John Cena now stands alone in WWE history.
The professional wrestling superstar won a record-setting 17th World Championship by beating Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes on April 20 at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas.
What made this title stand apart from the others was Cena’s stunning heel turn in March in which one of WWE’s famous good guys became a villain ahead of WrestleMania.
Staying true to his heel turn, Cena won the match against Rhodes with a cheap-shot low blow and by striking Rhodes with the championship belt before pinning him.
He also got some help from an unlikely source — Travis Scott. The chart-topping rapper sauntered into the arena with a championship belt draped over his left shoulder and prevented Rhodes from potentially winning.
Rhodes was about to pin Cena after dazing him with his signature Cross Rhodes finishing move, but Scott yanked the referee out of the ring by his legs to stop the count.
Scott then entered the ring and tried to punch Rhodes, only to get hit with the Cross Rhodes himself. However, it allowed Cena to regroup and ultimately win the match.
With the victory in front of nearly 65,000 fans at Allegiant Stadium, Cena passed WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair, who won 16 world titles during his legendary career.
His landmark win came in the midst of a retirement tour for Cena, who announced in July 2024 that he will hang it up for good after appearing in multiple WWE events in 2025.
During a WWE event in March, Cena vowed to bring home the record-setting title.
“I will win that championship and retire with it,” he said in full heel mode in the ring. “I am taking it home with me and leaving all of you to create a brand-new toy belt because the real one comes home with me. I will be the last real champion in WWE.”
Cena, who turns 48 on April 23, previously discussed potential retirement plans during an appearance on the 3rd hour of TODAY in January 2024 when he was asked if he would make the decision to retire when he turned 50.
“That sounds pretty accurate, right? Fifty is half of 100,” he said at the time. “I love being in the ring, that’s the one thing I wish I could do forever, but the crop of these superstars in there now, the sport is fast, it’s young, and it’s exciting. I got the exciting and enthusiasm part, I don’t have the fast or the young.”
