Cody Rhodes, just like so many wrestling loyalists, looks at Randy Orton as the first-ballot WWE Hall of Famer. But who will be privileged to induct “The Viper” still forms a heated debate. On a recent episode of “What Do You Wanna Talk About,” Orton dropped a hint about his long-term rival, John Cena, as a possible candidate.
"But I almost don't want to say it because I feel like he would hear that and then feel obligated, but maybe John," Orton shared frankly' there are also a few reasons selfishly for this because I know he would kill it. He's done some inductions. [William] 'Refrigerator' Perry, the football player. I don’t really follow sports, so I didn’t realize who he was. It was Cena who inducted him [in 2006], and just sitting there and watching John just do what he does, I was totally spellbound. Because of where things are now and how much respect we’ve gained for each other over time if anyone could do my induction justice better than most people, it’s probably John.”
Randy Orton Praises Cena
It is obvious that Orton acknowledges Cena's ability to attract massive audience attention; hence, their past experiences in WWE make Cena an ideal choice, among others. Between them, Cena and Orton are two of WWE’s greatest-ever performers, with 16 world title reigns each by Cena (the joint highest ever), while Orton has closely followed with 14 titles won to date. They were also part of the prestigious Ohio Valley Wrestling class of 2002, which laid the foundations for their iconic main roster feuds.
Even though Orton respects Cena significantly, he is unwilling to approach him directly.“I almost hate even saying it out loud just because I can’t imagine how busy that dude is with everything he’s got going on,” continued Orton. "I tend to sell myself short, and I feel like maybe he would love to do it, but I don't know I could ask him.”