John Cena reveals when he might get the chance to fight for his 17th world title; says he wants to avoid doing one thing to current WWE stars
John Cena is tied with The Nature Boy Ric Flair for most world championship reigns recognized by WWE at 16. The Cenation Leader recently addressed the possibility of breaking that record before hanging up his boots next year.
At Money in the Bank 2024, Cena announced that he would retire from in-ring competition in 2025. The WWE legend later clarified that he would have a retirement tour, during which he would fight at several premium live events, including WrestleMania 41, before wrapping up his wrestling career by the end of the year.
While many expect him to win his 17th world championship before hanging up his boots, Cena addressed the subject during a recent interview with the Club Shay Shay podcast.
The Cenation Leader pointed out that he had not won a singles WWE match since 2018. Hence, he had to start winning bouts again before potentially getting an opportunity to fight for a world championship.
"I don't know if that's gonna happen. I think what's interesting about the tour is there are some jackpot long-shot scenarios where it can happen. But to win a number-one contendership in a story-driven purpose, you have to earn it. I had my chances. I've been a part-timer now since like 2018. That's six years. I've had my chances of coming back and being like, 'I want you in a match.' I haven't won a match since 2018. That's a slump. Step one, I need to bust the slump," he said.
The 47-year-old also disclosed that he does not want to take someone else's spot, claiming it would be stupid and fans would see through it. He explained that although winning the Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber match, or Money in the Bank briefcase would provide him with a shortcut to a title shot, he must start winning in January so he could potentially fight for the title in December.
"If I win the Royal Rumble, I get an automatic chance. There's been stakes put on the Elimination Chamber. If I win that, I might get an automatic chance at the championship. The Money in the Bank suitcase is a suitcase for a championship match anytime anywhere. So, that's what's cool about doing it over a year. There are these lottery chances where it could be like, 'Yo, he may break the record.' If that's even an option, I gotta start winning in January and I might earn a shot by December." [43:15 - 44:31]
WWE legend thinks John Cena will win his 17th world title
While addressing John Cena's retirement tour on the ARN podcast on The Four Horsemen Network, WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson predicted that Cena would win his 17th world championship before hanging up his boots.
The wrestling legend claimed that the Stamford-based company cannot miss that chance with the former WWE Champion.
"Well, he'll get that elusive, what is it, 17th world title? [Do you think that's gonna happen for him, they'll crown him?] Yeah, I don't think you can miss, you can't miss with that," he said.
Cena had his last world title match three years ago when he lost to Roman Reigns in a Universal Championship bout at WWE SummerSlam. It would be interesting to see if he can succeed in breaking his and Ric Flair's record before retiring from in-ring competition.
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