John Cena vs Randy Orton: WWE Backlash 2025 Officially Announced

WWE Backlash 2025: Major Matchups and Storylines Leading to the Event

So far, only one match has been officially announced for WWE Backlash 2025, which is the Undisputed WWE Championship match between John Cena and Randy Orton. This was confirmed on the April 25, 2025 episode of SmackDown, when Randy Orton challenged John Cena for the title in Orton’s hometown.

John Cena hesitated to accept the challenge but threw the WWE Title to Orton. Orton then attacked him with an RKO. This confirmed that John Cena will face Randy Orton at WWE Backlash 2025 as part of Cena’s year-long farewell tour.

So far, this is the only match officially announced. There are no special rules for the match, and WWE has stated that “the card is subject to change” as storylines develop.

There are other important storylines being built up for WWE Backlash 2025, even though the matches haven’t been officially announced yet. On Raw (April 21, 2025), the newly crowned Women’s Tag Team Champions Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez defeated the defending champions Becky Lynch and Lyra Valkyria. After losing the titles, Becky Lynch attacked Lyra Valkyria, which hints at a possible singles match between them.

You really thought Nia Jax was done chasing the WWE Women's Championship?! 😤#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/xoOpYvJbOl

— WWE (@WWE) April 26, 2025

On SmackDown (April 25, 2025), Jade Cargill challenged Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton, but their match was interrupted by Naomi and Nia Jax.

These storylines (and the segments shown on TV) suggest that WWE Backlash 2025 will feature more than just the Cena/Orton match. There are likely to be other big matchups like Becky vs Lyra, Stratton vs Jade, Vega’s U.S. Title reign, and McIntyre/Knight vs Fatu/Sikoa.