Keys to the Game 8.25.07: Cena vs. Orton

Now, twenty years later, my two choice combatants are John Cena and Randy Orton. Cena, I feel, is in the middle of a historic run. Orton is my man-crush. Finally, tomorrow night at SummerSlam, I not only get to enjoy my current Dream Match, but I get to see both men in the prime of their careers and it’s all for the most coveted prize in processional wrestling today: The WWE Championship.

THE PLAYERS

Name: John Cena
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 240 lbs
From: West Newbury, Ma
Signature Moves: FU, STFU
Career Highlights: United States Champion (x3), WWE Champion (x3), World Tag Team Champion, PWI 2006 Wrestler of the Year, WWE Magazine 2006 Superstar of the Year

Name: Randy Orton
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 24b lbs
From: St. Louis, Missouri
Signature Moves: RKO
Career Highlights: WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE World Tag Team Champion, World Heavyweight Champion, Youngest World Champion in Professional Wrestling History, PWI 2000 Rookie of the Year, 17th Triple Crown Champion.

RECENT HISTORY

Last month Randy Orton was revealed to be the number one contender for the WWE Championship, and promptly announced this to John Cena by delivering his patented RKO to Cena following a mix-tag match on RAW. Since that time, Cena has been on the receiving end of three more RKO’s, most notably one at Saturday Night’s Main Event through a steel chair.
Orton has done a remarkable job at being able to snipe Cena week after week, and has suffered no physical or mental retaliation.

KEYS TO THE GAME

PSYCHOLOGY
Mental toughness is one of the most underrated qualities that the WWE Champion possesses. Weather he is entering the Hammerstein Ballroom vs, RVD, Injured vs. Umaga, or at WrestleMania vs. Shawn Michaels, John Cena has never been shaken as much as he should be now preparing for his title defense against Randy Orton. As stated above, Orton has dominated all physical as well as psychological warfare leading up to SummerSlam. Even against mind game masters like HBK, Cena was at least able to get in a pre-match FU. Against Orton, nothing.

Young Randal on the other hand, leaves a mass of injuries is his wake. HBK, RVD, and Dusty Rhodes top the list of victims that still have not returned to action, with Rhodes’ vaunted man-tits even ceasing to lactate. Along with the returning talk of recapturing destiny at SummerSlam, Randy Orton has positioned himself in nearly perfect position to unseat John Cena’s “Legendary” eleven month WWE Championship reign.
ADVANTAGE – Randy Orton

POWER
Cena obviously holds a distinct power advantage in this contest. However, Orton’s height and reach advantage, coupled with his ability to utilize leverage, could help to restrain himself form being over powered. Orton, while usually enjoying a size advantage on his opponents, does not usually employ a power game on a head-to-head level. Rather he utilizes leverage holds on his opponent while conserving himself for offensive bursts. Orton had great success with this strategy at last year’s strategy when squaring off against Hulk Hogan. That being said, the power of a 53 year old Hogan will be considerably different than that of the 30 year old WWE Champion.
ADVANTAGE – John Cena

EXPERIENCE
Obviously John Cena holds a decided advantage with regards to high-profile championship matches. However, I’d be hesitant to rule out the knowledge and lessons that Orton acquired during his brief flirt with the World Heavyweight title three years ago. Also, don’t disregard the level of focus that Orton will bring to this opportunity due to the bad taste left in his mouth from that previous title reign. As a member of Evolution, Orton was additionally exposed to Flair and HHH on a day to day basis.

Still, Cena has been the one who has “walked that aisle” for the past three years, not Orton.
ADVANTAGE – John Cena

RESILIENCY
Cena’s resiliency has already reached “Legendary” status, but just how much can one man take? And more importantly, how long? John Cena’s eleven month reign as WWE Champion is so much more impressive when you look at who and how he’s managed to retain his title. Just in the past seven months, Cena has prevailed in major feuds with Umaga (previously undefeated), The Great Khali (previously not pinned or made to submit), Shawn Michaels (do I really need a comment here?), and Bobby Lashley. He has defeated these and others in a variety of matches and conditions not exactly conducive to consistency. Yet, more and more, we can glimpse the chinks in Cena’s armor. He was cleanly defeated by Shawn Michaels and The Great Khali. He has been caught off guard and speared by the “devious” Bobby Lashley for chrissakes! And now, Orton has totally dominated all pre-match interactions.

Orton on the other hand, while he has trampled the competition, has been known to falter in recent big-fight matches (Undertaker, Triple H, Rey Mysterio) Under ideal circumstances Cena walks away with this category… here, he barely skates away with it.
ADVANTAGE – John Cena

TECHNICAL
While John Cena has grown in leaps and bounds with his technical skills over the past few years. Randy Orton is a true in-ring technician who understands how to control not only his opponent, but the pace of the overall match. Orton’s ability to wear down his opponent with mat holds and finesse with concentrating on isolating specific target areas leaves Cena in the position of having to turn tomorrow night’s contest into a speed match, where Orton’s slower game plan will have difficulty evolving.
ADVANTAGE – Randy Orton

FINISHER
Both combatants possess arguably the most effective finishers in the game today, and I feel that if either man connects/locks-on their signature closer, this will signal the end of the contest. While Randy Orton’s wiry frame may help him escape to the ropes if caught in Cena’s STFU, that same frame will go limp for the duration of a three-count if exposed to an FU. Cena also has been shown to be vulnerable to Orton’s RKO, and I believe that if Orton connects and can cover within a reasonable time, that we see a new era begin in the legacy of the WWE title. Based on past performance I am hesitant to discount Cena’s ability to find a way to execute the FU, or to lock on the STFU, Orton’s RKO can literally come out of nowhere at any time. For this reason, added with the fact that Cena may already be suffering ill-effects from recent exposure to this maneuver, I must side with the Legend Killer in this category.
ADVANTAGE– Randy Orton

KEYS TO VICTORY

RANDY ORTON
Even though he’s the challenger, Orton has all the stars in alignment for tomorrow night. He returns to SummerSlam where he first captured World title gold against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, he has been on one of his finest “Legend Killer” streaks of his career, and he has totally dominated Cena to this point. But, he still needs to get the job done between the ropes, and that’s where John Cena has been the best ion the world for the past three years.
Orton needs to use as much of his technical proficiency to unbalance the power of Cena. Cena also should be weak in his head/neck region from the past few weeks of punishment. Orton should, as he usually does, focus in on that area, and try to catch Cena unawares and finish him with the RKO.
With Cena unable to get his hands on Orton to this point, a cocky attitude and some in and out of the ring action may be enough to frustrate Cena into a compromising situation.

JOHN CENA
He’s the champ, period. With all that has been said and done, as well as written above, Orton still needs to lay Cena down for the big three count. Cena has proved time and time again that he can walk the walk, take a lick’n and keep on tick’n. Cena needs to keep his head straight and focus on the task at hand; retaining the WWE Championship. O do that, Cena needs to put aside all that has accumulated over the past month with Orton. If he can, than he successfully erases all damage done, and shelves Orton next to Lashley, Michaels, Khali, and Umaga.
Cena showed tremendous poise against Lashley, and was able to hold out long enough to find a way to put the big man down. Fortunately for Cena, Lashley did not posses a true game closer… Orton does.

IN THE END…

In the end it will come down to who seizes that crucial moment. While Cena has become exceedingly adept at recognizing that moment, Orton is one who actively seeks it. The first person to mentally break, and lose focus of why they’re there will be the one who walks out without the gold.