Story: Flair is considered the all time leader in American wresting in terms of having the most World Title reigns with 16 in all. John Cena currently sits at 15 and will likely pass Flair in the near future. What's interesting about that 16 number for Flair is that he has a number of other reigns that have gone completely unrecognized. These are instances where he won the title, then it was changed or completely ignored. For example, Flair beat Harley Race for the NWA World Title on March 23, 1984 in Singapore, but it was ignored and the title was returned to Race when they returned to the US. There are a few other examples like that where title wins aren't recognized, so if you really wanted to get technical you could say Flair has up to 23 reigns in all instead of just 16. Why People Believe It: It's pro wrestling. Every record and number could be questioned especially things from the 1980s. Should We Believe It: Yes we should because there are records of these changes if you really want to dig them up. Will they ever be properly acknowledged by WWE? Unlikely. That 16 number is what they will always recognize.
John wrote at WhatCulture from December 2013 to December 2015. It was fun, but it's over for now. Follow him on Twitter @johnreport. You can also send an email to mrjohncanton@gmail.com with any questions or comments as well.
