Major WWE personality shares shocking details about an RKO he received from Randy Orton: "I've never gotten to the bottom of who was behind it"
Over the past two decades, Randy Orton's vicious RKO finisher has caught countless WWE Superstars off guard. Among those who have felt its impact is SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis, who recently shared his experience of being on the receiving end of this devastating move.
Post-Survivor Series: WarGames 2023, RAW General Manager Adam Pearce and Aldis were on a mission to sign The Viper to their respective brands. During the December 1, 2023, installment of the blue brand, Orton got into a brawl with Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa, as he was involved in a feud with Roman Reigns' OG Bloodline.
Eventually, the 14-time World Champion signed a SmackDown contract, celebrating with Nick Aldis in the middle of the ring. However, Randy Orton hit an RKO on the 38-year-old WWE personality.
In a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet on INSIGHT, Nick Aldis revealed that he decided to take an RKO from The Apex Predator ''on the fly.'' He was told about the idea while at ringside and decided to call it into the ring without any prior planning.
"It was called on the fly. It's Roman [Reigns], it's Randy [Orton]. Who's he gonna sign with? And then he was gonna sign the SmackDown contract and stare down Roman, and I think that was it. And then it was like, somebody told somebody told somebody while I was ringside. So I had to go in and call it. I’ve never gotten to the bottom of who was behind it," Aldis said. [H/T: CVV]
Nick Aldis discloses that RKO from WWE Superstar Randy Orton was "out of the blue"
In a backstage segment on the December 8, 2023, edition of Friday Night SmackDown, Randy Orton overpaid his fine for hitting an RKO on the former TNA World Heavyweight Champion. When Nick Aldis questioned The Viper about the overpayment, Orton jokingly warned the on-screen authority figure that he could strike again.
During the same interaction with Chris Van Vliet on INSIGHT, the WWE SmackDown GM revealed that, even though he called the spot, Randy Orton's finishing move still caught him off guard.
"So it's like, there seems to be a heightened level of interest in that particular moment, because it was quite out of the blue, even for me," Aldis added.
The Apex Predator is currently out of in-ring action after Kevin Owens delivered a Piledriver to him on the SmackDown after Crown Jewel 2024.
Only time will tell if Randy Orton will make a surprise return to WWE TV ahead of the Survivor Series: WarGames Premium Live Event on November 30.