WWE No Mercy 2016: 3 Reasons John Cena Should Win
By Mike Janela
3. Cena Will Eventually Pass Flair Anyway
John Cena sits one win away from tying Ric Flair’s record of 16 title reigns and that’s his end of the narrative coming into No Mercy.
But let’s be real: Cena will not retire having tied or fallen one short of Flair’s record. Not at long as Vince McMahon is alive, anyway. For as undeniable an icon as Flair is, Cena will endure as the biggest McMahon acolyte in the history of Vince’s hallowed legacy.
Flair spent ages in other promotions. Hulk Hogan defected to WCW and recently found himself in, well, saying the doghouse may be kind. The Rock left for Hollywood. Steve Austin had off-camera issues with management. Bret Hart will always be tied to Montreal.
Cena is the only wrestler in WWE history to reach the heights he has entirely within the company and without ever leaving or enduring a period of bad blood.
Which is to say, he’s McMahon’s teacher’s pet and will undoubtedly get title reign No. 17 someday. So, why not just get No. 16 out of the way now? There’s no need to prolong the chase for No. 16 and the tie, when the inevitable chase for No. 17 by himself will be a major, Wrestlemania-level storyline some day.
Bottom line: on the assumption we have at least two more John Cena world title reigns on the way, it’s best to get at least one of them now while Cena continues to operate at a physical peak that makes him believable in the main event picture.