The feud between John Cena and Randy Orton came to a finale when they faced off one last time at WWE Backlash 2025. To commemorate the event, the match was scheduled as one of the best of almost all of their meetings over the previous 20 years. Their final bout together featured anecdotes from a number of their encounters over the years, including numerous run-ins, table breakage, and ref bumps.
Very few WWE Superstars know one other as well as John Cena and Randy Orton. Since they signed at roughly the same time and graduated from the OVW developmental class of 2002 together, the two guys have been inextricably linked to one another’s careers, meaning they have been wrestling together for 23 years. The two began making extremely detailed allusions to previous fights that the untrained eye would have overlooked during their Backlash showdown for their final fight ever.
Backlash’s main event felt like Bizarro Land after Cena’s startling heel turn, as anyone who had watched a Randy Orton vs. John Cena bout in the previous 23 years would attest. While Cena was the ultimate good person attempting to fight his most sinister attempts at a shortcut, Randy Orton, at his most evil, never hesitated to do whatever it took to sneak away with a victory. The roles were flipped at Backlash, when John Cena focused on piercing Orton’s eye while attempting to escape up the ramp, delivering a low blow, and belting his opponent.
In his previous interactions with Cena, Orton has used all of these horrible techniques; fans most famously recall their WWE Championship bout from No Way Out 2008. Cena took advantage of his championship opportunity at No Way Out the very next month after winning the Royal Rumble battle because he didn’t want to wait for WrestleMania. Knowing that the belt does not change hands on a DQ, Orton slapped the referee to cause a disqualification when it appeared that his reign of terror was coming to an end. Backlash’s ending was even foreseen by some readers.
Changing heel-face allegiances between Randy Orton and John Cena is, in many ways, a hint that the roles are being reversed. Although Randy Orton slammed John Cena through two tables with matching AAs at Backlash, the tables didn’t turn as literally as they did orally. Cena’s back was spine-first linked to the announcers’ table and a simple wooden table, according to The Apex Predator. Although the CENAtion Leader has put Orton through a table in numerous matches, the most noteworthy of these occurred during a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match.
Switching heel-face allegiances between Randy Orton and John Cena is, in many ways, an indication that the roles are being reversed. When Randy Orton slammed John Cena through two tables with matching AAs at Backlash, the tables turned more literally than figuratively. Through The Apex Predator, Cena’s back was able to connect spine-first to both a simple wooden table and the announcers’ table. The most noteworthy of these was during a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, although there have been several encounters when the CENAtion Leader has sent Orton through a table and vice versa.
During that TLC 2013 match, Cena would put The Viper through a table with an AA. Later, in the closing seconds of the encounter, Orton would repay the favor by dragging both belts down from above the ring after tugging Cena off a ladder and through a wooden table in the corner. It was Orton who put Cena through both tables this time, and to make matters worse, he frequently does it with Cena’s own attitude adjustment. 3
During the Backlash match, both men tried to strike their opponent’s finisher to end the fight. John Cena would try to punt kick Randy Orton, while Orton would strike Cena’s renowned attitude adjustment through a table. Neither man would be the first to attempt to finish the bout using movements that weren’t theirs. A similar situation occurred at the 2014 Royal Rumble. A month prior to this event, Orton and Cena had engaged in what may have been their most important encounter to date: a TLC match to consolidate their respective World Championships.
Two game opponents who had been wrestling for over ten years were still involved in their rematch for the Undisputed WWE World Heavyweight Championship, despite the fact that it had no requirement. According to the match’s narrative, nobody could figure out how Cena and Orton would outsmart one another or wrestle. Cena would reply with an RKO after Randy Orton gave him his own Attitude Adjustment to emphasize that point. Orton even went so far as to attempt an STF to tap Cena out.
Even though there was no criteria, two game opponents who had been wrestling for more than a decade continued to compete in their rematch for the Undisputed WWE World Heavyweight Championship. No one could predict how Cena and Orton would outwit each other or wrestle, according to the storyline of the bout. After Randy Orton gave him his own Attitude Adjustment to highlight that point, Cena would respond with an RKO. In an attempt to tap Cena out, Orton even tried an STF.
John Cena’s attempt at the Attitude Adjustment and subsequent #RKOOuttaNowhere was one of the match’s most shocking moments. Newer followers of the product found it to be a heart-stopping moment that demonstrated how, as they say, Randy Orton’s finisher can come as a complete surprise. Older viewers who began watching WWE in 2009 or before might recognize the commercial. Live from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s Mellon Arena, the first-ever Bragging Rights event took place.
The apparently endless feud between Cena and Orton had reached a peak, and they demanded a 60-minute Iron Man bout to settle the score. Before the hour-long clock ran out, both men did everything in their power to gain the most points over the other, with Randy Orton’s WWE Championship on the line. With both fighters tied with one point each at the 17-minute mark, Cena tried an AA but was stopped with an RKO. A double pinfall would result from the reversal, which would knock out both men with their arms crossed over one another, giving each guy another point.
The internet wrestling community (IWC) has long feared John Cena’s Five Moves of Doom. While the term itself refers to the point in every babyface’s performance where they start to generate momentum after losing the majority of the bout, it also alludes to his comeback spot. In order to avoid a clothesline, Cena must hit two running shoulder blocks before executing a spin-out powerbomb that changes into a Five Knuckle Shuffle and then an AA. His comeback at Backlash was cut short by an unexpected RKO.
The same thing occurred ten years ago, so maybe Cena should have anticipated this. In a Hell in a Cell bout between Cena and Orton, the victor would face the champion, Brock Lesnar, for the WWE World Heavyweight Title. Cena would win the bout, but before he could down him with a shoulder block, Orton hit him with an RKO, slowing off his momentum. WWE fans were thrilled to see John Cena and Randy Orton square off one more time at Backlash in 2025, although they dreaded the prospect of another combat between the two in 2015.
