10 WWE Matches John Cena Absolutely MUST Have In 2025
5. A Crack At Number 17
During the course of John Cena’s retirement year, there is one compelling thread that should weave throughout 2025: his attempt to set the record for world title reigns.
Currently, Cena is tied with Ric Flair with 16 world title reigns (according to WWE’s official history), his last coming in early 2017 and lasting just two weeks. Since then, he’s unsuccessfully challenged for both the WWE Championship and the Universal Championship and lost a handful of world title number one contender’s matches. (The less said about Cena’s United States Championship match against Austin Theory at WrestleMania 39, the better.)
Cena trying to capture his 17th world title should absolutely be a focal point of his last year, and what better champion to target than Gunther? The Ring General persevered through a crisis of confidence this fall, and there’s no better way to fully restore his aura than to topple the legendary Cena. For Big Match John, Gunther represents a huge mountain to climb, the antithesis of his character and a bruising workhorse in his prime. (We also could get a match against Ludwig Kaiser along the way.)
This is a money match that could work at WrestleMania 41 or SummerSlam, if Gunther is planned for a yearlong title reign. In no way is this an endorsement of Cena defeating Gunther, but in terms of a high-profile match that will have fans on the edge of their seats, WWE would be hard-pressed to do better.