WWE Officially Announces John Cena vs Randy Orton for Final Time
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
John Cena has officially won the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 41, meaning he is a record-breaking 17th time world champion.
While the victory was in controversial fashion, it marks a major point in his retirement tour, potentially setting up multiple matches with up-and-coming stars.
More Pro Wrestling: Released WWE Superstar Breaks Silence On Departure
But before that, Cena will have to deal with an old friend from his past.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 20: John Cena is introduced before his match against Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship during WrestleMania 41 at Allegiant Stadium on April 20, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 20: John Cena is introduced before his match against Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship during WrestleMania 41 at Allegiant Stadium on April 20, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.On this past Monday Night Raw, Cena explained to the audience why and how he planned to ruin professional wrestling. What he didn't expect was a surprise RKO from longtime rival Randy Orton.
On Friday Night SmackDown, the two met in the ring again, this time to hash things out verbally.
Orton explained that he couldn't let Cena ruin professional wrestling, something he has loved his entire life.
This promo eventually led to Cena officially accepting Orton's challenge for the Undisputed WWE Championship, meaning that they would face off against each other, likely for the last time, on May 10, 2025, at Backlash in St. Louis: Orton's hometown.
More Pro Wrestling: WWE Superstar Announces Retirement Match
Cena and Orton have a long history as rivals, dating back to when they were in WWE's former developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling in 2001.
This match will mark the 22nd world title match these two have engaged in, including matches with other wrestlers. Of the 21 previous matches, Cena has won nine of the matches while Orton has won 10.
The dynamic for this final title match will be particularly interesting because the alignments have been reversed.
More Pro Wrestling: Charlotte Flair Wanted A Different WWE Ring Name
Cena has long been one of the most beloved heroes of WWE while Orton served as his arch villain, doing things like blowing up Cena with fireworks and punting his father in the head.
John Cena to Randy Orton at Backlash: pic.twitter.com/qfRpoHrGAa — Wrestling Pics & Clips (@WrestleClips) April 26, 2025
Now, Cena has lived long enough to see himself become the villain while Orton is seen as a beloved figure and family man who isn't afraid to get the job done in the ring.
For WWE fans who grew up during the 2000s, this will be a match made in heaven.
More Pro Wrestling: Bayley May Be Leaving WWE: Report
AJ Styles Was Not Happy With WWE WrestleMania Match
For more WWE and professional wrestling news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
"AE Catering To The MAGA Agenda Was Not On My 2025 Checklist": American Eagle Has Just Responded To All The Backlash From Their Sydney Sweeney Ad
After American Eagle revealed that Sydney Sweeney is the face of their new jeans campaign with the tagline "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans" (obviously a pun on "great genes"), the brand has faced major backlash. And American Eagle just responded with this statement on their social media accounts: Related: As expected, people came in hot with the reactions. They called the brand out for ignoring the fact that their campaign offended a lot of people: Also pointing out how the response feels very tailored to Republicans: Related: Most can't believe they didn't apologize: And there are, of course, people who are defending the brand's response: But, overall, people seem to have common feelings about it: Related: The whole thing doesn't feel real for some: And people are sharing their disappointment: Furthermore, people have additional complaints about the ad: Related: And even grammar is being brought into the criticism: But American Eagle seems to be sticking by what they advertised, no matter how it is interpreted: Sydney Sweeney's team has not issued a statement yet, but we will let you know if they do. Also in Celebrity: Also in Celebrity: Also in Celebrity: Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle ads sparked outrage. PR pros say it will make her a bigger star.
Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle ads have faced backlash from critics who say they're a "eugenics dog whistle." The publicity around the ads helped Sweeney become a meme stock icon overnight. PR experts say Sweeney's brand thrives on controversy, and this will only boost her appeal. You may have heard by now that Sydney Sweeney has great jeans, or genes, or both. According to public relations experts, she also has pretty great brand awareness. That's perhaps not the prognosis you'd expect for someone whose latest American Eagle ad campaign, "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans," sparked online backlash this week. In the pricey campaign, the 27-year-old actor stars in a series of clips that lean heavily on punny wordplay and glimpses of her cleavage. (At one point, she even cheekily scolds the camera: "Hey! Eyes up here!") "Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color," Sweeney says in one clip, the camera panning across her denim-clad body. "My genes are blue." The ads quickly caught heat from critics, who called them "regressive," "offensive," and a "eugenics dog whistle." "These days, a blond, blue-eyed white woman being held up as the exemplar of 'great genes' is a concept that maybe shouldn't have made it past the copywriters room," Jenny G. Zhang wrote at Slate. TikTok was less charitable. "It's diabolical copy in this political climate," the user @JessBritvich said in a video with more than 2.8 million views. Not everyone was fazed. Some pointed out that the American tradition of having sexualized young actresses hawk denim dates back to Brooke Shields' infamous 1980 Calvin Klein ad; conservative pundits such as Megyn Kelly were happy to call out "the lunatic left" for being thrown into a tizzy. Even the White House communications manager, Steven Cheung, weighed in, calling the backlash "cancel culture run amok" in a post on X. Sweeney herself has continued on with business as usual: On Monday, she posted a photo of her manicure to her Instagram Story. She's so far declined to address her detractors or release a statement, and her representatives, as well as American Eagle's, didn't respond to our requests for comment. If people are waiting for Sweeney to capitulate, it looks like they'll need to set up camp. "She is not buckling to the mob," Eric Schiffer, a PR and branding expert, told me. "She's going to be even bigger because of this." Sweeney's brand is about doubling down, not shrinking away Sweeney's team-up with American Eagle isn't the first time she's leaned into her sexuality and sparked controversy while promoting a product. Her spring collaboration with the hygiene company Dr. Squatch made waves with its limited-edition bar of soap called "Sydney's Bathwater Bliss," which the company says is made with "her actual bathwater." While a criticism of that campaign was to accuse Sweeney of becoming a pawn for the patriarchy, Sweeney's perceived lack of agency may have been overblown: Sweeney told E! News she actually pitched the bathwater soap idea herself. Men "kept asking about my bathwater," she said. She simply listened. The American Eagle ads operate in much the same way, positioning Sweeney as a willing sex symbol who's just here to give the people what they want. Schiffer said Sweeney's recent endorsements reinforce the core tenets of her brand as a woman who's fearless, rebellious, unabashedly sexy, and apparently comfortable with a certain level of controversy. "I think she likes it," Schiffer said of Sweeney's penchant for riling up the masses. "She's got a strong sense of self, and my sense is she doesn't have a lot of anxiety over this kind of thing." Sweeney's path in Hollywood is more calculated than it appears Sweeney's breakout role in HBO's "Euphoria" as Cassie Howard, an insecure high schooler who seeks validation in men, put her on the map. The show's controversy-courting depictions of sex and drugs — and Cassie's many nude scenes in particular, which critics called gratuitous — made her a sex symbol the public couldn't quite decide whether they should root for or apologize to. When Sweeney finally spoke about baring it all on screen, she set the record straight. "There are hourlong compilations of world-famous male actors with nude scenes who win Oscars and get praised for that work," Sweeney told Cosmopolitan. "But the moment a woman does it, it degrades them." The same year, she told The Hollywood Reporter she'd continue filming nude scenes despite the invasive comments and slut-shaming she'd faced as a result. Instead of shying away from her assets, Sweeney frequently takes roles in which she appears comfortable embracing them. While hosting "Saturday Night Live," she joked in her monologue about how showing her breasts was her career plan B and played a Hooters waitress in a skit. Embracing her sexuality creates a dissonance with Sweeney's savvier business decisions, such as taking a risk on the Marvel flop "Madame Web" because it forged valuable future connections at Sony, and pulling double duty as star and executive producer on 2023's box-office hit "Anyone But You." She's also been up front about her need to hustle for a paycheck, telling The Hollywood Reporter she couldn't afford to take a break from acting. But while Sweeney may be taking brand deals for the paycheck, it's unlikely that she isn't thinking critically about her image when signing on to a major American Eagle campaign. 'Capitalism trumps cancellation' Highlighting the appeal of a blond white woman with jokes about "genes" was always going to be risky at a time when white supremacists feel politically emboldened. But despite the strong reactions on social media, the PR professionals I spoke with agreed that there's a difference between looking to offend people and playfully ruffling a few feathers. "The question is, was [the campaign] meant to offend? I think the answer to that is an unequivocal no," Tara Goodwin, a crisis communications expert who's the founder of Goodwin Consulting, told me. "Was it meant to be thought-provoking and maybe get you a little bit riled up? Yes, I think so. And all in the name of money." It's more likely that Sweeney's team anticipated some level of pushback, as with the bathwater stunt, and decided it would be worth the gamble. "She likes to be a little bit provocative," Goodwin said. If sex sells — well, so does outrage. Sweeney seems at ease leaning into both. And if there's outrage online, Schiffer noted, that's only half the story. "The numbers speak. I mean, look at all the stuff that some of these stars have been through, yet they continue to succeed," Schiffer said, citing Morgan Wallen as a recent example of a controversy-courting superstar. Sweeney's numbers are speaking loud and clear: Dr. Squatch told AdWeek that nearly 1 million people signed up for the Sydney's Bathwater Bliss giveaway in a five-day period; one month later, Unilever acquired the brand in a reported $1.5 billion sale. After Sweeney's partnership with American Eagle was announced, the company's stock soared 19% in premarket trading, earning Sweeney the title of "meme stock icon." "Yeah, she may face some casting directors who will see her as a slight liability with some of the people that she alienated," Schiffer said of Sweeney's future, "but there's going to be plenty of casting directors who will do backflips for her for the next project, so it evens out." "If the sales stay strong, corporate America will shrug at all this," Schiffer concluded. "Capitalism trumps cancellation." Correction: August 1, 2025 — An earlier version of this story misstated the name of Sydney Sweeney's character in "Euphoria." It's Cassie Howard, not Cassie Edwards. Read the original article on Business Insider
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Jelly Roll gives credit to WWE stars ahead of SummerSlam: 'That wrestling-is-fake stuff gotta go out the door'
Country music star Jelly Roll is set for a tag-team match at SummerSlam with WWE star Randy Orton against Drew McIntyre and Logan Paul this weekend. Jelly Roll appeared at WrestleMania 41 back in April, and as of late he was mixing it up in the ring as he tried to save Orton from McIntyre and Paul's assaults. The 6-foot-1 music star also took a dropkick to the face from McIntyre at Saturday Night's Main Event. On the penultimate "Friday Night SmackDown" before SummerSlam, Jelly Roll delivered a Black Hole Slam to Paul. It was one of the last licks to get in before his match. Make no mistake, Jelly Roll said, pro wrestling is as real as it gets. "These men and women put their bodies through hell … I really understand it now that I went in there. . . . Listen man, that wrestling-is-fake stuff gotta go out the door," he said Friday on ESPN's "Get Up." "There's no fake way to land on a piece of plywood in-front of 60,000 people. There's no fake way to go over a cable rope. "I broke my pinkie week one of training by accident. It's a constant collision." Jelly Roll added that he wouldn't have had "any courage" to perform at SummerSlam if he didn't have Orton in his corner. Orton also gave Jelly Roll massive praise for how he's handled the increased spotlight in the last few weeks. "I think it's pretty much common knowledge that Jelly Roll is an amazing human being. He makes time for everybody no matter who you are. He met my wife while he was hosting the 'Jimmy Kimmel Show' a few weeks ago," Orton said. "He was doing rehearsal, he was being pulled every which way, everyone needed a piece of Jelly Roll for rehearsal, but he made five minutes of time to meet my wife and gave her his time. "He's just an amazing human being and he's working as hard as anyone if not harder as anyone who's come into our world." SummerSlam is set for Saturday and Sunday night at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
