John Cena has spoken candidly about it winning his 17th world titleadmitting that it meant more to WWE than to him.
Cena became 17-time world champion last year when he defeated Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 2025, ending Ric Flair’s 16 world title streak. He recently gave a speech FanX Comic Conventions and explained how winning a 17th title is more important to the pro wrestling business and WWE than it is to him.
“17 beats the record set by Nature Boy Ric Flair,” he began. “It’s a history-making moment, but personally I think it was more important for WWE. I think it was more important for wrestling. I did a press conference at the Royal Rumble and I said, And the reason I want to pursue 17 is to show that it’s possible. And I want to be around to shake the hand of the man who wins the 18th. So yeah, it was great.”
Cena reiterated that it’s now up to the young, talented WWE stars to chase the benchmark he set, and he wants someone to reach it so he can congratulate them and shake their hand.
“I think it’s a lot more impactful for WWE. We have so much young talent now that actually has a chance, if they play their cards right and they really hustle and give it everything they’ve got, they get a chance to win 17, 18. So I’m really looking forward to the day when I can shake the hand of the person who broke that record,” added the legendary star.
Cena was unsure about winning his 17th title because of himself love and admiration for Flair. That historic moment could have been a few years ago when he was looking to win his title vs. Roman Reigns 2021. However, plans changed, eventually he accomplished the feat in his final few months in WWE and scripted a fairytale ending to his career.
