At Survivor Series: WarGames Randy Orton made his long-awaited comeback during the main event in a crowd pleasing moment.
Orton entered the Allstate Arena to help the team of Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, Jey Uso and Sami Zayn defeat Judgment Day and Drew McIntyre during the main event of the PLE.
The following week Orton made his first Raw and SmackDown appearance in 18-months. His Raw return (along with CM Punk‘s) saw the programme draw huge ratings, while his SmackDown presence was commemorated across social media.
One post from the official WWE account caught the eye of one of Orton’s greatest enemies. John Cena, a longtime rival of the Orton reposted a video of the Viper entering the SmackDown ring for the first time since May, 20th, 2022.
Cena and Orton have been rivals since 2007. The two Superstars clashed multiple times throughout their careers and last fought in 2014. Yet, despite their long running feud, they have built up a mutual respect for one another, which was on full show in Cena’s post.
What did John Cena say about Randy Orton?
Absolutely incredible to see @RandyOrton continue to excel after such a storied career. A massive pickup for #Smackdown and a word to the wise … watch out for that RKO!
During his SmackDown appearance, Orton made a big impact on the blue brand. Not only did he set his sights on Roman Reigns, and take out the Bloodline’s Jimmy Uso, but he ended his free agency by signing for the brand, before dropping the General Manager Nick Aldis with an RKO.
Cena also returned to WWE in 2023. During the Writers Guild of America strike, the 16-time World Champion appeared on multiple episodes of SmackDown and performed on several PLEs. At Fastlane, he teamed with LA Knight to defeat the Bloodline before losing to Solo Sikoa in dramatic fashion at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia.