10 WWE Feuds That Overstayed Their Welcome
2. John Cena Vs. Randy Orton (2009)
If one were to enter “gone to the well too many times” in Google, chances are the top hit would be John Cena vs. Randy Orton.
These two first met in 2005 and was acknowledged as a big deal; the two brightest stars of the future locking up for the first time on TV. Fast forward four years and fans most likely couldn’t remember a match that wasn't Cena vs. Orton. In 2009, these two fought for the WWE Championship at four consecutive PPVs, hand-balling the title back and forth at a laughable frequency.
It’s not that John and Randy lacked chemistry. By their final meeting in an Iron Man match at Bragging Rights, however, everyone was over it. Fans wanted to see someone - anyone - new in the title picture, and burnout over the programme was felt for years to come. This was evident when a staredown between the two in the 2011 Royal Rumble match drew crickets from the crowd, not to mention the disastrous response to their Championship matches at TLC 2013 and Royal Rumble 2014 during the height of the Yes! Movement.
WWE wants Cena and Orton to be the modern-day parallel of Austin and The Rock. But Rock and Austin were kept separate when it mattered, whereas Cena and Orton have fought so many times that all life has been sucked out of the feud forevermore.