On Saturday, May 10, 2025, WWE Undisputed Champion John Cena will face his first challenger after winning the title in controversial fashion from Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41. As Cena keeps developing the story of his historic heel turn, a familiar, and unexpected, face has come forward to remind him of who he was: Randy Orton. The two modern-day legends will clash at Backlash 2025, but we can already predict how the match is going to end.

In an unusual reversal of the roles, Orton will play the good guy who is trying to stop "evil" Cena from "ruining wrestling" by retiring with the WWE Championship in his hands, as he promised to do. These two men dominated the main event scene in WWE for more than a decade, facing each other in many memorable bouts. One specific match from 2008, however, had a brilliant but controversial finish that could be repeated in their latest bout.

John Cena vs. Randy Orton at Backlash 2025 Will End Like Their No Way Out 2008 Match

The Champion Will Attack the Referee to Maintain the Title

In February of 2008, Randy Orton was in his second World Championship reign, after being awarded the title by Vince McMahon in October 2007, as John Cena had to vacate it due to a pectoral muscle injury. At the Royal Rumble PPV, in January 2008, Cena unexpectedly returned much earlier than anticipated and won the Rumble match. He decided that he could not wait until WrestleMania to use his title shot, so he challenged Orton for a match at No Way Out. While this was not the best match in Cena and Orton's rivalry, it is still memorable for a unique finish.

After Cena got back in the ring at the count of 9 despite being RKO'd outside of the ring, Orton pulled the most heel move ever. He slapped referee Mike Chioda in the face, earning a disqualification and thus retaining his title due to the "champion's advantage" rule. It was unexpected but also genius. Orton was starting to settle into his role as the most vicious heel in the company, having just adopted the "Viper" nickname he still has today, and what's more vicious than blatantly getting disqualified to avoid losing a championship? In theory, that's something that every champion could do, so seeing Orton actually going for it helped establish him as the top heel in the company.

Fast-forward to 2025, and the roles are reversed. After decades of "hustle, loyalty, and respect", John Cena has turned on the fans and decided to let his ego take control. He won his historic 17th World Championship at WrestleMania 41 due to interference from rapper Travis Scott and after kicking poor Cody Rhodes in the groin. He has disparaged fans at every chance, accusing them of being "toxic," forcing old rival Orton, who is now a fan favorite, to intervene. It was predictable that Cena would face Orton at some point during this extended retirement tour, but few predicted it would happen so soon. No matter the hype behind this match, however, it should end like their 2008 bout, with Cena going for a blatant disqualification.

Why This DQ Ending Would Be Perfect for Both John Cena and Randy Orton

The Dirtiest Tactic From an Evil Champion

Whatever your opinion of John Cena may be, one thing is for sure: the man is 100% committed to whatever he does. He has embraced this heel turn to an extent that even the fans who were clamoring for it for years could not anticipate. He has made no attempt to be a "cool heel," fluctuating instead between being petty, annoying, and outright offensive. It's clear that this John Cena is not afraid to cheat to win, as he proved at WrestleMania, so it would be really fitting if he stole Orton's tactic from 2008 to retain his championship. It would also have the added feeling of revenge best served cold, after 17 years. Triple H does love his long-term storytelling.

For Randy Orton, winning by disqualification would allow him to look strong (as if he actually needs it) without winning the title, as it's unlikely that Cena would lose it so soon. It would also open the door for a rematch later on, if that's something WWE wants to see. More importantly, it allows for a dramatic construction of the match. Orton could dominate the final stretch, giving fans the impression that he is really going to win, thus adding a tinge of emotion to a very predictable ending. Then, when he is about to close the deal, Cena would go for the DQ by attacking the referee. It would be a shocking moment for anyone who doesn't know about their 2008 match, and a nice callback for old school fans.

The Backlash Match Could Go in a Completely Different Direction and Still Be Entertaining

History Makes All the Difference

Of course, there is always the chance that WWE is only teasing us with this possible ending, and the match will go in a different direction. This is, however, also proof of the value that decades of history between two Superstars have, and of the correct way of using it. Just knowing that this finish exists will keep fans on their toes, asking themselves if they will go for it or not. Perhaps Cena will grab the referee, forcing Orton to intervene to avoid the disqualification, and then use that distraction to pin him. It's a Chekhov's gun and a red herring at the same time, and the true beauty of pro wrestling when it's done right.

Overall, Randy Orton was a great choice as John Cena's first opponent after WrestleMania. Fans were critical of the finish of the match with Cody Rhodes, and immediately inserting Orton in the picture helped move away from that. These two Superstars have so much history together that they didn't even need to work too hard on the build, as it's already there, rooted in more than a decade of dominance and clashes. While these two had some iconic matches, it's hard to predict how they will work in 2025. Calling back to the finish of their 2008 No Way Out match would be the perfect way for John Cena and Randy Orton to write another chapter of their WWE rivalry, and open the way for another, final encounter.