8 Bad In-Ring Habits That Randy Orton Needs To Change

5. The Setup For The RKO

This is a personal peeve. Any professional wrestling match is a transaction between the wrestlers and the audience. The fighters in the ring have to reduce the risk of serious harm to their opponents while convincing the audience that actual damage is being done. The audience have to buy what the wrestlers are selling, hence the use of the word. Part of maintaining the illusion that the two men are engaged in genuine competition is to use competitive psychology; seizing opportunities when they arise and not doing anything without a competitive match-winning purpose. As such, Orton's setup for the RKO makes zero sense. There's no doubt that the audience love in, but looking at it objectively, it's dumb as hell. To set up his sneak-attack finisher, Randy Orton bangs as hard as he can on the canvas, often right next to his opponents head. It signals to the crowd that an RKO is coming, but it also signals to his opponent that the RKO is coming. The fans would howl with derision if Steve Austin starting shouting 'Stunner! Stunner! Stunner! Stunner!' whenever one was imminent, so why is it ok that Orton loudly heralds the arrival of his finisher? It's almost like he doesn't want to win the match and, during that crucial moment, an audience's suspension of disbelief can be broken. Evidently this isn't a view that a lot of casual fans share, but it's still dumb. Surely there's a better way the Viper can signal that a snakebite is coming?