Matt Sydal has looked back on one of the most enduring highlight-reel moments of his WWE career: Randy Orton catching him in midair with an RKO as Sydal, then performing as Evan Bourne, attempted a Shooting Star Press on an episode of WWE Monday Night RAW.
The sequence took place on the July 12, 2010 edition of RAW and remains one of the defining visual moments attached to both wrestlers’ WWE tenures. Bourne had built his reputation around explosive aerial offense, particularly the Shooting Star Press, while Orton’s RKO had become famous for being delivered from unpredictable positions. When Bourne came off the top rope, Orton timed the leap and converted the attempted splash into an RKO before Bourne could complete the rotation.
More than a decade later, the clip still stands out because it combined two signature elements in a single instant: Bourne’s spectacular risk-taking and Orton’s ability to turn a match-ending maneuver into a sudden counter. Sydal discussed the experience in an interview with MuscleManMalcolm, balancing the physical reality of the landing with the humor that has followed the moment over the years.
“I thought I had him, brother. I thought I had him. No, it was just one of those moments because the most painful thing that can happen on a shooting star is just bellowing. I thought that was the most dangerous thing to happen. You go for a shooting star, they move out of the way, you belly flop. It hurts. You belly flop in a pool, it hurts, let alone onto a desk. Surely, that’s the most painful thing that could happen. Well, on that day, it was top because I had never actually had someone contribute.”
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A Counter That Became Bigger Than the Match
In pro wrestling, a counter can be just as memorable as the move it stops. That was certainly the case with Orton and Bourne. The Shooting Star Press is a high-risk attack that demands exceptional timing, balance, and body control from the wrestler delivering it. A missed attempt can leave the performer vulnerable and produce a punishing landing even when an opponent simply rolls out of the way.
Orton’s counter added an entirely different danger to the equation. Rather than avoiding Bourne’s offense, he met him as he descended and brought him down with the RKO. The visual made the moment feel instantaneous, and that speed is a major reason it has stayed in circulation among WWE’s most remembered RKO clips.
The RKO had already become synonymous with Orton’s opportunistic offense long before that July 2010 episode. Its appeal has always been rooted in unpredictability. Orton could hit it following a missed attack, in the middle of an exchange, or when an opponent believed they had the advantage. Against Bourne, the move was elevated by the contrast between a grounded cutter-style finisher and one of the most athletic moves in the company.
For Sydal, it was not simply a viral-worthy piece of WWE history. He was the wrestler in the air, expecting to execute one of the most physically demanding maneuvers in the ring before finding himself caught by an opponent’s counter. His comments make clear that he had previously viewed the standard missed Shooting Star Press landing as the worst likely outcome. Orton’s intervention gave him a very different benchmark.
Sydal Says Experience Has Made Him “Immune”
Sydal also joked that the Orton counter has effectively prepared him for any future version of the same predicament. He said he has seen wrestlers try to catch him with RKOs, but believes his experience has made him difficult to surprise.
“I know a lot of people try and catch me with that, but I have a lot of experience with RKOs and nobody’s going to catch me with any RKOs ever because I’ve learned to become immune to them after taking the most devastating one of all time all time but you know like that’s what wrestling’s about I’m trying to make people jump out of their seats and I think that won’t work.”
The remark fits Sydal’s broader identity as a performer. Across his career, he has regularly relied on speed, precision, and aerial creativity to create the type of sudden moments that change a crowd’s energy. The possibility of a dangerous-looking miss or an unexpected counter is part of what makes top-rope offense compelling. Sydal’s willingness to embrace that risk has been central to the style he brought to WWE as Evan Bourne and throughout the rest of his career as Matt Sydal.
His assessment also underlines a familiar wrestling truth: an iconic moment generally requires both competitors to be fully committed to it. Bourne’s leap gave Orton the opening, but Orton’s timing transformed the opening into something audiences still recognize years later. A great counter is not merely a wrestler reacting to an opponent. It is an exchange where timing, positioning, trust, and performance all have to align in a matter of seconds.
The Evan Bourne Era in WWE
Sydal entered WWE with an established reputation as one of the most dynamic high flyers of his generation. Under the Evan Bourne name, he brought the Shooting Star Press to WWE television as his signature attraction and quickly became associated with a fast-paced presentation that differed from many of the company’s larger, power-based stars.
That contrast made his work against an established main-event wrestler such as Orton especially memorable. Orton was already a centerpiece of WWE programming, a multi-time world champion whose methodical style and ruthless persona made the RKO a constant threat. Bourne, meanwhile, represented a wrestler who could seemingly end a match in a flash once he reached the ropes.
When those two styles collided, the result was a moment that captured the drama of risk versus anticipation. Bourne’s Shooting Star Press was designed to be the finishing blow. Orton made it the setup for his own finish instead.
WWE has produced countless versions of the RKO over the years, including counters against dives, springboard attacks, and other aerial maneuvers. The Bourne counter remains particularly distinctive because the Shooting Star Press requires the attacker to leave the ropes and rotate through the air. It was not a conventional leap toward a standing opponent. It was a signature finishing attempt that Orton interrupted at precisely the right time.
Why the Moment Still Resonates
Some wrestling highlights endure because of the stakes around them. Others last because the action itself is so clean, sudden, and easy to understand that it can be appreciated without extensive context. The Orton-Bourne RKO belongs firmly in the latter category. A viewer does not need to know the match’s full history to recognize what happened: a high flyer launched himself for a dramatic finishing move, and Orton caught him with his own signature attack.
That immediate clarity has helped the sequence maintain its reputation. It is also a reminder that wrestling’s biggest reactions are often produced by moments of surprise rather than by the most elaborate plans. The fans watching had reason to expect Bourne to use his most spectacular weapon. Orton instead changed the direction of the exchange in an instant.
Sydal’s recollection gives the famous clip an added perspective. Fans see the breathtaking counter; the wrestler taking it remembers the physical lesson behind it. His comments about belly flopping after a missed Shooting Star Press explain why the maneuver carries real impact even before an opponent adds a counter. The RKO did not remove the risk of the move. It multiplied it into a moment that neither wrestler could replicate in exactly the same way.
At the same time, Sydal’s response is not one of regret. He framed the experience within the basic objective of professional wrestling: making an audience react. By that measure, the segment succeeded on a massive scale. It generated a highlight that is still discussed, replayed, and remembered as one of the most striking examples of Orton’s trademark maneuver.
For Orton, it reinforced the RKO’s standing as one of WWE’s most versatile finishers. For Sydal, it became an unforgettable chapter in the Evan Bourne run, tied directly to the daring offense that made him stand out. And for fans, it remains proof that even the most polished aerial attack can be turned upside down by a perfectly timed counter.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.