If Randy Orton wins the WWE Championship at Unforgiven this Sunday, he will not point to Sept. 16, 2007 as the day he made history. He will tell anyone who’ll listen that he really won the WWE Championship on Aug. 27, 2007 – the day he punted John Cena’s father in the skull and got inside The Champ’s head.

Cena hasn’t been the same since that day. Normally cool, composed, and focused on his WWE Championship, The Champ has been in an uncontrollable rage. He has had only one thought in his head – getting his hands on Orton and destroying him. The WWE Championship has been an afterthought at best. And Orton knows this; it was his plan all along, as he said Monday night on Raw. The third-generation star believes he has won the title already, and some Superstars think he may be right.

“Randy Orton’s in John Cena’s head, and he’s going to take his head off on Sunday,” said Carlito, a longtime rival of the WWE Champion. “Cena’s got nothing left to give, and it should be an easy victory for Randy Orton at Unforgiven."

Superstars and fans alike have been startled by the never-before-seen side of Cena. Once quick with a ready smile and wicked sense of humor, Cena has been distant. His eyes have been vacant, yet full of smoking, volcanic rage. His jaw has remained taut, the veins in his neck perpetually bulging at the very thought of Orton. He hasn’t been able to get the image of Orton attacking his father out of his head.

To be successful at Unforgiven, longtime observers say Cena must make a choice – either the absolute destruction of Randy Orton or the WWE Championship. There may not be room for any middle ground.

“Cena’s got to decide what he wants to do this Sunday – do I want to beat Orton and retain the WWE Championship, or do I want to simply destroy Orton?” said Jim Ross, WWE Hall of Fame broadcaster and voice of Raw. “Because in the process of destroying someone, Cena could become very susceptible to the RKO.”

Still, J.R. stopped short of saying that Orton has won the WWE Championship. The Legend Killer will need more than mind games to make history at Unforgiven.

“You still got to beat the guy in the ring. You still got to get the three-count or submission and that’s what Randy Orton will be looking for,” he said. “Orton certainly has done himself a great deal of positive positioning by getting in Cena’s head.”

Or maybe not. Since the attack on his father, Cena has shown that he can be vicious and is capable of hurting people. Just ask Raw GM William Regal, who has been convalescing since The Champ clamped an STFU on him for several minutes last week. If Cena is able to channel his anger and see retaining the WWE Championship as the best revenge for his father, Orton could be in for an unforgiving rude awakening at Unforgiven.

“I think what Randy Orton has done will come back to bite him in the rear end,” said WWE Hall of Famer and Raw broadcaster Jerry “The King” Lawler. “I’ve never seen John Cena this upset, this angry, this focused. We’ve already seen him take just a little bit of his anger out on somebody other than Randy Orton. I think when he finally gets his hands on Orton, it’s going to be a scary sight. … I think Orton’s going to wish he never saw John Cena’s father, much less did what he did.”

If that happens, Orton’s head games with Cena will leave him with a headache instead of the WWE Championship at Unforgiven this Sunday.

Vote: Has Orton already won the WWE Championship? 

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