WWE's Randy Orton Details Discussion With John Cena About Wrestling Each Other Again

Randy Orton and John Cena are both future WWE Hall of Famers who battled it out over and over again in a rivalry that spanned more than a decade. Following Cena announcing his impending retirement from WWE, Orton spoke about learning of his former rival's retirement plans, as well as the possibility of one more match in their iconic feud on an episode of "What Do You Wanna Talk About?" with Cody Rhodes.

Orton said he "100%" wants to step in the ring with Cena again, and that he was happy to see him in person ahead of his retirement speech at Money in the Bank.

"Toward the end of the conversation I was like, 'Hey, what do you think [about a match]?'" Orton said. "So I had no idea [Cena is retiring], for all I know, he's going to be around for as long as his body will permit him to. But of course he's got other things going, and this is my life. So hats off for him doing the Hollywood thing. If I could, I would, but I've got other priorities. That takes a lot and I don't think I have it to give. But I said, 'What do you think?' And he was like, 'Randy, you know I've never pitched anything, I always do my best with whatever they give me,' and I'm like, 'Man, that's me.'"

Orton said Cena told him he would be open to one more match if "creative came up with it."

Orton told Rhodes he asked Cena what his Money in the Bank speech was going to be about; Cena told Orton "wait and see," which Orton described as "typical John." Orton acknowledged that he knows some fans thought his feuds with Cena went on too long, or that they fought each other too many times. However, he thinks it's been long enough since they've been in the ring together that it's something fans would appreciate.

"I love to work with the man and have a couple TVs, just to set it up and make something special of it," he said. "Because no matter how much we faced each other back in the day, almost to the point where people were sick of it, when people look back and think about it, they're like, 'Oh. Orton, Cena. Wow. It was this amazing rivalry,' and to have that callback, that nostalgia concept ... we could go out there and have some fun and tear the place down."

Orton and Cena have wrestled 22 televised singles matches spanning from November 2005 to February 2017 — 12 of those matches (more than half) were contested for a world championship. Cena holds a 13-8 advantage in the wins column (one match ended in a no contest) but five of Cena's wins came via disqualification as opposed to only two for Orton. If the matches with DQ finishes are removed, the margin becomes narrower, with eight wins for Cena and six for Orton.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "What Do You Wanna Talk About?" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.