Randy Orton wants to praise WWE fan for helping push forward his career

The WWE Universe has come to respect Randy Orton as a legend. Despite the love-hate relationship, fans have supported the third-generation superstar through his 25-year career and booed when appropriate. Orton has grown up with many of his die-hards, and is now revealing the one mystery fan he owes a lot to.

The Apex Predator may be the perfect pro wrestler. For years, John Bradshaw Layfield has declared that a WWE Superstar built from the ground up would look just like Randy Orton. The 20-time champion has an impressive in-ring arsenal to match, highlighted by the RKO. Orton's finisher has won several titles but has also made the leap from wrestling popularity to pop culture phenom. Famous athletes and actors are among the groups that have kept the RKO Outta Nowhere meme alive while introducing Orton to non-wrestling fans.

Logan Paul knew about the RKO even before meeting The Viper, and Orton found that hilarious. Billboard asked The Legend Killeer how surprised he was to see the RKO transcend wrestling and enter pop culture like it has. The 45-year-old recalled meeting Paul and chalked the success up to just being lucky and great fans.

Randy mentioned wanting to buy a steak dinner for the creator of the RKO Outta Nowhere trend on Vine, crediting them with giving him more exposure as a WWE Superstar.

"Yeah, I just look at it like I’m lucky. Right place, right time. I had a great fans. I met Logan Paul for the first time, and it’s funny because he was a wrestling fan, but I don’t think he was following it quite as much — but he was aware of what the RKO was. That’s what he told me when I first met him, and I thought that was pretty funny. But to your point, it’s kind of like transcended wrestling and me and became a thing of its own," Orton said.

Randy Orton continued:

"I think that was the [era of the] Vine app, and the kids started editing videos of me RKO’ing everybody. Whether it was maybe a toddler that fell over or someone at the alter getting married, anyone taking a bump out there, they’d put a little Randy Orton RKO out of nowhere, and it became a thing. I benefited from it only because it made people more aware of who I was as a WWE wrestler. Whoever started that trend, man, I would love to buy them a steak dinner. [laughs]," Orton said.

Orton used a wheelbarrow suplex as his finisher in OVW, but began using the RKO in his third year as a wrestler. Randal Keith Orton's jumping cutter is named after his initials.

WWE looks at every RKO to John Cena

John Cena and Randy Orton came up together in OVW and are now set to battle in Cena's last year as an active competitor. WWE released a new compilation looking at every televised RKO to Cena, and there are 40 instances in the video.

Cena has wrestled Orton more than any other pro wrestler, over 250 times. Big Match John has also teamed with Orton more than anyone else, in around 75 matches.

Randy Orton is looking to win his 15th World Title from John Cena this Saturday at Backlash.