WWE: Randy Orton - RKO Outta Nowhere Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

WWE: Randy Orton - RKO Outta Nowhere Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 4, 2017

When an active WWE Superstar has two focused Blu-ray releases under his belt in 2017, one of which dates back to 2011, and he's still winning The Royal Rumble, he must be doing something right. Randy Orton may not be described as the "The Prototype," but as John Bradshaw Layfield likes to say of him (paraphrasing), "if you were to build a sports entertainer from the ground-up, he would look like Randy Orton." Indeed, The Viper, a third-generation WWE Superstar, has matured into one of the best the business has ever seen, a master in the ring, by all accounts a good guy outside of it, a consummate professional and a man whose career wish in his waning years is to give today's budding superstars the same pushes and opportunities that propelled him to the top and most assuredly cemented him a place in the WWE Hall-of-Fame.

Randy Orton: RKO Outta Nowhere is a typical WWE match compilation package, this one with Orton interview snippets dotted throughout the matches. Across two Blu-ray discs and between nearly 20 matches, Orton reflects on his early career: influences, friendships, life as a third-generation wrestler, debut in a "dark match," working with a young John Cena, and The Undertaker's role in propelling his career forward. He discusses key injuries, his time in Evolution alongside Ric Flair and Triple H, and his thoughts on working with a variety of his contemporaries, i.e. all of the wrestlers he faces in the matches featured across this set. Orton wraps the piece up with a few reflections on his career, shares the identity of one up-and-coming wrestler he'd like to face in the ring in the future, and speaks on his wishes for the twilight years of his career.

The film actually offers some solid insight from Randy Orton, who spends much of the film not just talking up and about himself, but rather sharing his thoughts on the WWE and its Superstars from the various perspectives of his career, from a young rookie to a grizzled veteran. It's not necessarily all that candid or, honestly deeply revealing -- there aren't any eye-opening comments -- but fans will appreciate The Viper's mild inside access and honest, real, and seemingly heartfelt commentary on his career and his peers. The program is simply constructed. Orton talks up a wrestler or point in his career, and the viewer is subsequently treated to a match that embodies his work at that point in time or against a particular opponent. Which is fine. Orton's already been the center of a more comprehensive Documentary in the excellent The Evolution of a Predator, and he's sure to get another later on to cement his legacy after he's inducted into the Hall-of-Fame, so this makes for a nice little primer into his career in between his rise and retirement as one of the all-time greats.

The following matches are included, interspersed throughout the interview segments:

Disc One:

• OVW Debut: Randy Orton vs. Johnny Spade. OVW -- June 24, 2000.
• Non-Televised Match: Randy Orton vs. Flash Flanagan. RAW -- April 16, 2001.
• Career Match: Randy Orton vs. Prototype. OVW -- June 16, 2001.
• WWE Undisputed Championship Match: Undertaker vs. Randy Orton. SmackDown -- May 30, 2002.
• 6-Man Elimination Tag Team Match: The Dudley Boyz vs. Evolution. RAW -- July 14, 2003.
• WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Chris Jericho vs. Randy Orton. RAW -- July 5, 2004.
• WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Edge vs. Randy Orton. RAW -- July 19, 2004.
• Non-Televised Match: Randy Orton vs. Triple H. RAW -- December 13, 2004.
• World Tag Team Championship Match: Rated RKO vs. The Hardy Boyz. RAW -- November 27, 2006.
• WWE Championship Match: Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Orton. Survivor Series -- November 18, 2007.
• WWE Championship Match: Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton. Royal Rumble -- January 27, 2008.
• Last Man Standing Match: Randy Orton vs. CM Punk. Extreme Rules -- May 1, 2011.
• Non-Title Match: Randy Orton vs. Dolph Ziggler. RAW -- August 29, 2011.

Disc Two:

• Steel Cage Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Randy Orton vs. Christian. SmackDown -- August 30, 2011.
• WWE Championship Contract Money in the Bank Ladder Match: CM Punk vs. Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton vs. Christian vs. Rob Van Dam. Money in the Bank -- July 14, 2013.
• TLC Match for the WWE Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship: John Cena vs. Randy Orton. Tables, Ladders & Chairs -- December 15, 2013.
• Career Match: Randy Orton vs. Dean Ambrose. RAW -- July 7, 2014.
• WrestleMania Match: Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins. WrestleMania 31 -- March 29, 2015.
• Triple Threat Match - Winner Faces Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens vs. Cesaro. RAW -- August 10, 2015.

WWE: Randy Orton - RKO Outta Nowhere Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

One really could copy-and-paste text between these WWE Home Video reviews. Randy Orton: RKO Outta Nowhere is constructed of both new HD and older SD footage, all in 1080i. The interviews and more recent matches are native 1.78:1, while the older material is slightly more complicated. During Orton interviews that occasionally cut away to video footage while he's talking, native SD 4x3 material has been reformatted to fit the 1.78:1 display. That said, the matches themselves retain their native aspect ratio. The new Orton interviews looks fine, boating excellent, intimate facial detail, clothing clarity, and general frame sharpness. Newer matches are solid, too, yielding a little background macroblocking but holding stable in terms of sharpness, color pop and saturation, and detail. Really, it's practically identical to most any basic WWE material, looking really quite good-to-great even at 1080i.

WWE: Randy Orton - RKO Outta Nowhere Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Randy Orton: RKO Outta Nowhere features the WWE Home Video tried-and-true Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. Music finds a healthy back end presence, even as it's dipped to favor commentary during the interview segments. Some of the older matches are a bit cramped in the middle, with small attendance arenas largely hushed and commentary a bit sharp-edged. Things open up considerably in more recent years: entrance music, crowd din, and commentary. Clarity expands significantly, too. Orton's interviews come through with excellent, lifelike verbal definition and stable center presence.

WWE: Randy Orton - RKO Outta Nowhere Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Randy Orton: RKO Outta Nowhere contains the following matches on disc two under the "Blu-ray Exclusives" tab:

• WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Randy Orton vs. Shelton Benjamin. Bad Blood -- June 13, 2004.
• No Holds Barred Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Randy Orton vs. Christian. SummerSlam -- August 14, 2011.
• NXT Match: Randy Orton vs. Damien Sandow. NXT -- March 27, 2013.
• Career Match: Randy Orton & Team Hell No vs. The Shield. SmackDown -- June 14, 2013.

WWE: Randy Orton - RKO Outta Nowhere Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Both on its own and compared to the disappointment that was the second Brock Lesnar Blu-ray, The Viper's second outing is quite good, if not firmly in the mold of the classic WWE Home Video "Match Compilation" release. Randy Orton: RKO Outta Nowhere releases in celebration of The Viper's return to the ring following a long absence due to injury and just in time to capture his resurgence in popularity and notoriety after winning 2017's Royal Rumble. It's a great little companion piece to the 2011 Documentary and features plenty of matches that have taken place since. Video and audio are typical of a WWE release and supplements include a few extra matches. Highly recommended.