It’s been 20 years since John Cena, Randy Orton, and Batista made theirWWEdebuts and kicked off the Ruthless Aggression era and a new age in pro-wrestling. Each man would go on to be decorated with manyWWEtitle belts and see themselves as the faces of the company throughout most of the 2000s and early 2010s.Since their debuts, each manhas dabbled with Hollywood, made multiple returns to the company, and faced off against each other or side-by-side.Whether they’re playing superheroesor doing great things for charity, each man is well-respected inWWE, and there’s no doubt that Batistaand Cenaare desperately wanted for aWWEreturn. In the beginning, it would be hard to predict what direction these wrestlers would go in. John Cena had no look besides wearing the shorts of the city’s sports team; Batista was ReverendD-Von’shenchman; Ortonwas a third-generation superstar.RELATED:WWE 2K22: Best WCW CAWs You Need To Download
Three Different Wrestling Careers
None of the three had an easy start. Cenawas not even originally supposed to wrestle his first match against Kurt Angleand his open challenge, but with no other options he was thrown in — and despite losing, made a huge impact. Ortongot a more favorable uplift with a defeat over Hardcore Holly. Cenawould almost be fired from theWWEas he struggled to find a fitting character. It was just before his lastWWEmatch that he finally created the “Doctor of Thuganomics” character. BatistaandOrtonreally came into their own after moving toRAWand joiningEvolution,which, through the help ofrecently retired Triple HandWWElegend Ric Flair,helped establish them as future World Heavyweight Championship contenders.
Each man would go on to achieve an enormous amount of accolades. Cenaiscurrently a 16-time World Champion, Ortona 14-time winner, and Batistahas taken the crown six times. It’s hard to imagine Batistaonly carrying the World Heavyweight Championship as little as four times, due to the fact he was one of the wrestlers alongsiderecent Hall of FamerThe Undertakerand Edge,who carriedSmackdown.
When looking at each star’s championship achievements, Cenais at the very top, but each wrestler themselves has won twoRoyal Rumbles.However, Batistaand Ortonhave both received “most overrated wrestler” awards. Out of the three, Ortonis the most consistent wrestler in terms of years worked, and despite a recent injury following a televisedRAWepisode, hestill wrestles for theWWEwith gold still around his waist.
Cena, Batista, & Orton’s History As Wrestlers
Fans have never had the privilege of having the three stars in a triple-threat match, but the three have faced off either in singles competition or in tag teams. Looking at their singles competition records, Ortonis five to three over Cena, Cenaand Batistaare tied at two apiece and Batistais five to four over Orton.All have victories over each other in tag-team matches; however, due to heel and face reasons they have never been on a tag-team together, such as inSurvivor Series.
Despite being a hero/anti-heroforDC Comics,traditionally Cenahas been face for most of hisWWEcareer, and has had much more success with that than his fellow superstars mentioned. On the other hand, Ortonhas been an amazing heel for years and fans are always expecting him to turn on whatever superstar he is grouped with. Batista,meanwhile, had one of the best heel turns in the company after being face for so many years, resulting in one of the best rivalries with both Ortonand Cena. Cenaand Ortonhave also had some infamous matches in theirWWEcareers. Cena’s feuds with both Batistaand Ortonalone are reason enough forhis high ratingonWWE 2K22.
Each wrestler has had iconic finishing moves from the very beginning. Batista(whois now an unlockableinWWE 2K22) turned a regular power-bomb and spear and really made them his own. The Batista Bombwas one of the best-regarded and most-loved finishing moves, and showed Batista’soverall power.Randy Ortonand his internet popularitytook his regular RKOfinisher and added the hashtag #RKOouttanowhere, and became an internet sensation. There’s no doubt commentators always look forward to a surprise RKO. Cena’s Attitude Adjustment,in which he lifts an unbelievable amount of weight, has always been a striking moment. Whether it was lifting The Great Khalior The Big Showand Edgesimultaneously, Cenahas always proven his worth and put on an incredible performance. At the same time though, it’s nothing like an RKO against Seth Rollins atWrestlemania 31.
Each star has had incredible feuds with other wrestlers, and has had onewith legendary heel-turner Edge. John Cenain particular has had many incredible feuds over the years, mainly due to the fact he was the face of the company. Cenahas had feuds with CM Punk, Shawn Michaels, The Rock, Kevin Owens,and so many more. A lot of these feuds are part-and-parcel with those 16 world title victories.There’s every chance that once he’s back from injury, Randy Ortoncould have another world title shot and potentially equal Cena’s record, but it’s debatable whetherWWEwould let that happen before letting Cenahave another title run before retirement.
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Who Wins The Showdown?
When comparing each wrestler, Batistahas had some of the best heel turns for a face wrestler. Ortonhas been the most consistent wrestler in the company and still has plenty of years left. Even after all their championships and impacts in the Ruthless Aggressionera, however, neither can quite equal the achievements and impact that John Cenahas given theWWEover the last 20 years. Fans alwayshope that he will make another returntoWWE, but his role asDC Comics’Peacemakerhas certainly worked out for himcareer-wise. Cena has seen the most feuds, the most exciting matches, and the most championship victories including five impressive United States Championshipruns. After The Rockand Stone Cold Steve Austinleft theWWE, Cena was right there and ready to become the face of the company. Whilst post-Ruthless AggressiontheWWEhas lacked attitude, it hasn’t lacked performance from John Cena.
Now considered a legend, Cenamay have not been the most exciting wrestler in the ring, but he was certainly the most charismatic. He was the perfect wrestler for the older fans to hate and the younger fans to love. His charity work is unmatched. Randy Orton, Dave Bautista,and John Cenawere some of the biggest names of their time, and 20 years later they are still greatly loved and respected for their work. It is deeply hoped that the three of them may yet face off against each other in a never-before-seen match.
