Rated-RKO

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Tag Team
Rated-RKO
$A picture of {{{current_name}}}.$ Edge and Randy Orton
Members	Edge Randy Orton Lita (valet)
Name(s)	Edge and Randy Orton
Combined weight	485 lb. (220 kg) (Edge 240 lb, Randy 245 lb)
Debut	October 9, 2006
Disbanded	May 11, 2007
Promotions	WWE

Rated-RKO were a heel professional wrestling tag team, which wrestled for World Wrestling Entertainment on its RAW brand between October 9, 2006 and early 2007. Rated-RKO consisted of Edge and Randy Orton. Edge's valet at the time, Lita, was a member by proxy until her legitimate retirement on November 26, 2006 at Survivor Series.

The name "Rated-RKO" is a portmanteau of Edge's nickname, the "Rated-R Superstar," and Randy Orton's initials/finishing maneuver, the RKO.

1 History
2 In wrestling
3 Championships and accomplishments
4 Notes
5 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Feud with D-Generation X

One week after D-Generation X (DX) (Shawn Michaels and Triple H) interfered in a match between Edge and John Cena for Cena's WWE Championship, ^[1] Orton joined forces with Edge to "get rid of" DX. Edge cited Orton's lack of success after being kicked out of Evolution by Triple H and Batista, which he claimed stalled Orton's career, as well as the antics of DX taking up TV time that he felt should rightfully go to the younger stars as reasons Orton should join him.^[2]

Edge and Orton as World Tag Team Champions

Edge and Orton, calling themselves Rated-RKO, immediately became very outspoken against DX and began mocking them at every opportunity, including a sketch reminiscent of the ones DX did about their opponents.^[3] Eventually Orton traded wins with Triple H in singles matches on episodes of Raw, leading to a tag team match at Cyber Sunday with the fans choosing the special guest referee. At the pay-per-view, the duo gave DX their first team loss since they reunited when Eric Bischoff (the fan selected referee) allowed the use of a steel chair without calling for a disqualification. Later in the same show, Lita won the Women's Championship in the finals of a seven woman tournament.^[4]^[5] On the November 6, 2006 edition of Raw, Edge & Orton faced Ric Flair and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper for the World Tag Team titles, but were unsuccessful despite unfair officiating from Eric Bischoff.^[6] The next week, however, Rated RKO managed to capture the titles in a rematch when they attacked Piper upon making his entrance, with Edge going so far as to deliver a one man con-chair-to to Piper. As he was taken to the locker room by paramedics, Flair was forced to defend the titles by himself, and Rated-RKO won the match after Edge hit Flair with a spear. The real reason for the sudden switch was later revealed to be Piper's diagnosis of lymphoma forcing him out of action.^[7]^[8]

At Survivor Series, Lita legitimately retired from WWE after losing her Women's Championship to Mickie James and left the group in the process.^[9] Later in the night, Team Rated-RKO -- consisting of Rated-RKO along with Johnny Nitro, Mike Knox and Gregory Helms -- were swept by Team DX -- DX with Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy and CM Punk -- with Orton being the last member eliminated in a Survivor Series style match.^[10] On a subsequent episode of Raw, Edge and Orton beat Ric Flair bloody, continuing to beat him after dragging him to the ring when it had been made clear that his DX friends had left the arena. In doing so, DX claimed they had made their rivalry "personal".^[11] At New Year's Revolution, Rated-RKO retained the World Tag Team Championship after fighting with DX to a no-contest in a match that saw Triple H suffer a legitimate torn right quadriceps muscle.^[12]

Rated-RKO figured this signaled the end of DX, and were able to book a two-on-one handicap match against Michaels, during which he was able to beat the odds and defeat both men, leaving Orton lying in the ring after a one man con-chair-to as Edge stood and watched at ringside.^[13] The next week, though, Orton helped Edge defeat Michaels during the night,^[14] bad blood was still evident between the two, and Orton eventually threw his partner out of the ring, in much the same way one would in the forthcoming Royal Rumble match.^[15] On January 29, 2007, Rated-RKO lost the World Tag Team Championship to the impromptu team of John Cena and Michaels.^[16] Internal dissension continued as both men laid claim to the #1 contendership of the WWE Championship, and Edge walked out on Orton during a February 26, 2007 rematch for the Tag Team Championship due to miscommunication.^[17]

[edit] WWE Championship chase

The relationship strained further after both men qualified for the WrestleMania 23 Money in the Bank ladder match. Now set to be opponents, Orton referred to Edge as his "former partner". For weeks Edge influenced various authority figures into putting Orton in matches that would cause Orton to come out on the short end.

On April 16, 2007, they reunited to take on John Cena in a handicap match but lost the match after interference from Shawn Michaels.^[18] The animosity between Edge and Orton returned in the next week. At Backlash, the two were involved in a Fatal 4 Way match for the WWE Championship along with Shawn Michaels and John Cena. Cena retained his title by pinning Orton, right after a Sweet Chin Music from Michaels dropped Cena right on top of Orton.^[19]

[edit] Breakup

On the April 30, 2007 edition of Raw, Edge and Orton met in a one-on-one match, which Edge won by pinning Orton after executing a Spear.^[20] Edge then moved to SmackDown! on the May 11 episode after cashing in the Money in the Bank briefcase he won from Mr. Kennedy to win the World Heavyweight Championship from The Undertaker.^[21]^[22] With this move, Rated-RKO was officially disbanded.

During Raw's 15th Anniversary episode on December 10, 2007, Rated-RKO reunited for 'one night only' and were involved in a Six Man Tag Team match, with their partner Umaga facing Evolution (Triple H, Batista, and Ric Flair), to whom Rated-RKO lost.^[23] Rated-RKO had a reunion of sorts on the April 21, 2008 edition of Raw, when Orton and Edge teamed with JBL and Chavo Guerrero to take on John Cena, Triple H, and the Brothers Of Destruction in a winning effort when Edge hit a Spear on Kane.

[edit] In wrestling

Randy Orton performing his RKO finisher (One-handed jumping cutter) on Kane

Finishing and signature maneuvers
- Double RKO (Double jumping cutter)
- Con-chair-to

Signature foreign object
- Chairs, often each member will perform the one man con-chair-to on opponents.

Theme music and ring entrance
- As a group, Rated-RKO used a combination of both Edge and Orton's separate theme songs (Metalingus by Alter Bridge, and Burn in My Light by Mercy Drive respectively). It began with a pitch-lowered Metalingus before switching to a pitch-heightened Burn in My Light and alternated between the two as the wrestlers entered. They initially used Edge's Titantron video and Orton's tunnel video before one was finally created for the team in itself. They entered the ring through Edge's fog pyrotechnics, but not Orton's pyro waterfall.