It’s the feud that, time and time again, WWE has heralded as the rivalry to end all rivalries in the modern era. Some of the story between John Cena and Randy Orton may have taken place in the 2010s, and even in the 2020s, thanks to Cena’s retirement tour, the bulk of their rivalry in the 2000s helped shape both men into household names for decades to come.

After coming through the same OVW class together in 2002, Cena and Orton’s paths have been interwoven throughout their entire careers, and while there are fans in 2025 who were very nostalgic for their rivalry to be rekindled with Cena as a heel, their best work as a pairing came in the 2000s when Orton was such an overpowered heel that “2009 Orton” has become something of a final boss character amongst those same fans. However, it would be in 2007 when their rivalry took off as Orton not only punted Cena’s father in the head, but ended up putting Cena on the shelf for three months, taking his WWE Championship in his absence.

When Cena came back, Orton was strategic in how he kept Cena from reclaiming the title, attacking referees to get himself disqualified, and just being the slimiest champion you have ever seen. Things would only escalate when Orton reached his aforementioned final form and having a series of matches throughout 2009 that would see both men trading the WWE Championship back and forth until their 60-minute Iron Man Match at Bragging Rights in October. As time went on, their feud would only become more layered and complicated to the point where many fans had grown tired of it by the time 2013 rolled around, but if Cena and Orton had wrapped up their tale in 2009, it would have been the stuff WWE dreams are made of.

Also, a big shout out to CM Punk and Jeff Hardy, who were feuding at the exact same time, and to many, had the better feud. However, the longevity and impact Cena and Orton’s feud had on their careers, and WWE as a whole, they get the nod on this one.