John Cena and Randy Orton came into WWE within weeks of each other in 2002 and spent the next decade as the company's two top stars of their generation. They fought for the WWE Championship again and again, most intensely in 2007, 2009 and 2013, in an I Quit match, Hell in a Cell, a 60-minute Iron Man match and the TLC match that unified WWE's two world titles.
Counting their nine big-event singles matches below, Orton leads 5–4. This page lists every one, the story of the feud, a comparison of both careers and our verdict on a rivalry that some fans loved and others felt they saw too often.
Head-to-head record
John Cena vs. Randy Orton: Orton 5–4 in our list of big-event singles matches. Every big-event meeting between the two, oldest first.
| # | Date | Event | Venue | Match | Result | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 26, 2007 | SummerSlam 2007 | Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey | WWE Championship | John Cena won | FU |
| 2 | Sep 16, 2007 | Unforgiven 2007 | FedExForum, Memphis | WWE Championship | Randy Orton won (by DQ) | Cena would not stop punching; title stayed with Cena |
| 3 | Aug 23, 2009 | SummerSlam 2009 | Staples Center, Los Angeles | WWE Championship | Randy Orton won | RKO after a series of restarts |
| 4 | Sep 13, 2009 | Breaking Point 2009 | Bell Centre, Montreal | I Quit match · WWE Championship | John Cena won | STF with handcuffs |
| 5 | Oct 4, 2009 | Hell in a Cell 2009 | Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey | Hell in a Cell · WWE Championship | Randy Orton won | RKO onto the steel |
| 6 | Oct 25, 2009 | Bragging Rights 2009 | Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh | 60-minute Anything Goes Iron Man · WWE Championship | John Cena won | 6–5 in falls · 60:00 |
| 7 | Dec 15, 2013 | TLC 2013 | Toyota Center, Houston | Tables, Ladders & Chairs · title unification | Randy Orton won | Pulled Cena off a ladder through a table · 24:36 |
| 8 | Jan 26, 2014 | Royal Rumble 2014 | Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh | WWE World Heavyweight Championship | Randy Orton won | RKO after Wyatt Family interference |
| 9 | Oct 26, 2014 | Hell in a Cell 2014 | American Airlines Center, Dallas | Hell in a Cell · No. 1 contender | John Cena won | Attitude Adjustment · 25:52 |
Every match: our commentary
SummerSlam 2007 · Aug 26, 2007
Orton had spent the summer attacking legends and threatening Cena's family. Cena retained with the FU after a physical match that established Orton as a credible challenger.
Unforgiven 2007 · Sep 16, 2007
Orton had kicked Cena's father in the head on Raw. Cena lost control, kept punching Orton after the referee told him to stop and was disqualified, so Orton won the match but not the title. Cena's father then kicked Orton in the head.
SummerSlam 2009 · Aug 23, 2009
Orton kept trying to lose by count-out and DQ to keep the title, which led to restarts with no count-outs and no DQs. Orton eventually hit the RKO and retained.
Breaking Point 2009 · Sep 13, 2009
In Montreal, the city of the 1997 'screwjob', Orton handcuffed Cena to the ropes and beat him with a kendo stick, but Cena escaped and made Orton say 'I quit' in the STF to win the title.
Hell in a Cell 2009 · Oct 4, 2009
Three weeks later Orton won the title back inside the Cell with an RKO, keeping the series alive for one more match.
Bragging Rights 2009 · Oct 25, 2009
The decider had Cena's place on Raw at stake. The falls came through every kind of finish, including tables and pinfalls on the floor, and Cena won the last fall with an Attitude Adjustment to win 6–5 and take the title.
TLC 2013 · Dec 15, 2013
WWE unified its two world titles, Orton's WWE Championship and Cena's World Heavyweight Championship. Orton pulled Cena off a ladder and through a table in the corner, then climbed to take both belts as the first WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
Royal Rumble 2014 · Jan 26, 2014
Cena's rematch ended when the Wyatt Family's lights-out entrance distracted him and Orton hit the RKO to retain.
Hell in a Cell 2014 · Oct 26, 2014
The last major singles match of the series decided who would face Brock Lesnar for the title. Cena caught Orton in mid-air from the top of the turnbuckle and hit the Attitude Adjustment to win.
The backstory
Both men debuted in 2002, Orton in April and Cena in June, and both became world champion within three years. By 2007 they were the two faces of WWE's next generation and the obvious opponents for each other.
The 2009 run was the most intense: four title matches in nine weeks, with the WWE Championship changing hands three times. The 2013 chapter was about which of WWE's two world titles was the real one, and Orton answered it.
Tale of the tape
| John Cena | Randy Orton | |
|---|---|---|
| Billed height / weight | 6 ft 1 in · 251 lb | 6 ft 5 in · 250 lb |
| WWE main roster debut | June 2002 (SmackDown) | April 2002 (SmackDown) |
| World titles in WWE | 17 (record, shared with Ric Flair) | 14 |
| Royal Rumble wins | 2 (2008, 2013) | 2 (2009, 2017) |
| Signature finish | Attitude Adjustment / STF | RKO |
| Status (October 2026) | Retired from wrestling (December 2025) | Active |
By the numbers
| Head-to-head stat | John Cena | Randy Orton |
|---|---|---|
| Wins in the nine matches above | 4 | 5 |
| WWE title changes between them | 2 (Breaking Point, Bragging Rights) | 2 (Hell in a Cell 2009, TLC 2013) |
| Hell in a Cell record vs. each other | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| Gimmick-match wins | 3 (I Quit, Iron Man, Cell 2014) | 2 (Cell 2009, TLC) |
How fans and critics reacted
The 2009 Iron Man match drew mixed reviews, praised for its effort and criticized for its length, and by the end of 2009 the pairing had been on so many shows in a row that some fans complained of overexposure.
The 2013 TLC match was received as an important moment more than a classic one: it ended WWE's split world title era, which had run since 2002.
Our take
This is the closest rivalry in this section. Orton edges the count, 5–4, and won the most important match, the unification at TLC 2013. Cena won the most demanding ones: I Quit, the 60-minute Iron Man and the 2014 Cell.
Our verdict goes to Orton by a whisker, because his wins came in title matches that changed the direction of the company. Our must-watch match: Breaking Point 2009 in Montreal.
Our verdict: Randy Orton.
FAQ
How many times have John Cena and Randy Orton wrestled?
Many times on TV and house shows. On big events, the nine singles matches listed on this page are split 5–4 in Orton's favor.
Who won the Cena vs. Orton Iron Man match?
Cena won 6–5 in falls at Bragging Rights on October 25, 2009 in Pittsburgh, winning the WWE Championship.
Who unified the WWE and World Heavyweight titles?
Randy Orton, by beating John Cena in a TLC match on December 15, 2013 in Houston.
More rivalries
Sources: Wikipedia: Unforgiven (2007) · Wikipedia: Bragging Rights (2009) · Wikipedia: TLC (2013) · Wikipedia: Hell in a Cell (2014). Facts verified Oct 18, 2026.