John Cena's Retirement - Some in WWE Disappointed Over Absent Legend

Many of Cena's past foes were in attendance and watched him lose to Gunther in the main event, including Kurt Angle and Kevin Owens. But Randy Orton didn't appear in the US capital on the night, and the fans' issues over his absence have reportedly been shared backstage in WWE.

Fightful Select reports that "some backstage" were "disappointed" that Orton was unable to attend Cena's retirement match and show. He was in Saudi Arabia along with several other WWE stars to promote the 2026 Royal Rumble, which takes place in Riyadh on January 31st.

Orton was Cena's fiercest rival during his career, and the pair have faced one another more than any other opponent. Their last interaction came at Backlash earlier this year, when a heel Cena defeated a babyface Orton thanks to interference from R-Truth.

The legendary duo have collided on 21 occasions and were the two top stars during the PG era. They spent their careers together including in developmental before landing on the main roster.

Orton isn't just promoting the Rumble as he's also doing promotional work for MrBeast's theme park. He has been absent from WWE TV since October 3rd but is advertised for the SmackDown go-home show ahead of the Rumble next month.

When is Randy Orton Retiring?

It feels like a new era in WWE because some of the promotion's top stars are retiring including Cena. AJ Styles has announced he will be calling time on his career at some stage next year and Brock Lesnar looks set to do so at SummerSlam in Minnesota.

That's three major WWE stars who may have bid farewell to the pro wrestling business by this time next year. It stirs up curiosity over how long Orton has left in the ring.

Orton is reportedly under contract with WWE until 2029, and he has previously indicated that he has no plans of retiring just yet. He has been working a lighter schedule in recent years, having recovered from a career-threatening lower-back injury which required spinal fusion surgery.

The 45-year-old returned to WWE at Survivor Series back in November 2023 and has been a babyface since then. Many are anticipating a heel turn and for him to potentially feud with Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes at some stage in the near future.