John Cena recently retired at Saturday Night’s Main Event against Gunther. Cena’s retirement was announced last year, but it was still a surreal moment for wrestling fans to see him wrestle for the last time. Some fans wanted him to win, but as Natalya said a few weeks back, Cena went out on his back.
Over the past few days and weeks, many of John Cena’s colleagues paid tribute to him, whether it was through their in-ring gear, posting about him on social media, or being part of WWE’s tribute video for The Cenation Leader.
In WWE’s tribute video, some of John Cena’s biggest rivals (Orton and Edge) didn’t appear, and fans were wondering why. Now, The Viper has also spoken about Cena’s retirement through social media and also revealed why he was absent during his retirement show.
Randy Orton Says He Talked To John Cena On The Day Of His Retirement, And Why He Couldn’t Attend His Retirement Show
On his social media, Randy Orton explained that he was busy promoting the 2026 Royal Rumble, which is scheduled to take place in Riyadh. It’s why he couldn’t appear on Saturday Night’s Main Event in Washington, DC, for Cena’s final match.
Orton said he and Cena talked on Saturday before his retirement, and that he learned a lot from working with him. Fans can read the full caption below:
I broke into the wrestling business and grew up for the past 2 decades alongside John Cena.
I wrestled with or against him 100 times, at least. I would have enjoyed being there in DC for WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event and witness his emotional send off into retirement. But I know if ANYONE understands my absence, it’s John, because I was in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia promoting Riyadh Season and Royal Rumble.
The morning of his retirement we exchanged a few texts, and I was honored to speak with him on such a big day. I look forward to following John’s career in Hollywood AND beyond. Skys the limit with this guy. An inspiration not only to generations of fans, but to myself, who was lucky enough to learn firsthand from one of the most OVER wrestlers ever.
Thanks for being so good to my family over the years and thanks for making the lockeroom a better place. Take care John, and I’ll see ya around.
Randy Orton and John Cena worked with each other a dozen times in WWE. Even though fans have mixed opinions regarding their storyline, it doesn’t change the fact that Orton and Cena were both so instrumental in each other’s careers. They are both 2002 OVW graduates and started in the business around the same time.
Before John Cena’s retirement, he and Orton wrestled each other for the last time at Backlash, where the Never Seen 17 defeated The Apex Predator for the Undisputed WWE Championship.
Ishaan Sharma has been following wrestling ever since he was 8. That was over a decade ago. He loves to write about this pretend sport and has worked with online publications such as Sportskeeda and TheSportster, where he shared his insights about the wrestling business.