Ranking all 16 of John Cena's WWE World Championship wins

#1 John Cena def. AJ Styles (WWE Royal Rumble 2017)

"HE KICKS OUT OF THE A+ AA!!!" - @MauroRanallo#RoyalRumble #WWEChampionship @JohnCena @AJStylesOrg pic.twitter.com/4x3BKDUI5T

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) January 30, 2017

There it is. John Cena's greatest world title win in WWE is his last one. But it is not just because he tied the record, although that was a factor. Nobody in the past few years has brought the best out of Cena as AJ Styles did so, in 2016 and 2017.

The two of them had some excellent matches against each other, as The Phenomenal One became a main-event fixture in WWE thanks to the 16-time world champion. Styles had beaten Cena at Money in the Bank and SummerSlam in 2016, before capturing the WWE Championship soon after.

His reign lasted until Royal Rumble 2017 - the site of the third singles encounter between the fierce rivals. John Cena and AJ Styles somehow managed to top their previous efforts, thanks to a brilliant atmosphere at the Alamodome and the emotion attached to the former's 16th world title win.

#OnThisDay in 2017, John Cena def. AJ Styles to win the #WWE Championship at the Royal RumbleThis was Cena's 16th world title reign but would only last a couple of weeks#RoyalRumble #RoyalRumble2021 #johncena #ajstyles @JohnCena pic.twitter.com/U4cKqB85FW

— The Beermat (@TheBeermat) January 29, 2021

This match was contested entirely in the ring, as the fans remained hooked throughout its duration. The finish saw Cena avoid a repeat of SummerSlam, as he countered a Phenomenal Forearm attempt into two Attitude Adjustments to become a 16-time world champion.

This was a special moment. Perhaps, Cena's greatest victory. Couple the magnitude of 16 world titles with the brilliance of the match, and it is hard to argue against it. AJ Styles proved as formidable a foe could be, playing a huge part in making this moment feel epic.

Would John Cena be able to top this win once he becomes a 17-time world champion? It is a tough ask for the increasingly part-time superstar.