Amid all the hypes around John Cena’s retirement, his bitter rival Randy Orton never gave up the hope of squaring off in one last match with him. In a new interview that surfaced with Complex, the veteran WWE Superstar previously opened up about what’s being left on his WWE bucket list, and he didn’t hesitate to mention the newly-turned heel to be in it.
“For Cena and all of the history between us, I’d appreciate the opportunity to square off with him at least one more time before he hangs up his sneakers later this year,” Randy Orton said.
With Cena’s projected career timeline coming to an end in December of 2025, he’s expected to feature in more in-ring match in the coming months following Wrestlemania that amped up the hopes of Randy Orton for the one last bout that he was looking forward to against the 16-time world champion and things came to fruition at Backlash 2025 premium live event.
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Earlier to this, the two contemporaries sketched a two-decade-long rivalry in the WWE as the have clashed in nearly every stipulation imaginable, Iron Man, TLC, Hell in a Cell. However, it’s been more than eight years since they shared the ring. It was in February 2017 that they competed in a singles contest on Smackdown.
In totality, John Cena and Randy Orton competed in a total of 258 matches, and Cena won a total of 213. Orton appeared to be victorious in 34 matches as per the stats offered by Cagematch. It was also revealed that the duo featured in 82 televised matches. But with Cena’s part-time career and Orton’s serious back issues, the two never came face-to-face across the past several years.
Randy Orton wants to extend his WWE stay by signing another contract
With fate allowing, Randy Orton was able to run it back with his old nemesis, and the WWE Universe was also happy to see them back inside the squared circle for one final occasion. Irrespective of Cena’s WWE career winding down in late 2025, The Viper isn’t going anywhere away from WWE, as he’s into a fresh run with the company upon signing a new deal.
As stated in the interview, Randy Orton admitted to being in the WWE by signing another 5-year deal with the company after the current one expires in 2029, to help out the young talents,
“I’d love to sign another five-year contract after that. I know realistically there’s gonna be a day when I gotta stop. But it’s like, I don’t even think about that because I’m having so much f**ing fun right now.”*