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The race for the most world titles in WWE history has not seen significant developments since 2017. John Cena defeated AJ Styles at that year's Royal Rumble to become the record-equalling 16-time world champion.
While Cena is just a part-time talent these days, Kurt Angle firmly believes that the Cenation Leader will eventually surpass The Nature Boy in the all-time list. Angle spoke about John Cena's phenomenal career on his AdFreeShows podcast.
The WWE Hall of Famer was reasonably confident about seeing Cena overtake Ric Flair in the future. Kurt Angle also advised fans to watch out for Randy Orton, who has amassed 14 world title reigns and could add more to his resume.
"The answer is simple. Yes! Yes, he will (break Ric Flair's record)," said Kurt Angle. "I believe John Cena will be the only 17-time world champion. I do believe Randy Orton is going to catch up to him and possibly surpass him. So, you know, I know that records are made to be broken, and I believe John Cena is going to break Ric Flair's record." [56:33 - 56:53]
Ric Flair or John Cena - Who is "the better 16-time WWE World Champion?"
Ric Flair and John Cena operated in different eras, and it's a fact that WWE doesn't even acknowledge reigns that Flair had outside the company.
Kurt Angle said that Ric Flair was the better world champion amongst the two as the veteran has had a longer in-ring career. Flair and Cena rarely suffered any major injuries, making them dependable talents for the company.
Angle wished he had the same consistency as he, too, could have reached at least 20 world championship wins:
"You know what? I would say, Ric Flair, only because he has been wrestling for like 50 years (laughs). You have to give it to Ric," opined Angle. "His consistency, don't get me wrong, John Cena is the most consistent wrestler I've ever seen. Him and Ric Flair, because they never got injured, and they showed up every week. It was incredible. Their consistency was amazing, both of them, and that's why they are both 16-time world champions. If I had the consistency as they did, I'd probably have 20 world titles!" [1:01:51 - 1:02:40]
John Cena's most recent attempt at breaking Ric Flair's record ended unsuccessfully at SummerSlam 2021 against Roman Reigns. Cena will surely get more chances down the line, and it would be interesting to see if he becomes the first recognized 17-time WWE champion in history.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit The Kurt Angle Show and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.
