John Cena and Randy Orton came into the company at about the same time. They both signed developmental deals in 2001, and they made their televised main roster debuts about two months apart in 2002. Their birthdays are even in the same month. For the rest of time, for better or for worse, their careers will be connected and mentioned in the same conversations. Even though they came up together, they only had one real singles match on Ohio Valley Wrestling television during their time there (won by Cena), and they didn't have any matches with each other (not counting the Royal Rumble) for over three years after debuting on the main roster, thanks to the brand split. Orton was a "Raw Guy", while Cena was on Smackdown. Once Cena was moved to Raw, though, the proverbial gloves were off, and these two became immediate rivals. They feuded during three official and unofficial "eras" in WWE history, going from Ruthless Aggression to PG to Reality, and staying heated the entire time. They have rarely ever been on the same page, and have been reluctant tag team partners (put together in the typical pro wrestling style of "you hate each other, so it'll be funny to have you team up") far more often than teaming up willingly. That's dedication to a rivalry. With both men seemingly not going away any time soon, you have to wonder how long they'll continue feuding. Barring injury, there's a chance we'll get another half-dozen or so years out of both men (Cena is 37, Orton is 34), so we could see them translate into whatever the next "era" in company history will be.
Columnist/Podcaster/Director at LordsOfPain.net for nearly seven years, with nearly 2000 total columns written. Interviewed and/or involved in interviewing the likes of Tyler Black/Seth Rollins (twice), Diamond Dallas Page, Jimmy Jacobs, Christopher Daniels, Uhaa Nation and more.
