There can be no denying that John Cena and Randy Orton are two of the best of this generation and of all time. Guaranteed future hall of Famers, both men have played vital roles within the world of the WWE and professional wrestling over the past fifteen plus years, and have had remarkably similar career paths. Both Orton and Cena have main evented Wrestlemania, won major championship gold (with Orton being a grand slam champion), both MITB and Royal Rumble winners and have taken part in iconic matches throughout their WWE careers. Debuting around the exact same time, John and Randy have met in the ring over twenty times in their careers not including live events, tag team encounters, and collisions prior to the WWE main roster, and amongst the bunch, there have been some truly epic bouts between them. With that in mind today, we are going to be taking a look at some of their best PPV collisions. There have been so many in-ring meetings between these two, so I have narrowed it down to five matches, but I will be noting other must-sees involving them throughout.
SummerSlam 2007
At the SummerSlam PPV back in 2004, Randy Orton made history as the youngest ever world champion, three years later he was in the main event of the same show against John Cena competing for the WWE Championship in what would be one of his most dominant performances in a title bout. While this is not my personal favourite collision from the two, this stands out as an interesting contest at a time where both men were at such a similar chapter in their careers. The vocal audience expressed their disliking for Cena and in what was a rare moment for Orton, found himself as the fan favourite here. What was also striking about this match is that while Randy did not score the win here, he did dominate most of the action. He worked on wearing down Cena from the get-go, controlling the pace of the action, and targeting the joints of Cena throughout. During this title match, Cena looked worn out, exhausted, and struggled to gain momentum, and when he did look to gain the upper hand it was not long before Orton was back in control keeping Cena grounded. There were a few close calls and we did not see Randy lose his temper nor show emotion to the end of the bout which effectively cost him the match. What frustrated me about this was seeing Orton control the majority only for Cena to get the win, but this was a slower-paced match with basic storytelling and some great moments that make this one of the top one on one collisions between the pair not to mention that moment of Orton letting his emotion take over was a great area of storytelling.
Hell in a Cell 2009
By 2009, John Cena and Randy Orton were very aware of each other. They knew one another so well and it showed in the ring every time they competed one on one. At the Hell in a Cell PPV, the two once again did battle for the WWE Championship and it was clear from the get-go the character changes Orton had undergone when you compare this to the last match we spoke about. Even more sadistic and conniving from the early stages of this bout fans saw Orton as the first to use the cage to his advantage pushing Cena’s face against the steel, using the steps in an attempt to send the head of John straight into it as well as the chair shot to the back of the neck, tying Cena up in the ropes and the punt to the head to eventually get the win. The character work from Orton was visible but unlike their 2007 SummerSlam collision, Cena did fit in far more momentum, and at one point had Orton tapping out, but thanks to the referee being out the match did not conclude there. We had some smart booking and basic storytelling here that was effective and entertaining.
*Another standout matchup between the pair took place at the Hell in a Cell PPV 2014 where Cena walked out the victor this time around and was another physical & barbaric collision between them
TLC 2013
In 2013, the WWE decided to unify the WWE and World Heavyweight championships and at the TLC PPV, John Cena and Randy Orton looked to make history and get the big win concluding the year on a massive high! At this point, the pair had a very clear understanding of one another and knew what to expect from each other and while they may not have been the fan picks for this match the two were at the top of their game and by this point of their careers were clearly the leading superstars of the roster, two of the biggest names of their generation and sure future Hall of Famers. They were at the top of their game, the best of the best and it made sense for them to do battle yet again in such a historic and important contest. Now, a TLC match is a personal favourite of mine, but the ladder element of this bout did not work in the favour of either superstar. Despite both men being past MITB winners, ladder matches didn’t cater to either of their styles, but once again the two put on a physical and intense performance that highlighted their several year-long rivalry. They showed what they had learned from each other and Orton cuffing Cena to the ropes was such a Cena move and a throwback to something we had previously seen Orton do against Cena, that just had you grinning as you watched. This was a very entertaining bout which while didn’t focus so much on their wrestling skills highlighted them as the best of the best and went down as one of the standout matches of the year.
Bragging Rights 2009
2009 was a huge year for both Randy Orton and John Cena. At the prime of their careers, they were the leading faces of the WWE and this year alone saw not one but three title changes between them. Each time the pair stood in the ring they delivered and 2009 was a career highlight for both men! Their Bragging Rights encounter again for the WWE Championship saw the pair go one on one in an everything goes sixty-minute iron man match and has gone down as a classic from their rivalry. The character work from Orton here in this bout was some of the best we have ever seen from him and highlighted this new Viper persona he had adopted. Continuing to show his vicious side, aggression and love for punishment Orton took everything out of Cena and managed to use the entire arena to his benefit from the stage set up to the pyro, to busting John open to epic counters to Cena’s best moves. John, on the other hand, portrayed his never give up attitude perfectly and after a difficult and physical battle, he walked out the winner and WWE champion. This was one of the most physically demanding matches these two took part In and overall is a personal favourite of mine of both men’s careers and their 2009 rivalry in particular.
We must also highlight the I Quit match these two also took part in back in 2009 at Breaking Point
Royal Rumble 2014
By 2014, John Cena and Randy Orton had most certainly established themselves as the best of the best. Considered legends, future Hall of Famers and at the top of their game, Orton and Cena continued to do battle to prove they are the very best of their generation. In January of 2014, the two met again at the Royal Rumble PPV for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in what is definitely a classic! Unlike most the matches we have spoken about today this match didn’t take place inside a cell or a cage, there wasn’t an intense stipulation behind it and instead what fans saw as a classic wrestling match up between two of the greats of this generation. This was yet another prime example of how well the pair know each for their use of one another’s moves and finishers made for great moments as well as highlights including Cena executing new spots and Orton’s sneaky tactics including hitting John with one of the titles. Talking of Randy, again, his character work was incredible. With a loud and vocal crowd expressing their lack of interest in the booking of this match Orton used it to add fuel and more entertainment to this championship contest; feeding off the crowd, paying attention to their reaction and playing the role of the perfect heel he once again was responsible for adding character to this match. The ending involving the Wyatt family was another great and smart touch. This stands out to be as the best simple wrestling match these two ever had and for me makes the top two of all time at least! Arguably an underrated contest between them.
Growing up watching wrestling from the noughties I watched these two superstars grow and become the legends they are today, and while Cena vs Orton became frustrating to see so many times overlooking back they were involved in so many classics and we have to highlight those! They together have made history and worked iconic bouts while establishing themselves as legends and future Hall of Famers.
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