John Cena vs. Randy Orton: One Last Dance
At WrestleMania 41, John Cena made history by winning his 17th WWE Championship, breaking the legendary Ric Flair’s record. Cena achieved this milestone by defeating The American Nightmare, Cody Rhodes, with the assist from rapper Travis Scott. The crowd erupted in excitement as Cena’s name was etched into the history books once again. The night was unforgettable, not just because of the record-breaking victory, but also because the fans are excited to see what a heel John Cena will do as WWE Champion for the rest of 2025.
On the Raw after Mania, Cena took the stage to address the fans. He announced that he currently has 27 dates left in his retirement tour, whilst also talking trash to the Las Vegas crowd. As he was speaking, Randy Orton slithered his way into the ring and nailed Cena with an RKO. The Viper stood tall over his old foe, holding Cena’s championship over his head. This was one of the more potential feuds for Cena’s final year, and now that Cena is a heel; it will be something to watch.
Both Cena and Orton wrestled in their 20th WrestleMania this weekend. Cena faced Rhodes in a main event to win his 17th World Championship, while Orton issued an open challenge after his scheduled match with Kevin Owens was canceled. To everyone’s surprise, the challenge was answered by the TNA World Champion, Joe Hendry. The Apex Predator defeated Hendry in just a few minutes, marking his first singles victory in a Premium Live Event in 1,470 days. Meanwhile, Cena’s victory over Rhodes was his first singles win in 2,452 days.
The careers of Cena and Orton are almost mirror images of each other. Both made their debut in 2002 and have accumulated very similar accolades, including Royal Rumbles, Money in the Bank wins, and multiple championships: World, Tag Team, and US titles. The only difference is that Orton is a Grand Slam Champion, while Cena holds the record for the most World Championship reigns in WWE history. Orton is a 14 time World Champion, so he is not that far behind Cena.
In their WWE careers, Cena and Orton have faced each other 99 times in singles matches. It seems fitting that their 100th encounter would be their last, surely to be taking place at Backlash in Orton’s hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. Backlash will be making headlines with one of the most historic rivalries in WWE, possibly professional wrestling history. The GOAT taking on The Viper in one last dance.
