16 times John Cena failed to win the WWE Championship

John Cena is a 15 time World Champion, but Ric Flair’s record of 16 has eluded him.

#15 John Cena vs. Randy Orton - WWE Championship, No Way Out 2008

The rivalry between Cena and Orton has been long-lasting and may not be over

Cena held the title for a year and a month, after defeating Edge but had to relinquish the belt when he tore his pectoral muscle in October 2007. He returned ahead of schedule in a shocking moment at the 2008 Royal Rumble and won the show’s namesake match.

He decided to take his title shot in February instead of waiting until WrestleMania, and it turned out to be a bad idea, as he ended up winning by disqualification when Randy Orton slapped the referee in the face in a desperate attempt to hold onto the championship.

The following pay-per-view, WrestleMania, also saw Cena fail in an attempt to reclaim the gold. Orton retained again , this time in a triple threat match also involving Triple H. The Game would then win the title later that month at Backlash, this time in a fatal four-way match with Orton, Cena and JBL.

It was Cena’s third failed attempt in a row and it would be another year and a half until he won the gold again.

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