Ohio Valley Wrestling, the developmental territory for World Wrestling Entertainment in the late 1990s and early 2000s, was the breeding ground for some of the greatest Superstars in WWE history. Randy Orton, a third-generation star, was the son of "Cowboy" Bob Orton, Jr. and the grandson of Bob Orton, Sr. With that kind of pedigree, management in the company saw dollar signs and almost immediately had plans for him whenever he was deemed ready to be called up to the main roster. John Cena, a young star trained by Rick Bassman out in California, was not so lucky. There were no plans for the genetically jacked star. Dubbed the Prototype, he was a body. Nothing more, nothing less. Anything he accomplished would be because of his six pack and biceps, not his ability. Or so we all thought. In 2007, the two stars were on top of WWE, getting there via different paths but arriving at the same point. Cena was the top babyface in the sport and the company's franchise player, thanks in large part to hard work, dedication and some excellent marketing on the part of management. Orton, on the other hand, was the top villain in the sport and a former heavyweight champion. Now, he was seeking the WWE title held by his former OVW peer. At SummerSlam in August, Cena defeated Orton. Two months later, the self-proclaimed Legend Killer added Cena to his list, tearing the champion's pectoral muscle and forcing him to the sidelines, prematurely ending their program. By 2009, they were still at the top of their individual games. Cena was selling merchandise to greedy little pre-teens by the boatload while Orton had survived a fairly douchey period of his life to come back better and more mature than ever before. Between Night of Champions in July and Bragging Rights in October, Cena and Orton would wrestle a mind-numbing five-straight pay-per-views. At Breaking Point in September, their "I Quit" match for the WWE Championship was a modern classic, a match that sacrificed traditional in-ring work for a quality story that was paid off in kind. A month later, they would clash in the climax of their feud, this time in an Iron Man match at Bragging Rights. Orton hated Cena so much, was so frustrated with having to constantly defend his title against the leader of the Cenation, that he tried to BLOW HIM UP. You read that right. How much more heated can a rivalry get? Cena evaded the attempted murders and went on to twin the title. The feud was revisited in 2013. And whenever WWE Creative was too lazy to book literally anything else.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
