John Cena vs. Randy Orton's Epic Rivalry Explained Before Final Match at WWE Backlash

There was no one more perfect to challenge John Cena in the first defense of his Undisputed WWE Championship at Backlash than Randy Orton, especially with the event emanating from his hometown of St. Louis.

With this year marking Cena's swan song as an active performer inside the squared circle, it was imperative these two renew hostilities one last time, ideally on a big stage such as Saturday's premium live event.

Their upcoming championship bout will be fueled by nostalgia for fans who grew up on them waging war throughout the late 2000s into the early 2010s.

Even with the absurd amount of matches they've had in the past two decades, it's one of the biggest bouts that can be booked for Cena's retirement tour given how much they've meant to each other's career.

The Viper shouldn't be remembered as Cena's greatest foe, but he can be considered in the conversation. The quality of their matches wasn't always consistent and their long-running rivalry was undoubtedly overexposed, but they successfully managed to elevate each other in every encounter they had.

Ahead of what should be their final face-off ever at Backlash, let's look at the history of the epic Cena vs. Orton rivalry and why it's worth revisiting.

Early Beginnings (2000-2007)

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John Cena in 2007.

Orton and Cena signed developmental deals with WWE in 2000 and 2001 respectively, reporting directly to Ohio Valley Wrestling. Their class also included the likes of Batista and Brock Lesnar, and by 2002, all four future icons were called up to the main roster.

Cena and Orton originally collided one-on-one in OVW in January 2002, but it wasn't until November 2005 that they met on the main roster for the first time. It was unknown at that point what bitter rivals they'd eventually become.

Going into their WWE Championship match at SummerSlam 2007, Cena had been firmly established as the new face of the franchise, having held the company's most coveted championship on and off since WrestleMania 21 in April 2005.

Orton was actually the first of the two to win a world title in 2004, but his reign was short-lived and it took him significantly longer to return to that elite level. That's why his strong showing at the August extravaganza was so important in proving he belonged there sharing the spotlight with Cena.

From bell to bell, their straightforward singles match that night was among the best they ever had, but the most memorable moments of their feud came in the months that followed when Orton assaulted Cena's father and punted him in the head at ringside during their rematch at Unforgiven.

Orton being credited with injuring Cena in storyline days prior to their Last Man Standing match at No Mercy served as a significant step in his evolution as a cold-blooded psychopath and one of Cena's most fearsome foils.

Dominating Raw Main Event Scene (2008-2009)

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Cena entering the 2008 Royal Rumble match at No. 30 and winning the whole thing was an all-time Rumble return, shocking the world when many expected he'd be out a lot longer with his torn pectoral injury.

That put him and Orton, who captured the WWE Championship in his absence, on a collision course for WrestleMania 24, except Cena opted to cash in his guaranteed title shot at No Way Out in February 2008 instead.

Orton intentionally got himself disqualified at the event, setting up a Triple Threat with the two of them and Triple H on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

Although Cena and Orton remained at odds during that period, the focus slowly shifted to Orton and The Game while Cena was left directionless. Their heated rivalry went unresolved until the summer of 2009 when they renewed hostilities over the WWE Championship once more.

Between August and October, Cena and Orton had four consecutive PPV matches and traded the title on every occasion. Each outing was better than the last and included “I Quit”, Hell in a Cell and Iron Man stipulations.

The Iron Man matchup in particular was the strongest of the series because of how innovative they got with the scoring system. Cena reigned supreme in predictable fashion, but it was a fitting conclusion to a rivalry that had run its course—at least for a few years.

Coexisting as WWE's Biggest Babyfaces (2010-2012)

Orton played his heel role so exceptionally well at the turn of the decade that fans began rallying behind him, which was never the intent behind his group The Legacy.

The Apex Predator ultimately emerged from the faction as a breakout babyface and the most popular fan favorite in the entire company.

Orton was more over with the audience than Cena that year, but that didn't stop WWE from continuing to position the latter as the poster child whether he was champion or not.

That was evident in the second half of the year when Orton's title reign was overshadowed by Cena's never-ending rivalry with The Nexus.

Despite that, Cena and Orton coexisted as WWE's biggest babyfaces and even teamed a time or two, putting their differences aside for the first time ever. It was easier for Orton to reach his full main event potential as a protagonist when he was shifted to SmackDown and won the World Heavyweight Championship while Cena remained on Raw.

The only time they rekindled their rivalry in October 2010 while Cena was forced to align with Wade Barrett, but it was brief. That would have been the time for WWE to turn Cena heel and run with Orton as the lead babyface, but the company was stuck in its ways and refused to flip him.

Once Orton settled into his spot on SmackDown, they rarely crossed paths, but it was only a matter of time before The Viper would return to his heel roots and set his sights back on Cena.

A Rivalry Renewed Over Undisputed Gold (2013-2014)

Orton's heel turn at SummerSlam 2013 was brilliantly executed. He cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase moments removed from Daniel Bryan's WWE Championship win over John Cena to steal the strap with an assist from Triple H.

The debut of The Authority was arguably the peak of the stable, as nothing they did from that point forward came close to the excitement surrounding the group at SummerSlam.

Orton being appointed as the face of the faction was logical, but he was failed by the booking and subpar creative direction.

It didn't help that Bryan was phased down following his feud with The Viper, leaving viewers to endure yet another helping of Orton vs. Cena that winter. No new stars were being created, and the renewal of their rivalry caused major fan fatigue.

The World Heavyweight Championship had been totally devalued and thus it was determined it would be unified with the WWE Championship held by Cena in a TLC match at the eponymous event in December. It was hardly the iconic clash that WWE made it out to be in the buildup to the bout.

Orton came out on top as the inaugural world heavyweight champion and again beat Cena to retain the title at the Royal Rumble the subsequent month. Their rivalry raged for the remainder of the year as they were involved in multiple PPV main events together at Elimination Chamber, Money in the Bank, Battleground and Hell in a Cell.

An extended break was needed in order for their feud to feel fresh again.

Reversal of Roles (2025)

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Aside from a one-off encounter on the Feb. 7, 2017 edition of SmackDown and a quick crossing of paths in the 2018 men's Royal Rumble match, Cena and Orton have barely interacted in the last decade.

That's what makes their scheduled singles affair for the Undisputed WWE Championship at Backlash a must-see spectacle, in addition to the roles being reversed for the first time in history.

Cena "selling his soul" and going rogue at Elimination Chamber on March 1 was both a shocking and welcome development for his stagnant character in the twilight of his career.

Meanwhile, Orton has been excelling as a babyface in recent years and is an outstanding opponent for The GOAT at this stage of his storyline.

Orton wasted no time in targeting Cena in the wake of his record-setting world title win at WrestleMania 41 by laying him out with an RKO out of nowhere on the next night's Raw.

When they made their match official for Backlash on that Friday's SmackDown, The Apex Predator said he had seen through Cena's disingenuous antics all along.

Both men—specifically Cena—are past their physical primes and there's no telling what kind of match they'll have once the bell rings on Saturday night in St. Louis, but they were always destined to have one final fight to decide, after decades of back-and-forth battles, who the superior Superstar truly is.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.