9 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE Raw (21 April - Results & Review)

Ups…

9. Cena/Orton… Take 2

WWE Raw John Cena Randy Orton
WWE

John Cena versus Randy Orton was almost universally a disappointing feud whenever they crossed paths in their 22 singles matches. The bouts were largely boring and failed to live up to WWE’s own hype. So why should fans expect anything different?

Here’s a positive viewpoint: this time, the roles are reversed. Previously, Cena was always the babyface and Orton was usually a full-fledged heel. Now, Orton is the beloved good guy and Cena is the bland, colorless, humorless robot who exists to bore fans.

That change in dynamics, plus the reality that they haven’t had a rivalry since 2014, could make for good television. The match still might be pretty pedestrian, but these are two professionals, and (shockingly) Orton’s aura has never been greater than it is now. Why not take a shot?

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Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.