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John Cena is all set to defend his WWE Undisputed Championship against arch-rival Randy Orton at the upcoming 2025 Backlash Premium Live Event. The Stamford-based promotion has been heavily advertising their title bout as “One last time,” promising a spectacular affair.
The go-home edition of SmackDown before Backlash saw John Cena’s final war cry before his title defense. Cena took massive shots at The Legend Killer, referring to Orton's failed 2006 drug test, throwing shades at Bob Orton’s legacy, and much more.
The show's final moments saw a hooded man dressed up as Randy Orton rush from behind and try to hit an RKO on the self-proclaimed Last Real Champion. However, Cena was well-prepared and countered it with an Attitude Adjustment.
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Surprisingly, the hooded man turned out to be an impostor, and the real Viper emerged and RKO’d John Cena. Despite Orton going strong against Cena, signs hint at Orton seemingly taking a loss.
Look who just shut down all of Tony Khan's critics! More HERE.
This listicle looks at three reasons Randy Orton is losing at St. Louis:
#3. WWE dropped a major hint on SmackDown pointing at Randy Orton’s potential loss
The latest episode of the blue brand saw Randy Orton lay John Cena out for the third time in this feud. The title match between the historic rivals is sure to grab eyeballs, even as it has been billed as their final affair, marking it as an end-of-an-era kind of bout.
However, the Triple H-led creative team may have already spoiled the bout’s outcome, with its booking on SmackDown. Randy Orton has gotten the final laugh during his interactions with the Last Real Champion repeatedly.
Fans know it’s been a tradition within WWE that the competitor who gets the momentum ahead of any major bout loses at the event. The most recent example was Cody Rhodes. The American Nightmare got the upper hand ahead of WrestleMania against Cena, and he eventually lost his title at The Show of Shows.
#2. WWE’s hometown curse
WWE has been following a set of unwritten rules for decades, which might seem weird to some professional wrestling fans. These rules have been quite controversial at times, but they have also helped gain massive responses.
One such unwritten rule is that a WWE Superstar almost inevitably loses when they wrestle in their hometown. Backlash 2025 will emanate live from the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri, which is also Randy Orton’s hometown. This is another hint that Orton will lose this weekend and Cena will retain his title.
#1. John Cena has much more left in his WWE championship reign
John Cena won his 17th WWE world title when he defeated Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas. The Last Real Champion winning the title was a special moment. Cena would be hanging up his boots and retiring from in-ring competition at the end of the year. He has made it clear that this was final and there would be no comebacks and this made his achievement all the more impressive.
The Cenation Leader has much left in his WWE championship stint compared to Orton. The Legend Killer winning the Undisputed WWE Title would not make much sense now, while Cena still has a lot of potential encounters waiting before he calls it a day.
Hence, Cena would likely retain his title, beating Orton at Backlash 2025, and continue his retirement tour, with the promise of ruining pro wrestling before he is done.
