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WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page recently opened up on how Randy Orton came to use the RKO as his finishing maneuver.
The Apex Predator wrestled Hardcore Holly in his first televised match on April 25, 2002. At the start of his career, Orton used the Crossbody off-the-top rope as his finisher. However, he quickly switched to the RKO, which resembles DDP's Diamond Cutter.
The WCW veteran was on this week's episode of Sporstkeeda Wrestling's The Bro Show podcast. He mentioned chatting with Randy about using a modified version of the Diamond Cutter. DDP recalled that The Viper had just gotten out of surgery and had forgotten the conversation. He praised the third-generation superstar for his work and declared he made the finisher his own with his intricate details:
"People go, 'Oh Randy Orton stole your Diamond Cutter.' First of all, he didn't remember it. But I called him and said, 'Randy, man, I'd love for you to use it.' He was in the hospital. I didn't realize it at that time, but he never remembered because he just got double surgery. I'm talking to him and he sounded a little loopy. But I didn't put it together. He's always been my guy. I've always loved his look, his work is as good as anybody's ever, his timing, his promos. To me, it's just to be affiliated with him in a small part, not a big part. It's a great finish and he made it his own. He added his own little nuances to it that made it his own." (from 31:27 to 32:20)
You can watch the full video here:
WWE honored Randy Orton for 20 years in the company
This week on RAW, WWE honored The Viper for completing 20 years in the company. Riddle opened the show with the rest of the roster surrounding the ring. Orton made his entrance amidst deafening cheers and delivered an emotional speech.
Even during the main event of RAW, Orton showed that he was still in his prime as he delivered one RKO after another to his opponents and claimed the victory for his team in the eight-man tag team match.
It'll be interesting to see if Randy Orton can carry on his legacy by winning the Unified Tag Team Championships with Riddle at WrestleMania Backlash against The Usos.
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