Randy Orton Should Be John Cena’s Final WrestleMania Opponent
Back at the 2024 Money in the Bank premium live event, 16-time champion John Cena came out to the ring to announce his retirement. He stated that he’ll have 40-50 dates where he will be on WWE television and that he will be appearing at the Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber, and WrestleMania XLI and those will be his last matches at those particular events before closing out the year on a farewell tour city to city. Since July, many have speculated who Cena’s opponents will be at each premium live event but more so WrestleMania XLI. There are many options creative can go with for Cena with perhaps Gunther, Cody Rhodes, The Rock, CM Punk, and more. However, the one true option that everyone will be pleased with is a match against the 14-time champion Randy Orton. Cena and Orton have met on many occasions in the past, in an “I Quit” match, a title unification match, and more, yet, nothing would feel more wholesome than these two competing against each other for the final time in the squared circle.
While guys like Gunther and Rhodes can put up quality matches, just knowing what Cena and Orton can do, their match at WrestleMania XLI could easily be a five-star match. With the recent heel turn of Kevin Owens, many are now expecting Randy Orton to turn next. This would make a face Cena go up against a heel Orton which just equals prime time television. I also believe if it was anyone else, there would be too many expectations many would have which may factor into their hype or disappointment before or after the match starts. Both Cena and Orton can handle pressure and consistently put on a good show, as they have done countless times throughout their careers. While I wouldn’t predict any title to play a factor in this matchup, I would expect either Cena or Orton to openly challenge any champion after WrestleMania as many want to see Cena surpass Ric Flair, and Orton obtain his 15th World Championship.
John Cena started off his WrestleMania career at WrestleMania 20, winning the United States Championship from The Big Show. The following year, Cena would become WWE Champion after defeating JBL. Orton’s first WrestleMania was at WrestleMania XXI when he lost to The Undertaker. A year later he would be involved in a triple-threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship against Kurt Angle and Rey Mysterio. Both Cena and Orton have been heavily important and have been involved in the WrestleMania scene for almost 20 years. A battle between the two legends would only solidify one another’s greatness.
