"It's so predictable" – WWE veteran names John Cena vs. Randy Orton winner at Backlash (Exclusive)

Randy Orton will challenge John Cena for the Undisputed WWE Championship at Backlash on May 10. Vince Russo, WWE's head writer in the late 1990s, has not been impressed with the build-up to the match.

After coming through the ranks together in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), Cena and Orton became legendary WWE rivals in the 2000s and 2010s. On April 21, The Viper surprisingly hit his real-life friend with an RKO on the post-WrestleMania 41 episode of RAW. Later that week, the Backlash match was made official.

Russo discussed the Undisputed WWE Championship storyline on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Writing With Russo alongside host Dr. Chris Featherstone. Although the upcoming bout will take place in Orton's hometown, he cannot see anything other than a Cena victory.

"It's so hard to book this match because of what you said, Chris," Russo said. "It's so predictable. It's in St. Louis, so they wanna do that. You know there's no way on Earth that Orton's going over. You know, bro, if it's me, I don't know, Chris, maybe at least have a mini tournament or something to crown a number one contender, maybe." [From 3:16 – 3:43]

Watch the video above to hear more from Russo on rumors about The Rock and Triple H's alleged power struggle behind the scenes.

How Vince Russo would have booked the John Cena vs. Randy Orton build

A day before Randy Orton's RAW attack, John Cena defeated Cody Rhodes to win the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 41. As a result, he became a record-breaking 17-time World Champion.

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Although Randy Orton is one of WWE's biggest stars, Vince Russo thinks John Cena's opponent should have earned the right to become the number one contender:

"Just give me something because look at what we did. You take the heat off of Cena in less than 24 hours, Orton hits him with an RKO, so we could have a match in St. Louis that Orton's going to lose anyway. At least have a little mini tournament leading up to that, and maybe shoot some other angles out of it, but the way they did it, bro, why would you wanna see Backlash? There's no way in hell Cena's losing." [3:43 – 4:23]

In the same episode, Russo said WWE made a mistake with Cena that WCW avoided when Hulk Hogan turned heel.

Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling's Writing With Russo and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart