John Cena vs. Randy Orton: A Timeline of Their Iconic Feuds

John Cena and Randy Orton squared off long before the WWE Universe knew their names… and before Cena was literally “Cena.”

The Prototype, as he was dubbed in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), the WWE’s former developmental territory, met his future rival multiple times in the promotion. Most notably, he defeated “Cowboy” Bob Orton’s son for the OVW Championship in the latter’s final match with the company. The WWE had plans for Mr. RKO.

Twenty-five years and 31 combined world championships later, Orton looks to return the favor. Orton may very well kill the legend of John Cena at Backlash by capturing the title and sending the GOAT into retirement empty-handed. The full-circle moment writes itself.

By this point, Cena had shed his Doctor of Thuganomics persona to be the superhero marine that embodied “Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect” and crashed live sex celebrations. Orton leveraged his success as the “Legend Killer” in wrestling stable Evolution to become the youngest world champion ever, and nearly decapitate Shawn Michaels and Rob Van Dam.

The stage was set for the WWE’s new face to cross paths with its most sinister heel.

Orton hit Cena with several patented “Outta nowhere!!” RKOs leading up to their bout at SummerSlam 2007, which Cena won thanks to a big comeback (shocker!). The following night on Raw, Orton ripped Cena’s father over the barricade and punted the bejesus out of him in a move that is still burned in every wrestling fan’s memory over 15 years later.

The two wrestled at Unforgiven a month later, which Orton won by disqualification seven minutes in when Cena ignored the ref’s calls to stop wailing on his opponent. A payoff match was set for No Mercy the following month, but Cena legitimately tore his pectoral muscle days before, and then was viciously attacked by the newly nicknamed “Viper.”

With Cena out, Orton won the title. While the feud teased the duo’s electric chemistry, it left a lot to be desired. Fortunately, it wouldn’t be long before the duo traded blows again in the squared circle.

In 2008, John Cena pulled off his most iconic Super-Cena feat. The same pectoral injury Cena suffered (thanks to Orton, in kayfabe) was supposed to put him on the shelf for at least 6 months. Instead, he shocked the world than 4 months later to win the Royal Rumble at Madison Square Garden. If you ever want to know how deafening an audience pop can get, just listen to how the Madison Square Garden crowd roared when Super-Cena came from behind the curtains.

That meant Cena would face WWE Champion Randy Orton for the title he never lost. But, they didn’t wait until WrestleMania to pick up where they left off. The foes fought at No Way Out in an emotion-filled, physical contest that saw Orton eventually “throw in the towel” (or rather, a wet blanket) by slapping the ref and disqualifying himself to retain.

Shortly thereafter, Cena, Orton, and Triple H met in a Triple Threat match at WrestleMania XXIV. “The Viper” slithered to an underhanded victory, punting Triple H after his former mentor pedigreed Cena, then covering Cena for the 1-2-3 to retain the title.

Less than a month later, Orton pulled off a similar tactic in a Fatal 4-Way match at Backlash. He eliminated Cena with a punt after Cena forced JBL to tap. If the second John Cena and Randy Orton feud helped establish “Big Match John” as Superman, then Orton’s opportunistic constricting was his kryptonite.

Bald-headed Randy was a MENACE!

Early in 2009, Orton and his Legacy pals (Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase) locked horns with the McMahons. He punted Vince and DDT’d, then kissed Stephanie while she lay unconscious next to her helpless, handcuffed husband Triple H. Talk about a bad day at the office.

Orton attributed his uncontrollable violence to IED (Intermittent Explosive Disorder), claiming he wasn’t responsible for his actions… and you believed him. There truly seemed to be “voices” in his head; multiple personalities urging him to commit heinous act after heinous act. When the unforgivable deed of the day was done, he emoted both terror and exhilaration. He was deranged and may have deserved an Emmy for it.

By the time summer rolled around, Orton’s mental and physical transformation was complete. He shaved his head and became WWE’s Voldemort. VoldemOrton, if you will. Once handsome and charismatic, now sub-human and sadistic. He was pure evil, and the internet remembers.

Cue John Cena’s music. Cena and Orton renewed their rivalry, embarking on a five-matches-in-four-months odyssey for the WWE Championship, with Orton winning thrice and Cena winning twice.

Cena officially ended Orton’s reign in a 60-minute, anything-goes Iron Man bout at Bragging Rights. The feud solidified both men as inevitable.

Nothing brings WWE superstars together quite like a common enemy.

A tornado in the form of the Nexus ravaged through the WWE in the summer of 2010, destroying everyone and everything that stood in their path, including John Cena.

In his efforts to vanquish the group, Cena competed in a highly stipulated match with the faction’s leader Wade Barrett: if Cena won, the Nexus would disband. If Barrett won, Cena would join the “terrorist” organization. Barrett won and Cena became his lackey.

Barrett then embarked on a quest to capture the WWE title from Randy Orton, and enlisted Cena to be in his corner during their championship match at Bragging Rights. When that didn’t yield results, Barrett had Cena act as a special guest referee in his rematch against Orton with the understanding that if Barrett didn’t walk away champion, Cena would be fired.

The morally upstanding Cena counted the 1-2-3, giving Orton the win and costing himself his job. The next night on Raw, Cena made a farewell speech in the ring, and as he walked backstage out of the arena, Randy Orton shook his hand and they hugged. It was a surreal Thor and Loki brotherly love moment.

Three years post-Nexus invasion, the WWE looked different. CM Punk’s pipe bomb promo catapulted him to icon status, The Shield wreaked havoc, Daniel Bryan became the most beloved star since Stone Cold, and The Authority—led by Triple H and Stephanie McMahon—called the shots.

Despite a new wave of A+ talent and storylines, John Cena and Randy Orton, their generation’s Rock and Austin, fought in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match to unify the WWE and World Heavyweight titles. Orton won the contest (and retained in a rematch at the Royal Rumble), but the “Championship Ascension Ceremony” on the Raw prior to TLC remains the highlight of the feud.

As Cena and Orton stood face-to-face, former world champions packed the ring. Orton cheap-shotted Cena, sparking a domino effect brawl involving Triple H, Punk, Shawn Michaels, and Daniel Bryan. The melee ended with Orton accidentally knocking down Stephanie McMahon and Triple H retaliating with a Pedigree.

Like Daniel Bryan and the “YES” Movement hijacked Raw, they too will hijack this write-up, as the fans’ unrelenting desire for him to become the unified champ—strongly reinforced by this moment—eventually played out. The WWE Universe was ready for a changing of the guard.

Since the Elimination Chamber in March, we’ve been living in the Upside Down. John Cena is a heel.

The self-proclaimed unseen 17-time champion alleges he’s the victim of a decades-long abusive relationship with fans. He low-blowed Cody Rhodes to win the WWE title at WrestleMania and eclipse Ric Flair’s record. He says he’s raised the WWE Universe’s kids better than their own parents. He declares that he’s going to ruin wrestling.

For someone who hasn’t played the villain since 2003, Cena’s scarily good at it. His logic is so sharp, it’s hard not to think he’s been holding grudges against the fans for years. This isn’t Hollywood Hogan or Final Boss Rock. This is John Cena—hateful, bitter, living his heelish truth.

Randy Orton’s solution for Cena’s attitude adjustment? Have kids! WWE’s Apex Predator says it’ll help Cena grow up. If that isn’t SpongeBob SquarePants Opposite Day-level shenanigans, I don’t know what is. Somehow, it works. It’s two veterans with new outlooks clashing once again.

When Randy Orton and John Cena square off at Backlash, it may very well be the last time they do. The time is now to live in the moment and enjoy. We’ve only got a few of those left with Cena.