Randy Orton is a future WWE Hall of Famer who has been a part of great wrestling factions. He rose to prominence as a member of Evolution where he became the youngest WWE world champion of all time. He also had a great run with Ted DiBiase Jr. and Cody Rhodes as the leader of Legacy.
Along with great stables, Orton has also been involved in two big-time tag teams. One of the only things Rated-RKO (Orton and Edge) and RK-Bro (Orton and Matt Riddle) have in common is that neither squad lasted long enough. There is plenty of debate as to which tag team was the greatest Randy Orton ever competed in. This article will examine both sides of the argument.
8 Why Rated-RKO Was Better: They Were The Top Heels At The Company
Tag teams very often feature two wrestlers on equal footing, Rated-RKO was no different for Edge and Randy Orton. Both stars were former world champions. Both stars were top names in the company. And both stars were the number one and two heels at the WWE when they formed.
Heels in the WWE join forces fairly often, but there was something special about Edge and Randy Orton. They were The Joker and Bane. There were no heels at WWE on their level and despite their draw as solo wrestlers, Rated-RKO elevated both stars to a new level.
7 Why RK-Bro Was Better: Made Orton A Believable Babyface
Randy Orton is one of the best heels to ever compete in the WWE. Although he has had a few semi-face turns, overall, no fan buys Orton as a "good guy." Pairing Orton with Matt Riddle helped changed the entire idea of who Orton could be.
He's not a 100% babyface with Riddle and even RKO'd him when he wanted to join forces with The Viper. Still, Orton has played "the conflicted hero" next to Riddle in one of the only great babyface runs of Orton's entire career.
6 Why Rated-RKO Was Better: There Were A True Foe To D-Generation X
When Triple H and Shawn Michaels re-joined forces to form D-Generation X in 2006, there were few tag teams at the company that was able to keep up with them. DX battled the McMahons and The Spirit Squad upon their return to the WWE in lackluster feuds that no one thought were "balanced rivalries."
Rated-RKO formed in response to the domination of Triple H and Shawn Michaels. They also ended up becoming the heel faction D-Generation X once was. Sure, HBK and HHH were still "anti-establishment" in 2006, but Edge and Orton were "the bad guys" D-Generation X was like during the early days of the Attitude Era in the '90s. They were one of the few tag teams that could hang with DX on the microphone and in the ring, which is a huge accomplishment held by very few.
5 Why RK-Bro Was Better: They Carried Raw
Triple H taking over creative at the WWE was met with such a positive response because the quality of the content had taken a huge hit in the 2010s and 2020s. During a time when there was a ton of aimless booking and Roman Reigns on SmackDown, RK-Bro was the biggest draw on Raw.
The WWE Championship was an afterthought when Orton and Riddle were cutting promos. They were not only two of the best wrestlers but also one of the most entertaining units for a long time. It was one of the rare times Orton was the biggest draw with a tag partner at his side.
4 Why Rated-RKO Was Better: Orton's First Tag Title Run
Randy Orton became world champion and Intercontinental Champion years before he won the World Tag Team Titles with Edge. His career trajectory was much different from the Rated R Superstar who started in the WWE as one half of Edge and Christian.
By the time Orton was winning his first tag team title, Edge was winning his eleventh. The pair defended the titles against a long list of WWE Hall of Famers including Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Roddy Piper, and Triple H. Their title run also featured tag team moves for the first time in Orton's career.
3 Why RK-Bro Was Better: Orton's Longest Tag Title Run
RK-Bro competed for the Raw Tag Team Titles at their first pay-per-view as a unit. Riddle and Orton won that match at SummerSlam 2021 to win the tag titles. They lasted as champions for 142 days.
They defeated top tag teams like The Dirty Dawgs (Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode) and The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) during their reign. At one point, Orton believably cherished the tag titles like they were a world title, which made the longest tag title run of his career also one of the best.
2 Why Rated-RKO Was Better: Edge & Randy Orton's Chemistry
Edge's return to the WWE in 2020 was one the best surprises of the last decade. It seemed only fitting he was paired with someone who was one of the best wrestlers Edge ever built a rapport with, Randy Orton. The two had an amazing feud going into WrestleMania 36.
Their chemistry as foes was on par with their chemistry as a unit. Orton had some of the best segments of his career with Edge. From their parody of DX to their "will they, won't they turn on each other," Edge and Orton was one of the greatest examples of iron sharpening iron as a tag team.
1 Why RK-Bro Was Better: Matt Riddle & Randy Orton's Chemistry
No one could have imagined that Matt Riddle would add such a jolt to Randy Orton's illustrious career. They played their roles to the fullest and were like any buddy cop duo on television. Orton grounded their gimmicks, while Riddle constantly wanted to make everything sky high.
There was a little-brother/big-brother complex between the two that always felt believable. If RK-Bro ends up being the last chapter of Orton's career, it's a nice ending. With RK-Bro, Orton became a legend who put a great star like Riddle over, in the same way, Triple H and Flair did it for him.