10 Fascinating WWE Royal Rumble 2017 Facts
9. John Cena Reached 16 World Titles, (Disputably) Tying Ric Flair
It was a helluva match for notching a part of history. After 24 exhausting minutes, Cena deposited AJ Styles to the canvas with a pair of Attitude Adjustments, and won his 16th World Championship in nearly 12 years. As far as the commonly-accepted history goes, the win tied Cena with Ric Flair at 16 reigns with some form of recognized World Championship.
Although the "16-time" part of the Flair legacy is often spouted, it's also disputed. Thanks to debatable cracks in the respective NWA and WCW Championship lineages, Flair could technically have a World title total that numbers into the twenties. Dave Meltzer noted in the Wrestling Observer, "you can very much argue any number from 19 minimum to 23 maximum," regarding Flair's actual total.
For what it's worth, WWE planned to do an angle where Flair would hobnob with his "fellow 16-timer" in Cena, but it was scrapped. This is likely because Cena was just going to transition to belt onto Bray Wyatt at Elimination Chamber, so the reign was mostly moot.