John Cena, Randy Orton set for final match at Backlash

BY: COOPER ALBERS / CHIEF SPORTS EDITOR

(Photo: WWE)

The greatest rivals in WWE history are set for one last ride – this time, with a refreshing new twist.

John Cena cemented his legacy as the greatest superstar in wrestling history on Sunday, April 20, defeating WWE champion Cody Rhodes in the main event of WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas. With the victory, he surpassed Ric Flair for the most world title victories in the history of professional wrestling with 17.

The newly-crowned champ took a victory lap at Monday Night Raw on Netflix the following night, where he received a surprise visit from a familiar foe. As Cena addressed the raucous crowd, the Viper, Randy Orton, slithered out from under the ring and snuck up behind the champ. Stalking his prey, Orton waited for Cena to turn around before delivering a signature RKO out of nowhere. 

“Hello, old friend,” Orton posted on X later that night.

The rivals came face-to-face once more the following Friday on Smackdown in Fort Worth, Texas. There, Cena officially challenged Orton to a championship clash at Backlash on May 10 in the Viper’s backyard of St. Louis, Missouri. After some verbal back-and-forth, Orton once again stood tall over his adversary by landing another vicious RKO.

The feud between the future Hall of Famers isn’t just a rivalry — it’s “the rivalry,” as Cena, himself, once described. The two go way back; Orton mentioned during their Friday night promo that it had been nearly 25 years to the day that the pair first shook hands. 

For a quarter century, Cena and Orton – a 14-time world champion in his own right – have produced fireworks any time they step into the squared circle. As the defining faces of the Ruthless Aggression era and beyond, they’ve competed for championship gold on the grandest stages and endured nearly every punishing stipulation the industry has to offer – From TLC to “I Quit” to Hell in a Cell, the bitter rivals have seen it all.  

Across 21 encounters, Cena has a 13-7-1 edge over Orton and remains undefeated in their last four matchups. Backlash will mark their first singles bout since 2017, when Cena powered past Orton on an episode of Smackdown. 

(Photo: WWE)

For Cena and Orton, the last time is now. The former announced last year that 2025 will serve as his retirement tour, and that he’ll hang up the ballcap and jorts by the end of the calendar year. Not your typical wrestling retirement, Cena slammed the door shut on the prospect of returning down the line for “one more match.”

"There is no amount of money and not a check,” he said on the Pat McAfee Show before WrestleMania 41. “This is a shot across the bow to any casino owner, any territory owner, any promotion owner, you can’t write me a check to bring me back… December, I’m gone.”

While Cena will return to the company in an ambassador role, he once made a promise to himself that he’d stop competing once he felt like he couldn’t do so at the highest level. Now at 48 years old, he’s admitted that he’s a step slow. Meanwhile, the other guys in the locker room – namely Orton – have only gotten bigger, faster, and stronger. 

“I feel small around these guys,” Cena joked to McAfee. “Randy and Batista switched bodies, somehow. Randy is also a foot taller. I talk to Randy’s belly button. I don’t know how he did it. He’s a foot taller and three hundred pounds heavier. I don’t know what’s going on.”

But the most intriguing twist? Their roles have completely reversed for the first time in 25 years. 

Since the beginning of his career, Cena has acted as an unwaveringly good, almost Superman-like figure, fueled by the crowd and defined by his refusal to give up. In contrast, Orton has long been a relentless thorn in his side, serving as one of the most sinister villains in the history of pro-wrestling. 

But a couple of months ago, Cena threw hustle, loyalty, and respect out the window. After winning the Elimination Chamber in March to secure his spot in the main event of WrestleMania against Rhodes, Cena turned heel for the first time in his career, attacking the American Nightmare and aligning himself with The Rock and Travis Scott. With the rapper’s help, Cena cheated at the Showcase of the Immortals to capture the WWE championship. 

Cena, who has painted himself as the victim of an “abusive relationship” with the WWE universe, is motivated to “ruin wrestling” by riding off into the sunset in December and taking the belt home with him. Orton, a member of one of wrestling’s royal families and one of the most beloved babyfaces (good guys) in the industry, told Cena on Friday that “You’re not going to ruin professional wrestling, not over my dead body!”

Backlash will be held on Saturday, May 10 in St. Louis, Missouri. The action begins at 7 p.m. ET and will be streamed exclusively on Peacock.