Randy Orton reflected on his long history with John Cena and explained why he couldn't attend Cena's WWE retirement match.

Following John Cena’s historic 17th World Championship victory at “WrestleMania 41,” the discussion has turned to whether anyone on the current WWE roster can surpass the new record. While Randy Orton stands as the closest active competitor with 14 reigns, WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash believes “The Viper” is unlikely to chase the milestone.

But Orton is never one to shy away. The 14-time world champion took to Instagram to not only pay tribute to his great in-ring rival, but to explain why he didn't attend Cena's final match, which he lost by submission to Gunther.

Few wrestlers are more synonymous with Cena's career than Orton, and while The Viper made it clear that he would have loved to have been in Washington, D.C., to support Cena, he still went out of his way to let Cena know he was in his thoughts on one of the biggest days of Cena's career.

John Cena's iconic WWE rival Randy Orton has penned down an emotional note just days after missing out on the former's retirement match.

Randy Orton has been off WWE TV since October but could be back in time for the 2026 Royal Rumble. Have you missed him?

Orton hasn't stepped inside the ring since the Oct. 3 episode of SmackDown. He teamed with Cody Rhodes in a loss to Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed. Like Punk, retirement is broadly far from Orton's mind. He told Complex's Raj Prashad in April he re-signed with WWE on a five-year deal.

Randy Orton knows what to do while riding a rollercoaster. After not attending John Cena’s retirement match at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, 14-time world champion Randy Orton revealed that he was in Saudi Arabia,