A surprise moment unfolded on the May 10th, 2025 edition of WWE SmackDown, as John Cena was blindsided—almost—by an attempted RKO from a mysterious masked individual. However, the move didn’t connect, and it quickly became clear the attacker was a decoy. Seconds later, the real Randy Orton emerged and successfully dropped Cena with his signature RKO, laying the groundwork for their high-stakes WWE Undisputed Championship clash at Backlash.
Randy Orton tricked John Cena into an RKO!#SmackDown
— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) May 10, 2025
Fans online were quick to identify the disguised man due to his distinctive tattoos: the mystery attacker was none other than NXT star Shawn Spears, who currently leads the dark and rising Culling faction on WWE’s developmental brand.
Spears’ involvement marks an intriguing twist heading into Backlash, where Orton will challenge Cena in his hometown of St. Louis. The use of Spears as a decoy not only caught Cena off guard but has also fueled speculation about potential ties between The Culling and main roster stars like Orton.
Stay tuned to PWMania.com for live results and coverage of WWE Backlash 2025 tonight.
