Randal Keith Orton, known as Randy Orton, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. With the tied-third most world championship reigns in history, and a career spanning over 20 years, Orton is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.
Orton in 2018
Orton became the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in WWE history at SummerSlam in August 2004.
Orton showing off his signature pose in August 2005
Orton at a WWE house show in 2005
Professional wrestling is a form of athletic theater that combines mock combat with drama, under the premise that the performers are competitive wrestlers. Although it entails elements of sports wrestling and martial arts, including genuine displays of athleticism and physicality before a live audience, professional wrestling is distinguished by its scripted outcomes and emphasis on entertainment and showmanship. The staged nature of matches is an open secret, with both wrestlers and spectators nonetheless maintaining the pretense that performances are bona fide competitions; this is likened to the suspension of disbelief employed when engaging with fiction.
Triple H setting up the Pedigree on John Cena in October 2005.
Spectators gather in Pyongyang, North Korea for Antonio Inoki's Pro Wrestling Friendship Games. A traditional wrestling ring can be seen in the lower left corner
A WWE Money in the Bank ladder match in 2009
Tommy Seigler applies a hold to Nick Kozak while a referee looks on
