WWE Backlash: WWE just restarted the Iconic Rivalry of John Cena and Randy Orton

Randy Orton and John Cena face to face once again.

WWE history is laced with some incredible rivalries that made the crowd want more. There was one between Stone Cold vs Rock and then between The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, but one of the most iconic rivalries of all time that lasted for more than a decade was between John Cena and Randy Orton. The rivalry between John Cena and Randy Orton changed WWE to what it is today.

WWE fans were so aligned to their rivalry that their matches filled arenas in minutes. Their rivalry featured brutal matches like Hell in a Cell, no disqualification, and I quit matches. To put things into perspective, they fought in a total of 261 matches, 44 of which were won by Randy Orton, while John Cena, who dominated the rivalry, won the remaining matches.

Randy Orton reignited the Rivalry with not one but two RKOs

John Cena’s promo ended today when he met with the three most dangerous letters of professional wrestling, RKO. It is the second time this week that he was floored by Randy Orton. John Cena and Randy Orton delivered a promo against each other after a long time, and it blew the roof off the arena. Yup, WWE has planted seeds to restart the rivalry that changed the landscape of WWE.

.@RandyOrton's got some advice for @JohnCena 😳#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/fLXnfIxz4j
— WWE (@WWE) April 26, 2025

Randy tried to convince John that he was on the wrong path, but John didn’t listen. He blamed the crowd again for booing him for 25 years. They had a heated argument between the ring and both had some good points to make. He was mocking the crowd for their hypocrisy, reminding them that they booed the one hero they thought could fight against him. He mocked the crowd today as well when Randy tried to talk some sense into the champion.

Stop yelling at us, @JohnCena! 😭#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/d1shbAahla
— WWE (@WWE) April 26, 2025

Deja vu of Monday Night Raw for John Cena

He reminded the crowd that they booed Cody on Friday, during his match at WrestleMania, and now today, and told them, that’s not how a relationship works. John made the crowd chant, “We are sorry,” last week. He vowed to ruin professional wrestling for the WWE Universe when the Viper coiled to attack his prey behind him last week. John Cena turned and received an RKO from Randy Orton.

.@randyorton’s not just gonna sit back and watch @johncena ruin wrestling 😡#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/ExwqjlxRrZ
— WWE (@WWE) April 26, 2025

Randy was just waiting for John Cena to turn, and the moment the WWE Undisputed Champion turned, he received a brutal RKO. It would have been a normal segment if the legend killer had left the ring after doing that. But they don’t call him the ‘Legend Killer’ for nothing. He picked the Undisputed Championship and admired it before leaving it to John Cena.

This is CHAOS!! 😱@RandyOrton was one step ahead of @johncena… 👀#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/aVTi087apE
— WWE (@WWE) April 26, 2025

John Cena(c) vs. Randy Orton for the WWE Undisputed Championship at Backlash

Randy Orton and John Cena will now face each other at Backlash for the WWE Undisputed Championship. John Cena won his 17th title at WrestleMania and reached new heights in WWE. John Cena has been ruthless since the Elimination Chamber, and his hatred for the WWE Universe only increased after he won the 17th WWE Championship. Randy Orton tried to talk John out of his persona, but it ended just like it did last week.

THE 1️⃣7️⃣ TIME CHAMP IS HERE!#WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/WCvyixE512
— WWE (@WWE) April 21, 2025

John Cena delivered a cheap shot to Randy and delivered stomp after stomp to him when he was down. He set up to hit Randy on his head with the WWE Championship, but the Viper dodged, and John Cena received the second RKO this week. For the first time in John Cena vs. Randy Orton’s rivalry, the roles have reversed. Randy has become the good guy, while John has been the bad guy since Elimination Chamber.

Is John Cena going to pass the Legacy Baton to Randy Orton?

John Cena was already a legend, and he just added a new title to his legacy. He, in his interview after the Royal Rumble, stated that “I will win the 17th title to pass it to someone, who is going to win the 18th.” The only one remotely near him to go for the 18th is Randy, with 14 WWE Championships right now. Randy Orton also asked Cody that at some point, I would want to go for my 15th title.

If Orton wins the title, it would mark his 15th title victory and add a stamp to his ‘Legend Killer’ persona. There is no better place to do it than Randy Orton’s hometown of St. Louis.

Image Credit WWE.com

Backlash

John Cena

John Cena vs. Randy Orton

Randy Orton

Ashish Negi

nfl

wrestling

I am Ashish Negi, and I work as a WWE and NFL writer at The Playoffs. I have 5 years of experience in content writing, and I have written in different domains like Real Estate, but I found my love while writing in sports. I love watching sports and have been a fan of WWE and cricket. I got an opportunity to write full-time on WWE and NFL here, so following the footstep of my hero John Cena, I turn heel on my last company