Third-generation grappler and 14-time world wrestling champion, Randy Orton, is known for keeping his composure, rarely raising a smile in his 25-year-plus career in the ring, but a roller coaster at one of the world’s largest theme parks would have fans in stitches.
Orton, who is known globally as the man behind the viral “RKO Outta Nowhere” craze on social media, and is normally stoic as he dishes out the punishment to his hapless wrestling opponents, gave fans a glimpse of his hilarious side, during a recent trip to promote the upcoming Royal Rumble in Saudia Arabia. There, the man they call “The Viper” found himself matched up against the insane “Iron Rattler” ride at Six Flags in Qiddiya City. This rollercoaster is definitely not for the faint of heart, as it places riders literally on the edge as they teeter towards the ground, before the seats begin to move at breakneck speed. During the extreme experience, brave participants are forced to fight back against panic while elevated more than 63 meters off the ground. And, when the coasters begin to move, they will reach speeds of more than 73 mph (118 km/h).
With a video camera focused on his face, Orton joked “I’ve changed my mind,” as the ride left the starting station. Still, he appeared relatively calm at this point and the man who has survived steel cages and ladder matches looked okay as the coaster began to climb the skies. The mood would soon change, however.
“They ain’t f**ing around,” joked Orton, as he noticed the people on the ground were beginning to resemble ants. “Who’s all behind us?” asks the WWE icon, looking for reassurance that the likes of Liv Morgan and Tiffany Stratton were right behind him. “Everyone’s on it,” responded Morgan with a trepidations smile. Still, Orton continued to put a brave face on his predicament, shouting “yeah,” and raising his hands for his trademark pose. Now spotting that a drone was also recording the action, Orton asked once again if it wasn’t too late to change his mind. By now, the gang were at the point of no return.
“Hey, just tighten your core,” Orton advises his WWE colleagues before their chairs begin to tilt downwards, leading to a barrage of further expletives from The Viper.
Now talking to God, Orton finally lost his trademark composure as the ride shifted into high hear. “Oh s**t,” he exclaimed as the footage shows Orton doing a complete 360-degree loop on the Iron Rattler. While the WWE legend can be seen nervously laughing, fans on social media were in absolute stitches as their hero met his match. “This is amazing,” shouted Orton, as he began to settle into the scariness. “Brooklyn would love this,” he said, thinking of his daughter while turning to wife, Kim. “Yeah, baby!”
With the ride mercifully drawing to a stop, Orton let out a round of applause for the ride. “That was f***ing amazing,” he concluded, elated to have completed the Iron Rattler. But while his experience must have been awesome, we are the ones who got to watch him do it, and now we like Randy Orton all the more for it!
The master of the RKO finishing move will be on more familiar stomping ground on January 31, 2026, if he enters the WWE Royal Rumble live from Riyadh. The premium event will stream on ESPN in the USA, and on Netflix Internationally.
