3 ways John Cena can ruin wrestling at WWE Backlash 2025

John Cena is set to defend the Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton on Saturday night at WWE Backlash in Orton's hometown of St. Louis. The match promises to be a trip down memory lane for the older fans and a truly once-in-a-lifetime spectacle for anyone who is watching them go at it for the first time. However, promises being kept aren't exactly a great thing when it comes to John Cena and the WWE Universe anymore.

After beating Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41, Cena has repeatedly reiterated his intention to ruin wrestling. He has broken up with millions of people around the world because he considered them ungrateful participants in a toxic relationship. Now, we are the ones who will pay.

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That's right, folks! Cena has grown bitter, jaded, and firmly intent on ruining wrestling. How could that come to fruition tonight? Here are three ways we are afraid it might happen.

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#3. John Cena could throw the Undisputed WWE Championship title belt in the trash (Spinner Belt returns)

After Cena retains the title over Randy Orton, perhaps using nefarious means, the actions that follow could be his ultimate mark of disrespect: throwing the title belt in the trash can. Cena has already talked about the Spinner Belt extensively in his latest run, and bringing it back could once again mark, at least in Cena's mind, his time, which will once again be now.

This could again be characterized by more cartoonish storytelling and matches involving a WWE Champion who can't wrestle. The return of the Spinner Belt would probably receive a very polarized reaction because a certain section of the audience would view it as a nostalgic part of their childhood. Still, the heat it generates would be perfectly desirable and make for an interesting storytelling device, reminiscent of Daniel Bryan's eco-friendly belt back in 2019.

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#2. John Cena's best bud Travis Scott could show up

John Cena & Travis Scott at WrestleMania 41 [Source: GETTY]

Perhaps no wrestling fan wants to hear or see Travis Scott after his disastrous appearances at Elimination Chamber and then WrestleMania. However, the entire concept of "ruining wrestling" is predicated upon the very idea of meta storytelling; of not just blurring fiction and reality when it comes to telling stories, but also regarding how fans react to it.

In 2025, one of the biggest musical artists of all time is one of the biggest heat magnets in WWE and has been consistently involved in the scene of what is supposed to be the most important prize in the history of our industry. There are some things you only see in professional wrestling, folks!

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#1. John Cena slaps the referee to get DQed

While the aforementioned ways "John Cena can ruin wrestling" are quite general in nature and may certainly be seen somewhere down the road, this one, in particular, is a callback to one of the most infamous endings to a wrestling match in the past 20 years.

Back at WWE No Way Out 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Randy Orton successfully defended the WWE Championship against John Cena. While in the ring opposite Cena, Orton blatantly and intentionally slapped referee Mike Chioda, who immediately called for a disqualification. This tactic, of course, allowed Orton to retain the WWE Championship, as titles do not change hands on a disqualification.

Using the exact same heel tactic, smart and rather novel, against the man who used it on him almost 20 years ago isn't poetic storytelling; it is John Cena officially making his play for the 'Hater of the Year' award. It shows Randy Orton the folly of his former ways as Cena attempts to make Orton understand that just because the fans sing his song or chant "RKO" does not mean The Viper is a good guy. It also gives Cena a measure of revenge over all that The Legend Killer has put him through.

However, unlike the finish at No Way Out 2008, which led to a Triple Threat Match between Cena, Orton, and Triple H, in this scenario, where Orton and Cena are wrestling for the first time in years and the last time forever, ending the last chapter of their storied rivalry this way would once again invite a ton of heat on the 17-time World Champion.