John Cena made WWE history by winning his 17th world championship, but the record-breaking moment didn’t mean as much to him personally as people might think. Cena says the victory was bigger for the wrestling business and the next generation chasing him.
Cena addressed the milestone during his Q&A at Fan Expo Canada after a fan asked him to name his favorite championship reign. He said the logical choice would be his first world title because none of the other victories could have happened without it. When it came to number 17, however, Cena viewed it as an industry achievement instead of a personal one.
“The logical answer is the first one, right? Because you can’t have the story without the first one. Seventeen was important, but—not personally important—I think it was important for the industry.”
Cena explained that records can start to feel untouchable when they stand for decades. By reaching 17 world championships, he wanted to prove that the number wasn’t impossible and give younger wrestlers another target to chase.
“Anytime a record stands for a long time, you think it’s impossible. Anytime you can eclipse that, I meant what I said: I can’t wait to shake the hand of the person who wins 18. It’s like nobody can break a four-minute mile, then somebody breaks one, and then a bunch of people break it.”
Cena made it clear that he doesn’t want the record protected forever. He wants a younger WWE Superstar to look at 18 championships as a real goal and eventually take his spot in the history books.
“I just wanted to send a message to the young talent, especially if you’ve got some really young talent who have their whole careers in front of them. You can put this in your head as a number, as a goal, and it’s achievable.”
His actual favorite title moment wasn’t one of his world championship victories. Cena picked his Intercontinental Championship win in Boston because his family was there, he got to share the ring with a young opponent and he celebrated the hometown victory afterward.
“For me, the real fun one was the IC Title in Boston. My family was there. I got to be in the ring with an incredibly young and talented individual. Gosh, I got a fun moment in my hometown. I might have had one too many pints afterward in celebration. The IC Title in Boston was very fun.”
Cena’s 17th world championship put him alone at the top of WWE’s recognized record book, but he doesn’t want the number to become untouchable. In his mind, the real value of the victory will come when another wrestler realizes that 18 is possible and finally gets there.
Who do you think has the best chance of breaking John Cena’s 17-world-title record? Let us know your pick and leave your feedback in the comments.
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