John Cena should walk out with World title No. 16 at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
The WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view will be all about the battle royal match for a spot in a title bout at WrestleMania 33. However, there is a steady card before it, with a handful of title being on the line. One of them is the WWE Championship as AJ Styles defends against John Cena. After pretty much demanding that he would get a World title match against the winner of Styles vs. Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler at the end of December, Cena got his wish and will face Styles at the Royal Rumble.
The story going into Styles vs. Cena is about the latter going for his 16th World title, which would tie Ric Flair’s recognized record. It has been mentioned since Cena held a championship in 2014, before going down to Brock Lesnar. In fact, it became a storyline at Royal Rumble 2015, SummerSlam 2015, and No Mercy 2016, all of which saw the Face That Runs the Place lose. Will the Royal Rumble be the time and place for this to finally happen, though?
Cena and Styles have gone to battle in a wrestling ring before. The first time came at Money in the Bank 2016. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows assisted their Club ally in winning the match to put him up, 1-0. The second part came at SummerSlam, which saw no outside interference. However, the current WWE Champion got a clean pin.
Will it be three straight times for Styles winning? Here’s why he shouldn’t walk out victoriously, instead handing the belt to Cena.
WWE.com
3. When Does Cena Lose Three Matches to One Person?
When AJ Styles defeated John Cena at Money in the Bank 2016, it didn’t seem like something out of the ordinary. Others have beaten Cena in one-off situations, including Rusev and Kevin Owens. SummerSlam was a different situation, however, as it’s considered either WWE’s second or third biggest show of the year. So, when Styles won, it seemed like a major deal, and WWE played it off just like that. From the headband being left in the ring, to the Phenomenal One calling himself the “Face That Runs the Place,” and the WWE Championship win, all the momentum would be placed in his hands by defeating the Leader of the Cenation.
Three times, though? That doesn’t seem possible, especially on the big stage like Royal Rumble.
A win at the Alamodome could come off like Cena “returning the favor” to Styles by defeating him at the next “Big Four” show. It will make the result feel grander and lead to an eventual rematch on SmackDown to boost TV ratings; maybe a WrestleMania bout could be in line with this too.
Past WWE stars have hardly ever defeated Cena twice as well, so three times for one guy isn’t realistic. That goes for someone like Styles too.
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2. Cena Can Put Someone Over on the Biggest Stage
If John Cena wins the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble, it would almost guarantee him a title shot at WrestleMania 33. The title would still have to go through the Elimination Chamber match in February, but Cena winning would seem likely.
That takes us to WrestleMania 33, which would be a title defense for the Face That Runs the Place. Somewhat surprisingly, Cena has not defended a title at the Show of Shows since 2007 against Shawn Michaels. He challenged for the belt at WrestleMania 24, 25, 26, 27, and 29.
A Cena title defense would offer a terrific marketing sell for WrestleMania 33. It’s someone who’s becoming a global face in the media world, outside of WWE, in particular. This includes movie roles and hosting “SNL”. He can be built up to defend against the big bad heel, whether that’s AJ Styles, Baron Corbin, or someone from Raw.
The title defense would work better with Styles, however, especially if the title changes hands at the Royal Rumble. Since the Elimination Chamber will have the belt defended against five others, this could be an opportunity for the former NJPW star to make his claim for a one-on-one rematch. Cena’s the obvious babyface here, even with walking on the tightrope of good and bad. They then get their WrestleMania match, and Styles wins.
With all that’s going on with Cena outside of WWE, he’s not going to be sticking around for 6-9 months at a time. He may not even be around after WrestleMania, especially with “The Pact” being filmed. So, any title reign of his is going to be short.
WWE.com
1. This Sets Up a 17th World Title Reign at WrestleMania 34
John Cena tying Ric Flair’s recognized WWE World title record of 16 is an amazing accomplishment. It moves Cena even higher among the all-time greats, and will further make him stand out in the company’s history.
If WWE waits on Cena to tie this record at WrestleMania 33, it will have just as much of a feel as it would if won his 17th title at WrestleMania 34. He would stand tall with the belt with the fireworks, the fanfare, and everything else. Why not push the title change to the Royal Rumble then, and eventually build toward a WrestleMania 34 win?
Cena breaking the title record at WrestleMania 34 would be a grand moment to close the show, something WWE will likely plan far in advance. After what he’s done for the company as the top guy in the ring and for marketing outside of it, they may reward him with a title win that’s potentially his last one. This could be against someone like the Undertaker, who could walk in with the WWE Championship and potentially be retired by Mr. Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect.
Is the Royal Rumble the right time for Cena to become a 16-time World champion? Should Styles retain the belt?
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