The mystery surrounding the fake Randy Orton who attacked John Cena on the May 9, 2025, episode of WWE SmackDown has been solvedand its none other than NXTs Shawn Spears.
In the closing segment of SmackDown, Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena was in the ring hyping his upcoming title clash against Randy Orton at WWE Backlash. Suddenly, a hooded figure wearing a balaclava slid into the ring and attempted to hit Cena with an RKO. Cena countered, delivering an Attitude Adjustment.
It was the tattoos and body type that gave it away. Spears, whose arm tattoos dont extend to his forearms like Ortons, was seen wearing black tape around the bottom half of his arms to disguise the exposed skin.
Moments later, the real Orton hit the ring and delivered a vicious RKO to Cena, standing tall with the championship belt to close the show.
Spears is currently the leader of The Culling group in NXT, alongside Brooks Jensen, Niko Vance, and Izzi Dame. The faction has been gaining momentum, and Spears appearance on SmackDown could signal a major storyline shift for him moving forward.
Did WWE just tease a bigger role for Shawn Spears on the main roster, or was this a one-off stunt? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!
