Major WWE star to be the first 17-time World Champion instead of John Cena? Shocking reason explained by Ric Flair

Many believe that during John Cena's 2025 Retirement Tour, he may win his 17th world title and break Ric Flair's record of 16. However, the WWE Hall of Famer believes that Charlotte Flair is more likely to break his record.

When it comes to discussing who is going to break Ric Flair's record of 16 world championships, many immediately name John Cena. With his Retirement Tour set to begin soon, it has been theorized that The Franchise Player may capture his 17th world title. However, one star many forget to include is Charlotte Flair. The Queen has won 16 singles championships in WWE so far, and The Nature Boy believes her daughter beating his record would be a momentous occasion.

Charlotte is a seven-time SmackDown Women's Champion, a six-time RAW Women's Champion, a one-time Divas Champion, and a two-time NXT Women's Champion. Meanwhile, John is a 13-time WWE Champion and a three-time World Heavyweight Champion.

On a recent appearance on Busted Open Radio, The Nature Boy said that John Cena doesn't care about breaking the record, as The Doctor of Thuganomics is already focused on his Hollywood career. Ric stated that Charlotte Flair breaking his record will be a bigger moment.

"I still think the biggest thing in the business, when it happens, it'll be a real game-changer, just like she is in real-life... is [Charlotte] breaking the title record. I believe it's in the cards; I can look at the show and see. It's a woman's world now, and she's the best women's wrestler alive," he said.

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Will Ric Flair mind if John Cena breaks his world championship record instead of Charlotte Flair?

While many would like to see The Cenation Leader beat Ric Flair's record, it's unsurprising that The Nature Boy would rather see his daughter do it instead. Still, he won't mind if The Franchise Player is the one to do it.

In July 2024, the WWE Hall of Famer stated that he respected John and had a lot of praise for the latter. Although the 75-year-old would rather have The Queen beat his record, he wouldn't have any problems with The Cenation Leader breaching it and would even be the first to congratulate the 47-year-old.

It will be interesting to see what is in store for John Cena during his Farewell Tour in 2025.