The John Cena–Randy Orton rivalry was a professional wrestling storyline within WWE, pitting the two wrestlers as rivals. Initially beginning in 2007, the two had an on-off rivalry up to 2014, with the pair booked to appear in the main event of several pay-per-view events, and often competing for the WWE Championship.
Though the matches between the two received praise, the rehashing of the feud received criticism from some critics for being slightly repetitive and stale. It remains one of the longest and most memorable rivalries in both men's career and WWE history.
Beginning of the rivalry (2007-2008) On the July 23, 2007 edition of Raw, Randy Orton attacked the WWE Champion John Cena after Cena's match that night. Shortly after, Executive Assistant Jonathan Coachman announced Orton as the new number-one contender for the WWE Championship. Cena and Orton faced off at SummerSlam, with Cena winning the match. The very next night on the August 27 edition of Raw, during Cena's match with Booker T, Orton attacked Cena, causing a disqualification. Orton then took things a step further by attacking Cena's father who was sitting at ringside, punt-kicking him in the head and seriously injuring him. Cena and Orton faced each other again at Unforgiven in September, where an enraged Cena intentionally disqualified himself by aggressively attacking Orton during and after the match. Cena tortured Orton with his signature submission move, the STFU. Cena then allowed his father, who had recovered from his injuries, to kick Orton in the head while he was being held in the submission hold.
After the match, Coachman booked the two in a Last Man Standing match for the WWE Championship at No Mercy to settle the personal rivalry without any restriction. On the September 17 episode of Raw, Orton tied up Cena at the corner of the ring and forced Cena's dad to face him in a match, which Orton easily won. The rivalry ended prematurely after Cena suffered a legitimate torn pectoral muscle during a match with Mr. Kennedy, which took Cena out of action for four months and forced him to vacate the WWE Championship. Orton was then awarded the title at No Mercy.
Cena reignited the rivalry immediately upon returning to action by winning the 2008 Royal Rumble match, choosing to challenge Orton for the WWE Title at No Way Out instead of WrestleMania 24. During the match, Orton got himself intentionally disqualified, therefore he did not lose the title. The following night on Raw, Cena once again got an opportunity for the WWE Championship, defeating Orton for a title opportunity in a match where Triple H was the special guest referee. A triple threat match took place between Orton, Cena, and Triple H at WrestleMania 24, which Orton won to retain the title. At Backlash in April, a fatal four-way elimination match took place between Cena, Orton, Triple H, and JBL for Orton's WWE Championship. During the match, Orton eliminated Cena, who had previously eliminated JBL. However, Triple H then eliminated Orton to win the match and the title. This temporarily halted the rivalry.
Renewing the rivalry (2009) In July 2009, Cena challenged Triple H and Orton in a triple threat match for the WWE Championship at Night of Champions. At the event, Orton pinned Cena to retain the WWE Championship. This reignited the feud, and various segments were held where the events from 2007 and 2008 were brought up and The Legacy, a villainous stable led by Orton consisting of Ted DiBiase Jr. and Cody Rhodes, attacked Cena on numerous occasions. This eventually led to a match at SummerSlam, and Orton won once again. On the August 31 episode of Raw, Cody tricked Cena into believing he had betrayed The Legacy, and Cody's father Dusty Rhodes arranged a match between Orton and Cody with Cena as the special guest referee. During the match, however, Cody betrayed Cena, and along with Orton and DiBiase, attacked Cena. However, Cena gained another opportunity to face Orton, this time in an "I Quit" match for the WWE Championship at WWE Breaking Point. During the match after a brutal brawl, Orton handcuffed Cena and threw water at him, taunting him. But Cena was eventually able to break free of the handcuffs and tied up Orton with the handcuffs while simultaneously applying his STF (Stepover Toehold Facelock) submission hold. Unable to break free of the situation, Orton was forced to quit, meaning Cena won the match and the title; it is considered by 411Mania writer Evan Daniels to be the best match between the duo.