Randy Orton and John Cena had one of the most heated and memorable rivalries in WWE. As of today, both men are on good terms with each other. However at the time of their feud, it was often believed that the two future Hall of Famers had actual bad blood between them.
Randy Orton has been out of action in WWE for well over a year now. His last match in WWE was on SmackDown against The Bloodline, where he and Matt Riddle dropped their tag team championships. On the other hand, John Cena has been making back-to-back appearances on SmackDown and a couple of PLEs.
Randy Orton once purposely hit the referee to retain his title
Going back to the time of their rivalry in 2008, Randy Orton was the reigning WWE Champion. In the No Way Out PPV, Orton was set to defend his title against a returning John Cena in a singles match. The Cenation Leader was looking for revenge against The Viper, who had put him out of action for several months prior to their match, and cost him his title.
Randy Orton purposely hitting the referee to get disqualified against John Cena and retain his title was such a genius move.
— Wrestling Pics & Clips (@WrestleClips) October 19, 2023
Look at the fans in the front row clapping đ pic.twitter.com/kugrwt4Qf5
As the match began, Cena started off pretty strong against Orton. However, Randy Orton, in a typical heel fashion, pulled off possibly one of the smartest moves to retain his championship. He suddenly turned to the referee and slapped him. This led to him being disqualified, thereby handing the DQ win to Cena, who was unable to do anything. Cena stared at Orton with a shocked face, as The Legend Killer retained his title and denying Cena a chance to take revenge.
Following the end of their rivalry, both Cena and Orton have gone on record to commend each other and seemed to have buried all the bad blood between them. The two men are undeniably two of the greatest WWE superstars of all time. Recently, Randy Orton sent a video message to his former friend/rival, where he reminisced their time in the ring together and praised John Cena for all his sacrifices and his hardships in the company.
When is Randy Orton going to return?
Randy Orton has been absent from action for more than a year, with his last recorded appearance on WWE television dating back to May 2022. Reportedly, he suffered a back injury and underwent lower back fusion surgery last year. Initially, it was reported that Orton was far from making a return, and doctors advised him to consider retiring from in-ring competition.
Despite this, there have been a few positive updates about The Viper’s potential return, with his father, Bob Orton, stating that his son has been training to make a comeback to the ring as soon as possible, defying doctors’ warnings. There were several rumors that The Legend Killer might return at this year’s SummerSlam, which ultimately disappointed fans when those rumors turned out to be false.
Randy Orton has been out of action for a year & a half. His return can't come soon enough. pic.twitter.com/Aaaiuan05U
— Pro Wrestling Finesse (@ProWFinesse) October 19, 2023
The most recent report on Orton’s return suggests that WWE currently has no plans for him as of now. Fans have been waiting patiently for Randy Orton to return to the ring as soon as possible. It might be possible for him to return at this year’s Survivor Series or Royal Rumble 2024, as per the latest rumors.
However, until further confirmation, nothing can be said for certain. We hope to get to see The Viper perform for the fans one last time at the very least, before he eventually hangs up his boots. Stay tuned for further updates on Randy Orton’s eventual return to WWE.
