Randy Orton opens up about his forgotten finishing move- 'The OverDrive'
Randy Orton joined Kurt Angle on the most recent edition of 'The Kurt Angle Show' on AdFreeShows.com. The Legend Killer spoke about the finishing moves he used before the RKO came into his repertoire.
RKO: The three most destructive letters in Sports Entertainment. Long before Randy Orton popularized the move in the WWE, Orton used a few other finishers during his time on the developmental scene.
Randy Orton said he used a Full Nelson-like slam in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) in 2001. The 14-time WWE Champion would then start using a move he called 'The OverDrive' aka 'O-Zone.'
MVP also utilizes the maneuver, but The Hurt Business leader calls it 'The Playmaker.' The wrestler delivering the move wraps his head around the opponent's head before spinning it down into a swinging neckbreaker. Orton said:
"Yeah, early on. I did a, like, Full Nelson kind of slam, gosh, but that was like in OVW. I don't even know if I won a match down there, so there is probably no tape of me doing it. I did a move called ''The OverDrive' but it's kind of hard to explain that one. I think MVP did that for a while, too."
"Hey, take my finish kid"- Randy Orton on getting the cutter from John Laurinaitis
Randy Orton explained that he wasn't feeling ''The OverDrive' and his recovery from a shoulder injury made matters worse. Orton knew that he needed to incorporate a move into his arsenal that he could execute on every wrestler.
John Laurinaitis, aka Johnny Ace, invented the cutter and called it the Ace Crusher. Laurinaitis gave Orton his finisher and the rest, as they say, is history.
Randy Orton credited both Laurinaitis and Diamond Dallas Page for making the cutter a big deal. He had no problems in stealing it and improving it in his own distinct way. Orton explained:
"But it was just; it wasn't something I was feeling. I had just had a shoulder injury repaired, so it was kind of messing my shoulder up a little bit, and you know, smarter, not harder, right? So I had to think of something that I could hit everybody with. John Laurinaitis, who has always had my back, man, he sat down, and of course, he used to do the Ace Crusher back in the day. So he was like, 'Hey, take my finish kid. I was like, 'Really?' 'Yeah!' Diamond Dallas Page made that move famous as well. So, credit to those guys for letting me steal their sh** and make it even better."
Randy Orton spoke on a plethora of topics during his Kurt Angle Show appearance. He also finally admitted to being uncomfortable with a controversial WWE storyline.
If any quotes are used from this article, please credit 'The Kurt Angle Show' and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling.