5 Opponents who have defined John Cena's career in WWE

#1 Randy Orton

Orton was the Lex Luthor to Cena's Superman

Two of the biggest Superstars to have come out of the Attitude Era, Orton and Cena's paths have crossed numerous times over the past decade and a half. They were a part of the famed OVW Class which also included Brock Lesnar and Batista. Cena and Orton's paths first crossed during the Summer of 2007 after Orton became the No. 1 Contender for Cena's WWE Championship. Cena successfully defended the title against Orton at SummerSlam 2007.

Orton would attack Cena's father on RAW the following night after being denied a rematch for the WWE Championship. The duo clashed once again at Unforgiven 2007 with the match ending in a disqualification after Cena refused to stop attacking Orton in the corner. The Viper would be awarded the WWE Championship at No Mercy 2007 after Cena suffered an injury following an attack by Orton which forced him to vacate the title.

After winning the 2008 Royal Rumble, Cena wouldn't wait for WrestleMania 24 and instead challenged Orton for the WWE Championship at No Way Out. The match ended in a disqualification after Orton intentionally disqualified himself to retain the championship. Cena would defeat Orton the next night on RAW thereby adding to himself to the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania 24 against Orton and Triple H.

The Viper would defeat Cena and Triple H at WrestleMania 24. Cena was also a part of the Fatal-4 Way Elimination Match for the WWE Championship at Backlash 2006 which Triple H ended up winning.

Cena and Orton would feud once again over the WWE Championship during the fall of 2019. Orton and Cena traded wins at Summerslam 2009 and Breaking Point respectively. He would regain the title at Hell in a Cell but would drop the title back to Cena in a 60-minute Ironman Match at Bragging Rights.

Cena and Orton were at loggerheads once again during the fall of 2010 when Cena was forced to join The Nexus. Cena was the referee for Orton's WWE Champion defense against Nexus leader, Wade Barett at Survivor Series 2010. Cena would turn on Barett during the match and Orton ended up defeating Barett to successfully retain the WWE Championship.

It would be another three years before Orton and Cena locked horns once again. The final chapter in this epic rivalry took place during the fall of 2013 when Orton and Cena faced off in a TLC match with their respective titles (WWE and World Heavyweight Championshi ) on the line at TLC 2013.

Orton would defeat Cena to become the first WWE World Heavyweight Champion, thereby unifying both the titles. He would retain the title against Cena at the 2014 Royal Rumble following an interference by The Wyatt Family. The last major PPV match between the two took place at Hell in a Cell 2014 where Cena would defeat Orton to become the No. 1 Contender for Brock Lesnar's WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

While some might say that feud between the two was one of the most overplayed feuds in the company's history, Cena and Orton delivered big time whenever they faced off against one another. The feud between the two was instrumental in propelling the duo to the heights that they ended up achieving. It is almost impossible to imagine their careers without the other one being a part of it.