On night two’s main event for WrestleMania 41, John Cena defeated Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes to mark his 17th world title, having previously won 14 WWE titles and having had three World Heavyweight championship reigns. Thus, in WWE canon, John Cena is the most decorated world champion in the history of the business, superseding 16-time titleholder Ric Flair.
However, this could not be further from reality, with “The Nature Boy” actually having more likely 25 world title reigns, many of which remain unrecognised by the WWE.
25, Not 16?
As noted in my piece on WWE myths, Ric Flair can be said to have a minimum of 21 world title reigns though the number 25 is perhaps more realistic.
I have written previously about the different reigns the WWE refuses to recognise. For example, overseas losses meant only for the local crowd to see such as against Carlos Colon in Puerto Rico, Jack Veneno in San Domingo, and Victor Jovica in Trinidad and Tobago are all swept under the ring by WWE. It has also been inconsistent on whether it chooses to count Tatsumi Fujinami’s 1991 reign. All times, the belt was quickly returned to Flair shortly after.
Plus, occasions where Flair lost the belt for a brief stint have been scrubbed over. A loss to Harley Race in New Zealand, a loss to Midnight Rider Dusty Rhodes before the strap was returned, and a brief period when the title was held up after an indecisive result against Ricky Steamboat have too been erased.
Plus, Flair had two reigns with the short-lived and confusingly-lineaged International belt, which served as a recognised world title in WCW in the mid-late 1990s amid a trademark battle with the NWA. Flair twice held this belt though WWE recognise neither reign.
Together, that counts for 25 title reigns although that figure is by no means a fixed and correct quantity. For example, Mark Lewin and Bruiser Brody are also said to have pinned Flair for the NWA belt though little information exists on these reigns – enough doubt of their credibility to question whether they really can be counted.
Why Break The Record?
A big question is why the WWE would break this record.
One of the most obvious is that John Cena is a huge name, and this is a great accolade. Although already hosting a massive legacy, it caps off a sensational career and will give Cena a high point as he enters the twilight of his career. After all, if anyone has a claim to beat Flair’s record, it should be Cena – even if he probably did not need sidekick Travis Scott to help him do it.
Cena had reportedly long opposed a 17th world title reign out of respect for Flair but is now a good heel heat gimmick for someone fans love to ridicule.
Additionally, from the business side, there may be a few reasons. First of all, Flair was not a WWE guy. Out of his reigns, only two were in the WWF – that means 14 were in the NWA or WCW, non-WWE products who are now increasingly non-visible since the end of the WWE Network and the gleeful destruction of decades of wrestling footage that is now no longer accessible. While both Cena and Flair had both won a kayfabe 16 world titles over a similar period (both did so in about two decades), Cena’s were entirely within the WWE.
More seriously, Flair’s legacy is a chequered one. WWE may not want to always put on a pedestal a man who has been accused of some heinous sexual misconduct and whose retirement show nearly saw a septuagenarian die in the ring.
To conclude, over the last decade, knowing his reputation, Cena has really worked to overturn the consensus that “Cena sucks” and he – more so than anyone – does truly deserve the accolade. However, in reality, Cena could never really match Flair’s 20+ world titles, especially as his current heel run is heavily implied to be his last. But to be the man, he’s got to beat the man and at the minute, Flair’s record is still unbeaten.
GRIFFIN KAYE.
