WWE Elimination Chamber 2017: Is John Cena’s Title Reign Being Wasted?

John Cena finally tied Ric Flair’s record of 16 championships. But losing the WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber feels like a waste.

John Cena tying Ric Flair’s record of 16 world championships was a forgone conclusion. We all knew it was going to happen one day. The writing was on the wall. Cena will also likely break that record with a 17th world championship before his career is over.

Regardless of how fans feel about it, history was made at the Royal Rumble 2017 pay-per-view. John Cena defeated AJ Styles for the WWE Championship. Mainstream news wrote reports about the leader of Cenation tying the Nature Boy’s championship record.

It also gave fans the expectations that Cena is going to be a champion going into WrestleMania 33. Well, that last part isn’t necessarily true and that is unfortunate news.

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The current word going around is that Cena’s 16th championship reign won’t last long. Bray Wyatt is rumored to win the WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber this Sunday. On top of that, the plans for Cena are not as marquee as one would have expected.

According to reports, there have been talks of Cena teaming with Nikki Bella in a mixed tag team match with the Miz and Maryse. While the Miz has been on fire through 2016, this matchup doesn’t seem fitting for a 16-time world champion.

John Cena does have his share of boos in the WWE Universe. But most fans would agree that he has certainly earned his way to the top of the mountain. It was true even during the time when Cena was booed for a seemingly limited move set. But that’s changed in recent years with several fans praising his bout with Styles at the Royal Rumble.

Between the movies and other projects, Cena took time away from the main event spotlight. It allowed for the new generation to take the next step. Cena has spent most of that time helping newer stars get a boost – i.e. Kevin Owens and AJ Styles.

Some would argue that the 16th world championship reign should be special. Additionally, the Royal Rumble was a weird time. It should have taken place at WrestleMania. Now with the rumors of him dropping the WWE Championship after just two weeks, the win over Styles feels like a waste.

For one, having the title change hands twice between three separate wrestlers in that short time isn’t a great idea. Also, Cena deserves to have a lengthy run through WrestleMania. Even if he lost then, it would be better than only having it for two weeks.

The milestone 16th world championship seems like it is not getting the kind of push fans would have expected. A two-week reign doesn’t seem acceptable. But maybe the WWE wants to do that for his eventual 17th championship. Regardless, a two-week championship run just feels like a cheap way to tie the record.

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John Cena is a top-tier superstar who shouldn’t be getting this sort of booking from the WWE. It would have been better to not have him defeat AJ Styles at the Royal Rumble. Now both men are looking at lower-tier matches at WrestleMania 33.