"This, my friend, belongs to you" – When John Cena gave his WWE award to another wrestler
John Cena was named the WWE Superstar of the Year at the 2012 Slammy Awards. He beat out competition from fellow nominees Big Show, CM Punk, and Sheamus to win the prize for the third time.
Wrestling legend Ric Flair returned to WWE to present the prestigious award on the December 17, 2012, episode of RAW. The two-time Hall of Famer had recently re-signed with the company after a two-year run with IMPACT/TNA.
After receiving the accolade, Cena gave a humble speech before surprisingly handing his Slammy Award to Flair:
"Superstar of the Year embodies Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect. The person who finally holds it needs to work harder than anyone else, and I also would like to recognize the loyalty of the WWE Universe. That is why, out of respect, the superstar of this year most certainly should be the greatest superstar of all time, the two-time Hall of Fame [inductee], Nature Boy Ric Flair. It is great to see you back where you belong. This, my friend, belongs to you." [From 3:00 to 4:09]
Moments later, Ric Flair brawled in the ring with Paul Heyman and an injured CM Punk. The segment ended with Daniel Bryan, Kane, and Ryback coming to The Nature Boy's aid after The Shield got involved.
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How Ric Flair feels about John Cena
In 2017, John Cena defeated AJ Styles at the Royal Rumble to equal Ric Flair's long-standing record of 16 world title reigns.
The 16x World Champion has high praise for his fellow 16x World Champion. https://t.co/B8PB8HALHG
Flair wrote about his good relationship with Cena in his book, Second Nature: The Legacy of Ric Flair and the Rise of Charlotte:
"It was important to me to recognize John Cena [during 2012 WWE Hall of Fame speech]. John is a great ambassador for our business and is the franchise Superstar for WWE. I consider John a friend, and he's someone who's part of a select group of Superstars. If my record of 16 World Championships is broken, I'd smile if he was the one to do it."
Cena came close to becoming a 17-time world champion when he challenged Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at SummerSlam 2021. However, Reigns emerged victorious and retained his title, keeping Cena from taking over the record and leaving Flair behind.
Do you think John Cena should break Ric Flair's record one day? Let us know in the comments section below.