WWE legend Randy Orton was forced to pay a fine worth $50,000 (£39,800) in a storyline on SmackDown during the 8th of December episode after RKO’ing former British wrestler turned general manager Nick Aldis the week prior.

In a backstage segment on SmackDown, Orton was seen handing a cheque to Nick Aldis backstage, however, things took an unexpected turn as the piece of paper was written out for $100,000 (£79,700), double what The Viper was supposed to pay, with Orton explaining the rest is in advance for “next time.”

Randy Orton pays his fine

When handing over the cheque, Orton had other bones to pick with the general manager, questioning his decision of match-up for the evening’s show, saying: “No, there’s something else that I wanted to talk to you about. Found out today upon getting to the venue for SmackDown tonight that you got me teaming with LA Knight against Jimmy [Uso] and Solo [Sikoa]. Why?

“I saw LA Knight make the save last week,” replied Aldis. “Save, save? I didn’t need saving. I didn’t even know who LA Knight was until last week, and you got me teaming with the guy. I have to trust this guy that I just found out who the hell he was last week?!” responded Orton.

Aldis then rationalised to Orton why he chose this match-up, explaining: “I understand, you don’t know LA Knight; all you need to know is that you want The Bloodline, and he wants The Bloodline, and I want to see that match; so do the fans; I can’t wait.”

After this confirmation of why the match was booked, Aldis then realised that the cheque wasn’t all as it seemed, as Orton had actually paid double what he was supposed to. “Hey, Randy, the fine was fifty thousand; this is one hundred,” he continued. Orton then humorously responded, saying: “Oh, that’s for next time,” leaving Aldis speechless.

The fine came after Orton decided to give his new boss a welcome present by performing an RKO on him after only recently signing a contract with SmackDown instead of Raw.

Randy Orton victorious on SmackDown

Despite all of the background affairs, Orton and LA Knight were declared victorious in their tag team match against Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa on the 8th of December episode of the blue brand, as the pair raised each other’s hands at the conclusion after a collaborative effort that saw Orton RKO Uso for the count of three.

Aldis joined a long list of WWE members that have been struck by The Viper’s iconic finishing move, although recently on the IMPAULSIVE podcast, Orton gave background to how the move became his own due to a shoulder injury he sustained early on in his career, explaining: “Essentially, I blew my shoulders out early in my career; I’ve had three shoulder operations. So, you can go back, and very rarely will you ever see me pick a guy up.

“I can pick up a guy and slam him; my shoulders are healthy and fine, but when I blew them out early on, in my head I’ve got it where I’ve got to protect my shoulders. I needed a move that I could do to everybody, Rey Mysterio or Omos. I wanted to be able to do that finishing move to everybody, and that was the best choice,” said the 43-year-old.