What's more over: Randy Orton or the RKO

[JDX]

We all know Orton turned face around WM26 but what I'm wondering is why exactly did the crowd turn him. Was it too much time as a heel? The older viewers finally throwing their weight into something? Or something else? My take is that is wasn't Randy who got over and turned but his finisher. When I first saw him I thought meh. once he started using the RKO still meh but I marked out everytime that move got hit. It was so cool and devastaing looking. And this was all before I started liking heels too (Orton actually started me on that path; RAW after WM24, Cena music no Cena, HHH music no HHH, Orton music he comes out and says "You were expecting someone else." Holy Shit!) Besides the move I can take or leave him. The seething gotten a little boring, his face promos are pointless, and he just doesn't wow me in any real way except when he hits the RKO.

So my questions are:
Why did Randy Orton get over in the first place? and
Did he get over only because of his finisher?

Discuss. Enjoy.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

The fans do pop like crazy for the RKO, but I think Orton's character had a lot to do with him becoming popular. Orton has a cool bad ass character, and the fans love to eat this stuff up. Orton was made out to be a monster last year when he feuded with Triple H. He was the top heel in the entire company for quite some time, but fast forward a year later, and he's one of the most over faces in the WWE. We even hear "punt" chants now. I think the fans started to view Orton's character in a different way after the Triple H feud. He wasn't attacking a man's family anymore, and threatening his kids. He was just being Randy Orton, the psychotic bad ass.

So I would have to say Orton's character is what got him over. Yeah, the RKO is a cool finisher, but there are some other wrestlers who have cool finishers, and they are not as over as Randy Orton is right now.

 

[Calderownz]

The move is so quick, that it always swerves the fans in a certain way. 80 percent of the time, when he "coils" up for that move, it gets a big pop, but he rarely hits it during those moments in a match.

It's usually during the match when it's out of nowhere that he hits the move.

That also gets the biggest pop, and it's because even the fans expect it, but never know if he hits it until it's done.

Still, his character has definitely gotten over as well. Couldn't exactly tell you which portion of Orton got over first, but they are both evenly matched at this point. He gets a huge reaction out of his entrance and the move.