Randy Orton wants to face 3-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion before retiring

Former WWE Champion Randy Orton has been making headlines with his recent performances in the King of the Ring Tournament. He has entered the final in consecutive years now, after defeating Sami Zayn in the semifinal on SmackDown last night. The Viper is now set to collide with the winner of Cody Rhodes vs Jey Uso, and the winner of the tournament will get a World Championship match at SummerSlam.

Orton was present at the WWE SummerSlam Kick-Off Show earlier tonight and addressed his preference between CM Punk and John Cena for a title match, if he ends up winning the King of the Ring Tournament. Both Cena and Punk are set to collide for the Undisputed WWE Championship at Night of Champions, and The Viper might end up facing one of them at SummerSlam.

Addressing his preference among both men, the Viper stated that he had to get in the ring with CM Punk at some point in the future. However, about a potential showdown at SummerSlam, Randy Orton said that he would like to avenge his loss at Backlash against the three-time World Heavyweight Champion John Cena.

“I’ve been hearing y'all chant that name for the past 15 years, whether he was here or not. I gotta get in the ring with Punk at some point before it's all said and done. That's a damn fact. But I gotta, I promised the WWE Universe that I was gonna remove John Cena's head from the shoulders. And that's what I gotta do. Cena said he was gonna ruin wrestling. He talks shit about family. You can't do that. So the answer is John Cena. I wanna kick John Cena's a**,” he said. [9:19 onwards]

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You can check out the entire SummerSlam Kick-Off Show below:

CM Punk and Randy Orton have not crossed paths yet

CM Punk and Randy Orton have had a long history with each other, and yet they have not come face-to-face for a feud since Punk’s return to WWE at Survivor Series 2023.

Randy Orton vs John Cena one more time would be a treat to watch, and it will be quite interesting if The Viper ends up winning the King of the Ring Tournament. Also, it remains to be seen if Cena can walk out of Saudi Arabia still the Undisputed WWE Champion. Time will tell what the promotion has in store for the stars next.

If you use the quote from this article, please credit WWE and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.

About the author

Ishaan writes for the WWE vertical at Sportskeeda. While he is a finance student, Ishaan is an avid pro wrestling fan, which has led him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before joining Sportskeeda, Ishaan worked for various renowned websites such as GiveMeSport and Fansided, and has nearly three years of experience. He relies only on credible sources like Cagematch when reporting on a topic. Ishaan cross-checks his work multiple times to ensure it is factually correct.

Ishaan’s favorite pro wrestler is Seth Rollins. He admires The Visionary’s never-give-up attitude and work ethic. In fact, it was The Shield’s memorable WWE debut in 2012 that got him hooked on sports entertainment in the first place. Ishaan would love to interview Rollins someday.

When not reporting on pro wrestling, Ishaan loves to watch movies and occasionally play cricket.

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Edited by Sayantan Niyogi