Before we go any further; let’s run down the world titles John Cena has won over the course of his career. His first world title was the WWE Championship, which he won at Wrestlemania 21 (2005). The last time that he won the WWE Championship was back in Money in the Bank 2014; which he lost to Brock Lesnar at Summerslam 2014.
- Wrestlemania 21
- Royal Rumble 2006
- Unforgiven 2006
- Survivor Series 2008
- Wrestlemania 25
- Breaking Point 2009
- Bragging Rights 2009
- Elimination Chamber 2010
- Wrestlemania 26
- Extreme Rules 2011
- Raw (July 25,2011)
- Night of Champions 2011
- Wrestlemania 29
- Hell in a Cell 2013
- Money in the Bank 2014
Cena claims retired title too
Between his first and last championship victory, Cena also won the now retired WWE World Heavyweight Championship on three occasions.
As one looks at the list of his many reigns, it is pretty impressive. Don’t let the number of reigns fool you. A lot of his best feuds and matches occurred in his earlier years. The reality of the matter is that several of those victories were relatively uninspiring. In 2009, Cena had a long and dull feud with his arch nemesis, Randy Orton; in a game of hot potato with the WWE Championship. Cena’s first five victories and championship reigns felt special and are very memorable.
When we see Cena reach that historical 16-time champion mark, it has to be special in every single way; similar to his first WWE Championship victory. The Royal Rumble PPV is a great event to win a championship. This time that isn’t the case.
For Cena, winning at the Royal Rumble will lead to him most likely retaining the title at Wrestlemania. That comes at the cost of someone else’s moment to shine. If Cena fails at the Rumble and ends up competing for the gold at Wrestlemania; there needs to be a “larger than life” vibe in the celebration. What we’ll be witnessing is something many thought was never going to happen and it can only happen at the "Grandest Stage of the all".
That is why the 16th title victory should wait until Wrestlemania. After that; WWE can start to build toward Cena breaking the record to become 17 time world champion.
