How Randy Orton Knew John Cena Was Special Before WWE Debut

John Cena is one of the most iconic WWE stars of all time but Randy Orton knew the star was special long before he won his first world title.

Perhaps John Cena has had no greater rival in his WWE career than Randy Orton with the two men having countless matches against each other as they battled for the top spot in the company.

John Cena is winding down his WWE career but is doing so in styles as Cena violently turned heel ahead of his WWE Championship match with Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41.

But long before Cena graced that stage, Orton knew WWE had something special on their hands.

Randy Orton Witnessed Impressive John Cena Promo

Speaking to ESPN in an interview highlighting Cena’s most memorable WrestleMania matches, Randy Orton revealed he knew Cena was special before he even set foot in a WWE ring:

In WWE developmental, there was this guy named BJ Payne. Jim Cornette wanted BJ to cut a promo on the spot, in front of everybody. BJ, bless his heart, kind of just stood there for a second, cat had his tongue. And right then and there, Cena stood up and just cut a promo.

It was storytelling 101. We were on the edge of our seat like, ‘Oh, this guy is really f*cking special.’ That was the first time I realized, ‘Oh man, I’m going to know this guy for the rest of my life.’

Randy Orton is still hoping to have his own WrestleMania 41 moment despite his match being pulled off the card after Kevin Owens was forced to undergo serious neck surgery.