John Cena Beats Randy Orton at WWE Backlash in 1st Title Defense

In his first title defense since beating Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 41, John Cena defeated Randy Orton at Backlash on Saturday to retain the belt.

RKOs, Attitude Adjustments and Tables—Oh my! 

The chaos was off the charts in a match that had it all: twists, turns and total carnage.

The match began with some petty eye pokes as Cena baited Orton with a fake handshake—only to get poked in the eye himself moments later in a tit-for-tat exchange.

Cena appeared to abandon the match, heading up the ramp and leaving his signature "never give up" mentality in the rearview mirror—until Orton stormed after him, refusing to let the fight end that easily and dragging him back to the ring.

As Cena lifted Orton into the air for an Attitude Adjustment, The Viper countered mid-flight with a jaw-dropping RKO—sending both men crashing to the mat in agony. 

The two legends traded AAs and RKOs as the crowd erupted with every near-fall. Chaos unfolded when the referee was knocked out, turning the match into a no-rules street fight—tables shattered and bodies flew.

Just as Orton hit another RKO and went for the cover, a replacement official slid into the ring—only to get leveled by a title belt swing gone wrong from Cena.

With no ref again, The Apex Predator snapped, the voices in his head taking over as he delivered RKOs to every WWE official and manager who tried to restore order.

Then came R-Truth, pleading with Orton not to end Cena's career. The distraction opened the door for a low blow from Cena, followed by a brutal shot to the head with the championship belt.

Seizing the moment, Cena went for the cover as one final referee crawled into the ring to count the three.

The possibility of Cena vs. Orton first emerged the night after Cena's WrestleMania win, as The Viper crept up behind the new champion following his victory promo and hit him with an RKO out of nowhere.

Orton was fresh off a triumph over surprise opponent Joe Hendry at WrestleMania, and all signs pointed toward him being involved in a significant match at Backlash.

In addition to Orton being featured on the Backlash poster and promotional materials, the event took place in his hometown of St. Louis, so there was little doubt WWE was going to place him in the spotlight.

Orton stood out as an obvious choice for Cena's first challenger as well due to the long and storied history the two future Hall of Famers have with each other.

Cena and Orton first clashed in OVW back in 2001, and they went on to have numerous matches against each other on the WWE main roster, including 10 singles matches at premium live events.

In every single one of those matches, Cena was the beloved babyface and Orton was the hated heel, but the dynamic switched at Backlash.

Cena shockingly turned heel at Elimination Chamber on March 1 when he attacked Rhodes at the behest of The Rock. Over the next several weeks, Cena expressed his disdain for the fans and announced his intention to retire as the last real world champion at the end of 2025.

He went on to beat Rhodes in the main event of WrestleMania 41 thanks to help from rapper Travis Scott, giving Cena a 17th career world title reign, which broke a tie with Ric Flair for the all-time record.

Orton entered Backlash with 14 career world title reigns, meaning he had the chance to inch closer to his opponent's newly minted record of 17.

However, Cena was successful Saturday in his first title defense, meaning he is well on his way to accomplishing his stated goal of retiring as WWE champion.

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