here, dude. That happened one time, now it happens every time. I’m so OG, I either gave everybody their finish, or I did their finish way before they did.”
Orton and RVD wrestled each other on several occasions in WWE, many of which were contested for the Intercontinental and World Tag Team Championships. Orton and RVD’s most recent encounter took place in August 2014, when their WWE SmackDown match ended in a no contest. RVD’s final WWE match occurred one week later in a losing effort to Seth Rollins.
