10 Reasons Why Nobody Has Missed Randy Orton

6. The Prospect Of A Cena Retread Is Never Too Far Away

Randy Orton
WWE.com

In early 2011, just as the WrestleMania banner had become visible during the episodes of RAW leading up to the Royal Rumble, Orton and John Cena had a stare-down segment, during which they slyly looked at the sign, in an attempt to tease fans about a prospective match at the Show of Shows.

The resounding silence with which it was received spoke volumes about the excitement surrounding the prospect: there was very little, if any. The fellow OVW graduates had already wrestled one another extensively in 2007 and 2009. Far from being a Rock Vs. Austin-esque legacy feud, fans at that point would have been happy to never see the two do battle again.

Fast forward to Royal Rumble 2014. Though the demotion of crowd favourite Daniel Bryan was undeniably a factor, fans audibly and strongly rejected their WWE World Heavyweight title match, hijacking it to such an extent that it is remembered only for the thunderous cries of 'boring!'.

Despite this, WWE booked the two to go toe to toe yet again just six months later at Hell In A Cell. The stipulation helped to avoid an equally negative reaction, but the reaction to it was lukewarm at best.

WWE top brass seem to think that Cena Vs. Orton is some kind of Hart Vs. Michaels modern day equivalent, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!