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 | Randy Orton was one of the Sports and recreation good articles, but it has been removed from the list. There are suggestions below for improving the article to meet the good article criteria. Once these issues have been addressed, the article can be renominated. Editors may also seek a reassessment of the decision if they believe there was a mistake. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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GA Reassessment
editThe following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.
- Article (edit | visual edit | history) · Article talk (edit | history) · Watch • • GAN review not found
- Result: Delisted. Bgsu98 (Talk) 21:12, 12 April 2026 (UTC)
Another wrestling page that got a GA nearly 20 years ago but over the years has fallen well below what's expected from a GA in my eyes.
- Article is bloated with superfluous detail, and is well over 12,000 words.
- Article isn't very engaging, it's primarily just a string of repetitive "And then at the PPV Randy did this. And then on the next episode of Raw, Randy did this. And then..." . This also means there's some paragraphs that are just gigantic walls of dense text that I can't seriously believe many are sitting down to read (The Authority/Legacy sections for example).
- No coverage of Randy's reception from critics and the wrestling world, except a WP:PEACOCK in the second sentence of the lede declaring him one of the best wrestlers ever and using the likes of WWE-only lists and top-5 lists to prove it (including a perennial source violation through sportskeeda). I don't see how you can say an article covers a wrestler to GA standard without a section dedicated to this.
- Plenty of citation needed tags, including some that have been there for over five years.
In general, I would say many of the WWE-related GAs need a review, but this is the one that caught my eye recently as it's particularly egregious. RandomEditsForWhenIRemember (talk) 19:46, 16 March 2026 (UTC)
- It's the problem with pro wrestlers. With every new week we have more problems. GA should be only for retired or dead wrestlers. --HHH Pedrigree (talk) 09:55, 17 March 2026 (UTC)
- While I think the article will be demoted, I reduced the 12.000 words to 9.818. There is plenty of room for summarize. --HHH Pedrigree (talk) 12:53, 21 March 2026 (UTC)
- @HHH Pedrigree: When reviewing the article, I found some uncited statements and unreliable sources. Would you be interested in addressing these? If so, you can ping me and I'll give more details. Z1720 (talk) 01:10, 28 March 2026 (UTC)
Semi-protected edit request on 3 June 2026
edit
.jpg) Orton in 2024 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Randal Keith Orton April 1, 1980 Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. |
Spouses | Samantha Speno
(m. 2007; div. 2013)Kimberly Kessler
(m. 2015) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relative(s) | Bob Orton Jr. (father) Barry Orton (uncle) Bob Orton (grandfather) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name | Randy Orton |
| Billed height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)[1] |
| Billed weight | 275 lb (125 kg)[1] |
| Billed from | St. Louis, Missouri[1] |
| Trained by | Bob Orton Jr. Fit Finlay Mid Missouri Wrestling Alliance Ohio Valley Wrestling[2] |
| Debut | March 18, 2000[3] |
| Military service | |
Branch | United States Marine Corps |
Service years | 1998–1999 |
Rank |  Private First Class |
| Unit |  1st Battalion, 4th Marines |
| Signature | |
 | |
Randal Keith Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American professional wrestler. He has been signed to WWE since 2000, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Widely regarded as one of WWE's greatest professional wrestlers,[a] Orton has the tied-third most world championship reigns in history, and a career spanning over 20 years.[1]
Orton is a third-generation professional wrestler; his grandfather Bob Orton, father Bob Orton Jr., and uncle Barry Orton were all wrestlers. Before being signed by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), he trained in and wrestled for the Mid-Missouri Wrestling Association-Southern Illinois Conference Wrestling (MMWA-SICW). He was then signed by the WWF and was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), where he held the OVW Hardcore Championship twice.
Orton debuted on the main roster in 2002, soon joining the Evolution stable, and as part of the group beaome the youngest world champion in WWE history after he won WWE's World Heavyweight Championship in 2004.[1] He was kicked out of the stable as a result, and enter singles competition. Orton has held the WWE Championship 10 times and the World Heavyweight Championship four times. He was the final holder of the World Heavyweight Championship, which he unified with the WWE Championship to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion in 2013. Orton is recognized by WWE as having the third-most world championship victories in history at 14, only behind prominent rival John Cena (17) and Ric Flair (16) and tied with Triple H (also 14). In total, he has won 20 championships in WWE.
A prominent wrestler throughout his time in WWE, Orton has also won the Royal Rumble twice (2009 and 2017), and the Money in the Bank ladder match once in 2013. He is the 17th Triple Crown and 18th overall Grand Slam Champion, and has headlined numerous major WWE events, including their flagship annual event, WrestleMania, three times (25, 30, and 42 – Night 1). Since 2021, he holds the record of most pay-per-view (PPV) matches in WWE.[10]
Early life
edit
Randal Keith Orton was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 1, 1980, to a family of mostly German ancestry.[11] His mother Elaine was a nurse[12] and his father Bob Orton Jr. was a professional wrestler.[13][14] Orton is a grandson of Bob Orton and nephew of Barry Orton, both professional wrestlers.[15] He has a younger brother named Nathan, who is a stand-up comedian,[16][17] and a younger sister named Rebecca.[18] Knowing the hardships of life as a professional wrestler, his parents tried to convince him to stay away from the business[13] and his father warned him that life in the ring meant a life on the road and away from family.[1]
Orton attended Hazelwood Central High School, where he was an amateur wrestler.[1][13] After graduating in 1998,[19] he enlisted with the United States Marine Corps. At the base, he received a bad conduct discharge in 1999 after going AWOL on two occasions and disobeying an order from a commanding officer.[20] Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, he was tried and convicted under a special court-martial, subsequently spending 38 days in the brig at Camp Pendleton.[15][20] He previously had a Marine tattoo on his left arm, but covered it up after receiving his bad conduct discharge.[20]
Professional wrestling career
editTraining and early career (2000–2001)
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Orton made his wrestling debut in 2000 at the Mid-Missouri Wrestling Association-Southern Illinois Conference Wrestling (MMWA-SICW) in St. Louis, Missouri, an offshoot of the historic St. Louis Wrestling Club headed by Sam Muchnick.[3] There, he was trained by both the staff of the promotion and his father, Bob Orton Jr.[15] He wrestled for the promotion where he performed with wrestlers such as Ace Strange and Mark Bland.[21] Orton also refereed a few matches with World Organized Wrestling (WOW), a promotion where his uncle Barry Orton worked.[22]
World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE (2000–present)
editOhio Valley Wrestling (2000–2002)
editIn 2000, Orton signed a deal with the then World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and was sent to its developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) in Louisville, Kentucky, where he continued his training. During his time in OVW, he wrestled the likes of Rico Constantino and The Prototype. He won the OVW Hardcore Championship twice by defeating Mr. Black on February 14, 2001, and Flash Flanagan on May 5, 2001, respectively.[23] On several occasions he faced Rico Constantino and The Prototype (John Cena).[24] Orton in considered part of the OVW Class of 2002 as part of what has now been dubbed as the "OVW 4" alongside the aforementioned Cena as well as Brock Lesnar and Dave Bautista.[25]
Evolution (2002–2004)
editOne of Orton's first official WWF appearances was March 16, 2002, at WrestleMania X8's Fan Axxess, where he was defeated by Tommy Dreamer. Orton's first televised WWF match was a victory against Hardcore Holly on SmackDown! on April 25, 2002.[26] Soon after, Orton became a face and was placed in a rivalry with Holly.[26] In September 2002, Orton was traded to the Raw brand, where he defeated Stevie Richards in his debut on the show.[26] Within weeks of his debut on the Raw brand, Orton suffered a shoulder injury, leaving him sidelined for months.[26] While recovering, Orton still appeared on Raw in his own Randy News Network (RNN) segment, a weekly vignette featuring him talking about his condition.[26] The show interrupted other segments of Raw programming, which caused Orton to slowly transition himself into a narcissistic and self-centered heel.[27]
After his injury healed, Orton joined the Evolution stable, which consisted of Ric Flair, Triple H, and OVW alumnee Batista.[26] He was injured once again in February 2003, and returned on May 26, 2003.[26] The group was pushed on Raw from 2003 to 2004, with the height of their dominance occurring after Armageddon in 2003 when all of the men's titles on Raw were held by Evolution members.[28] In 2003, Orton spent much of his time helping Triple H overcome challenges for the World Heavyweight Championship.[29]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wrestleview.com/news/1046059526.shtml |title=Full WWE No Way Out PPV Results – 2/23/03 – Montreal, Quebec |last=Droste |first=Ryan |date=February 23, 2003 |publisher=WrestleView |access-date
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Randy Orton bio". WWE. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
- ↑ "The kids from OVW that changed WWE". WWE. Archived from the original on September 1, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- 1 2 "MMWA-SICW Archive — March 18, 2000 results". Mid-Missouri Wrestling Association-Southern Illinois Conference Wrestling. Archived from the original on February 10, 2008. Retrieved August 14, 2007.
- ↑ Gales, Aaron (February 17, 2020). "Why Randy Orton is one of the all-time greats in WWE". Sportskeeda. Archived from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
- ↑ Winkie, Luke. "A definitive ranking of the 101 greatest wrestlers". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on July 31, 2016. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
- ↑ "Looking at Randy Orton's Case for the GOAT in WWE". May 7, 2022. Archived from the original on May 8, 2022. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
- ↑ "Jim Ross on Randy Orton Being the Best Wrestler". May 22, 2021.
- ↑ "WWE: Is Randy Orton establishing himself as the G.O.A.T.?". August 12, 2020. Archived from the original on July 21, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- ↑ "5 reasons why Randy Orton is the greatest Superstar of all time". August 18, 2020. Archived from the original on September 14, 2022. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
- ↑ Casey, Connor (November 21, 2021). "John Cena Congratulates Randy Orton on Breaking a Huge WWE Pay-Per-View Record". WWE. Archived from the original on May 3, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ↑ Piker, Sam (August 30, 2024). "Randy Orton Says Ancestry.com Told Him He's 70% German Ahead Of WWE Bash In Berlin". Wrestling Inc. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
- ↑ @RandyOrton (June 21, 2014). "RT @SpunkySchell: @ElaineOrton & other nurses... Enjoy!" (Tweet). Retrieved February 12, 2020 – via Twitter.
- 1 2 3 Oliver, Greg (2007). The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels. ECW Press. p. 205. ISBN 978-1-55022-759-8.
- ↑ Milner, John; Richard Kamchen (October 7, 2004). "Slam! Sports biography". canoe.com. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on April 29, 2015. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
- 1 2 3 Before They Were WWE Superstars 2 (DVD). WWE Home Video. 2003.
- ↑ "About me". Nathan Orton. Archived from the original on February 11, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
- ↑ @RandyOrton (January 8, 2016). "Go follow my brother Nate, @orton_nathan, he's new to Twitter and an up and coming comic. Go give him some shit" (Tweet). Retrieved February 28, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ↑ "Randy Orton basic facts". Randy-Orton.com. Archived from the original on December 31, 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
- ↑ "Superstar of the Year". Sky Sports. December 9, 2011. Archived from the original on May 11, 2022. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
- 1 2 3 Zack Zeigler. "Orton's tattoo secrets". World Wrestling Entertainment. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2007.
- ↑ "MMWA-SICW archives — April 22, 2000". Mid-Missouri Wrestling Association-Southern Illinois Conference Wrestling. April 22, 2000. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved March 23, 2008.
- ↑ Dilbert, Ryan (September 4, 2015). "Forgotten Members of Famous WWE Families: Barry Orton". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
His [Barry's] nephew Randy actually began his career with WOW as a referee.
- ↑ "OVW Hardcore Championship (retired)". Ohio Valley Wrestling. Archived from the original on April 5, 2011. Retrieved April 3, 2011.
- ↑ "The history of WWE". January 16, 2023. Archived from the original on August 28, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
- ↑ "See where Cena, Orton, Lesnar, and Batista developed their Ruthless Aggression". WWE. Archived from the original on September 1, 2019. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ryan, Stuart (April 17, 2009). "Randy Orton: The Legacy of WWE's Newest Icon". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
- ↑ Michael McAvennie (2003). "WWE The Yearbook: 2003 Edition". Pocket Books. pp. 305–306, 314.
- ↑ Tywalk, Nick; Dale Plummer (December 14, 2003). "WWE Armageddon a flop". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on June 30, 2015. Retrieved August 26, 2009.
- ↑ Jennette, Brad (January 20, 2003). "411's WWE Raw Report 01.20.03". 411mania. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved March 12, 2008.
- ↑ Multiple sources analysing Orton's ranking in WWE or WWE-adjacant wrestling programs.[4][5][6][7][8][9]
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