John Cena-inspired tournament should have been held after WrestleMania 41, WWE veteran says (Exclusive)

John Cena will defend the Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton at Backlash on May 10. Vince Russo, former head writer for World Wrestling Entertainment, believes the creative team should have put more thought into booking the match.

On April 21, Orton hit Cena with an RKO in the opening segment of RAW after WrestleMania. Later that week, WWE announced that The Viper would face the 17-time World Champion in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri at Backlash.

Russo spoke to host Dr. Chris Featherstone on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Writing With Russo about the Cena vs. Orton build. Had the veteran writer overseen the storyline, he would have revolved a number one contender tournament around Cena's heel turn.

"What happens if Cena suggests a tournament to name the number one contender?" Russo said. "What happens if it's good guy [versus] good guy, bad guy [versus] bad guy tournament, and every first-round match you're pitting a good guy against a good guy, heel against a heel, and you're giving other people in the company the opportunity to do what he did." [7:31 – 7:59]

Watch the video above to hear Russo's take on how The Rock and Triple H's reported behind-the-scenes issues are affecting WWE's television shows.

Vince Russo on WWE's lack of creativity ahead of John Cena vs. Randy Orton

On March 1, John Cena won the Elimination Chamber match to set up a bout with Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41. Randy Orton, by contrast, did not have to win any qualifying contests to earn a shot at Cena's Undisputed WWE Championship at Backlash.

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Vince Russo thinks a number one contender tournament would have been intriguing heading into the premium live event:

"You know what? You don't wanna be a good guy anymore? This is your opportunity! I mean, give me something creative at least. Give me heels versus heels, babies versus babies, and let's see if somebody takes the bait." [7:59 – 8:14]

In the same episode, Russo said John Cena vs. Randy Orton was "so predictable" and revealed his pick to leave the show with the gold.

Please credit Writing With Russo and embed the video if you use quotes from this article with an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.

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