12-time world champion Randy Orton is a familiar face to wrestling fans around the globe, but he found an entirely new audience over the weekend when a raft of ‘RKO Vines’ were widely shared across Facebook and Twitter. Orton is known for his uncanny ability to land his ‘RKO’ finishing move from out of nowhere, but the Vipers takes that talent to new lengths in the constantly expanding array of Vines being created in his honor.
Just about every video that you can think of that features someone falling over has been modified to include Randy Orton performing his RKO on the unlucky tumbler. From skateboarders to soccer players, wedding guests to winery attendees, you’ll be hard pushed not to find your favorite fail video given a new lease of life thanks to a highly-decorated pro wrestler.
Orton himself is reportedly a fan of the videos, with one account suggesting that he spent much of his weekend trawling Vine for the latest clips. The star has retweeted a host of fans’ creations via his official Twitter account, and even made sure that he performed a fresh variation of his surprise RKO to pick up a win over Dolph Ziggler on this week’s edition of Monday Night Raw. Orton posted the following Tweet later that night, amidst a rash of Vines.
How about that RKO out of nowhere… #Raw
— Randy Orton (@RandyOrton) October 14, 2014
While some fads of this nature run their course very quickly, each new RKO Vine as its own particular appeal. The fact that it’s a greatest hits collection of the fail gifs of yesteryear is reason enough to enjoy it, but the bizarre movements and facial expressions that Orton is given for his part in proceedings is a very welcome addition.
One of the first RKO Vine compilation videos uploaded to YouTube, included at the top of the page, has already amassed nearly a million views as of the time of writing — and it’s only been on the site for two days. With the immense popularity of the Vines showing no sign of stopping, it’s highly likely that WWE will attempt to put their own spin on things. The company are well known for their proactive stance on social media, and as such having something like this take off quite organically will be a considerable boon for them.
The real question is, where do the creators of the Vines go next? With a veritable treasure trove to go on, there’s no shortage of victims for the dreaded RKO. You would have to imagine the classic Cat Wall Jump is high on the agenda, or perhaps the seminal clip of the German man bouncing off his frozen pool. The possibilities are endless.
Have you seen a particularly good RKO Vine? Made one of your own? Have a great idea for one? Let us know in the comments section below.
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