Randal Keith "Randy" Orton[7][8] (born April 1, 1980)[3] is an American professional wrestler and actor signed to WWE, where he is the current WWE Champion in his eighth reign. Orton is a third-generation professional wrestler; his grandfather Bob Orton, Sr., father "Cowboy" Bob Orton, and uncle Barry O all competed in the professional wrestling industry.[2][9] Before being promoted to the main World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) roster, Orton trained in and wrestled for Mid-Missouri Wrestling Association-Southern Illinois Conference Wrestling for a month. He was then sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), where Orton held the OVW Hardcore Championship on two separate occasions.[10]
After signing with WWF, Orton became a member of the stable Evolution, which quickly led to a WWE Intercontinental Championship reign, his first title with the company.[11] Orton also acquired the moniker "The Legend Killer" during a storyline where he began disrespecting Hall of Famers and physically attacking veterans of the industry outside of appropriate restrictions.[1] At age 24, Orton became the youngest person ever to hold the World Heavyweight Championship.[12] With this win, Orton departed from Evolution and a feud with his former stablemates began. In 2006, Orton joined forces with Edge in a tag team known as Rated-RKO. Together, Orton and Edge held the World Tag Team Championship.[13] After the team disbanded, during mid-2007, Orton gained two WWE Championship reigns in one night.[14] Orton formed the group The Legacy with Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase in 2008. It disbanded in 2010 and Orton returned to singles competition. Overall, Orton has won 13 total championships in WWE, including being a 11-time World Champion, having won the World Heavyweight Championship three times and the WWE Championship eight times. He is also the winner of the 2009 Royal Rumble match,[15] and has headlined many pay-per-view events for the organization, including WrestleMania XXV.[16]