10 WWE Predictions We Got Completely Wrong In 2018
3. "John Cena Will Break Ric Flair's Record"
When AJ Styles ended Jinder Mahal's insufferable spell as the industry's de facto top dog last November, few expected he'd keep hold of the belt for more than a month or two - let alone an entire year. His purposes were two-fold - end Mahal's reign of tedium, and give John Cena a respectable opponent as he equalled Ric Flair's fake championship record.
Despite The Undertaker's supposed retirement, the smoke of his expected rise from the ashes got the rumour mill churning, with a WrestleMania 34 tie against Cena expected. Cena, it was presumed, would either be walking into the contest with AJ Style's WWE title, or otherwise challenging for it. It didn't occur that he might be entering the bout three sheets to the wind after spending the show supping beer "as a fan."
It might not have been WrestleMania then, but at some point Cena would make it a sweet sixteen before heading to the Hollywood hills for good.
As the months rolled by, we gradually stopped seeing Cena for real. His rare appearances defined 2018 not as a record-setting year, but his banter year: he was squashed by 'Taker, was trailed on camera being very peculiar in China, and mugged off the whole industry with his sixth move of doom down under. At no stage did he come near the WWE title - and it's looking increasingly unlikely he will again. Some fake records are worth keeping, we guess.