WWE: The 5 Most Powerful Finishing Moves

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3. Randy Orton’s RKO

The RKO has become synonymous with Randy Orton, so it’s only fitting that his version of the jumping cutter carries the name of his initials. Orton’s RKO has been countered frequently, but that’s the beauty of it. You never know when it will actually hit, and it can be creatively used against him, such as when The Miz scored his first WWE Championship victory by countering the RKO into the “Skull Crushing Finale”.

That said, when Orton does hit the RKO on his opponent, it’s almost a guaranteed victory. When you can count the number of superstars who have kicked out of a finishing move that has existed for over a decade, you know that finishing move is powerful.

Recently, Orton has used the RKO to defeat a smattering of top opponents, including John Cena and A.J. Styles on episodes of SmackDown Live following the Elimination Chamber. To defeat Styles, he used a pop-up version of the move after “The Phenomenal One” scouted out his attempt to reverse the “Phenomenal Forearm” into the RKO. It was an exceptional finish to a match with a predictable result, and it underscores the fact that Orton can use this move from virtually any position at virtually any time. Evan Bourne, Rob Van Dam, and Seth Rollins have been victims of particularly gruesome or creative RKOs, adding to the aura surrounding the move.