WWE legend John Cena will challenge Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 41, with a record 17th title reign on the line
Wrestling icon Ric Flair has cast doubt on whether John Cena can snatch away his record for the most WWE world championships.
This weekend, Cena is set to battle it out with reigning WWE champ Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41’s headline event. At 47 years old, Cena could clinch his 17th WWE title in what’s billed as his swansong at wrestling’s grandest stage, potentially edging past Flair’s historic tally.
But Flair isn’t betting on Cena to pull off this monumental achievement. Speaking to the Mirror, the Nature Boy backed Rhodes, saying: “I think Cody’s on a roll right now. And I think Cody’s self-confidence right now is at an all-time high.”
He also pointed out Cena’s part-time status, suggesting it’s tough to compete at top levels without being in the ring full-time: “And John doesn’t wrestle full-time. It’s very hard not to wrestle full-time and then to go in and expect to go maybe 35, 40 minutes… so it’s different levels. But whatever does happen, man, I’m happy for anybody.”
Yet, if Cena does triumph, Flair insisted he’d harbour no resentment, expressing his sportsmanship: “I would have no problem whatsoever if he breaks it,” he declared, reports the Mirror US.
The wrestling legend had hoped his daughter would be the one to surpass his record, but he’s open to Cena doing so: “I wanted my daughter to break it, but if John breaks it, I mean, records are made to be broken. I’ll be the first to shake his hand.”
Since he first strutted into the WWE ring in 2002, John Cena has thrown down with some of the biggest names in the biz. He has battled legends like The Rock, The Undertaker, Randy Orton, and CM Punk, but wrestling icon Ric Flair reckons his own path to glory was a whole lot harder than Cena’s journey to 16 world title reigns.
Flair, who’s not just a wrestling legend but also the brains behind the health-conscious WOOOOO! Energy drink, opened up about the gruelling schedule that came with being an 8-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, 6-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, and two-time WWF Champion.
“You can’t compare the two. I love John to death, but I used to travel 11,000 miles a week sometimes,” Flair spilled the beans. “I wrestled so many hour-long matches and so many different guys.”
The Nature Boy detailed a week that would make even the toughest wrestler wince: “One week, I wrestled for an hour in Sydney, Australia, flew over to Auckland, New Zealand and wrestled an hour there, flew to St. Louis and wrestled an hour there, flew to Atlanta and wrestled an hour there, and went to Tokyo and wrestled three hours in a row, three days in a row. A little different than just working with the WWE.”
Flair didn’t stop there, describing his NWA days as brutally tough: “The NWA job was a brutal job,” he admitted. “It was very rewarding and I’m very happy I had that opportunity, but I didn’t go home sometimes for six months. You worked every day. And for four years, I wrestled over 300 hour-long matches.”
Over an illustrious wrestling career spanning nearly two decades, Cena has become the ultimate good guy, even earning the title of the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s most requested celebrity wish granter with his positive vibes and kind-hearted nature. But in a stunning twist, The Champ turned heel last month, leaving WWE fans gobsmacked with his betrayal of Rhodes during the Men’s Elimination Chamber Match.
Cena secured his spot in the WrestleMania 41 headline event after triumphing over CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, Damian Priest, and Logan Paul, but then he shockingly teamed up with The Rock and Travis Scott. Since then, he’s taken to his new villainous persona like a duck to water, taunting the very fans who once idolised him.
For wrestling legend Flair, Cena’s unexpected switch to the dark side was a jaw-dropper. “It sure did. And that’s why I loved it,” he admitted.
“John’s been just such a straight laced guy. I mean, he’s been Mr. Make-A-Wish, and he’s been a phenomenal role model for the company. I think he works so hard at what he does, whether it be his merchandise or wrestling, he lives and breathes it.”
