Randy Orton, born on April 1, 1980, in Knoxville, Tennessee, is the youngest of three siblings. His parents encouraged him to stay away from professional wrestling, as it required minimal family time. Orton attended Hazelwood Central High School and later entered the Marine Corps, where he was expelled for unethical behavior. He began his professional career in 2005 and married Samantha Speno in 2007. In 2007, she was pregnant, and in 2008, Alanna Marie Orton was born, making her the first child of the couple.

Orton began his professional wrestling career in 2000 at the Mid-Missouri Wrestling Association-Southern Illinois Conference Wrestling (MMWA-SICW), where he was trained by his father, Cowboy Bob Orton. He worked for a month before joining World Organized Wrestling and later signed a contract with WWE. Orton continued his training at Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), where he fought against Rico Constantino and The Prototype, formed a team with Bobby Eaton, and won the Hardcore Championship twice.

Randy Orton, a former wrestler, began his career in the OWV and made his debut in Smackdown! on April 25, 2002. He made a small impact as a face before being sent to RAW, where he received an opportunity for the Independent Wrestling Championship against Brock Lesnar. Orton also defeated Stevie Richards in RAW, gaining a heel. He suffered a leg injury and only appeared in segments called "Randy News Network". In 2003, Orton joined Evolution, representing past, present, and future professional wrestling. He participated in the Elimination Chamber of SummerSlam 2003, helping Triple H win the World Championship. Orton later won his first WWE championship, the Intercontinental Championship, defeating Rob Van Dam in Armageddon. He also won the World Championship in Parejas, with Triple H winning the World Championship.

Randy Orton won the WWE Championship against Jeff Hardy in the Royal Rumble. He then defended his title against John Cena, JBL, and Triple H in No Way Out and WrestleMania XXIV. Orton had a series of losses in Judgment Day and One Night Stand, including a leg injury. On August 11, Orton suffered a motorcycle accident, which cost him the World Heavyweight Championship. He then entered a rivalry with CM Punk, who defeated him in Unforgiven. Orton then entered a short feud with Batista, who defeated him in Survivor Series but later in Armageddon. Orton won the Royal Rumble 2009 and entered a feud with Triple H and the McMahon family, defeating Shane McMahon in No Way Out and Triple H in WrestleMania XXV. He defeated Batista in Judgment Day 2009, defeating him after attacking him and being aided by Ric Flair.