{"id":146295,"date":"2025-11-18T08:00:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T13:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=146295"},"modified":"2025-11-18T00:05:57","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T05:05:57","slug":"john-cenas-17-wwe-world-title-reigns-ranked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/11\/18\/john-cenas-17-wwe-world-title-reigns-ranked\/","title":{"rendered":"John Cena&#8217;s 17 WWE World Title Reigns, Ranked"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>John Cena is one of the greatest WWE wrestlers of all time. Cena announced at Money in the Bank 2024 that he&#8217;d be retiring from professional wrestling in 2025. Cena&#8217;s farewell tour has taken fans on an emotional rollercoaster with Cena doing the unthinkable by turning heel for the first time in 22 years.<\/p>\n<p>However, he had a few things left to do, most notably winning a record 17th WWE world championship. Cena finally achieved that goal at WrestleMania 41, and Cena requested to be announced as the &#8220;Never Seen 17.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Cena&#8217;s haul of world championship reigns is nothing short of extraordinary. The GOAT is a record-breaking 14-time WWE Champion and a three-time World Heavyweight Champion. While Cena&#8217;s most recent record-breaking world championship reign is fresh in fans&#8217; memories, Cena has been synonymous with a world championship.<\/p>\n<p>Unsurprisingly, not all of Cena&#8217;s world championship reigns have been long or good. However, a chunk of his world championship reigns have been successful, and it&#8217;s a big deal whenever someone has managed to dethrone Cena for a world title.<\/p>\n<h2>17. 6th WWE Championship Reign (2\/21\/10 &#8211; 2\/21\/10)<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"John Cena vs. Batista - WWE Championship Match: Elimination Chamber 2010\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/aFQZWt9keA4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>John Cena captured his sixth WWE Championship when he lastly outlasted Triple H inside a grueling Elimination Chamber match in 2010. However, Cena&#8217;s joy was short-lived as Mr. McMahon&#8217;s &#8220;No Chance in Hell&#8221; theme song blared through the speakers. Immediately, the chairman of the board announced that Cena would defend his newly won crown against Batista.<\/p>\n<p>Cena, struggling to get to his feet, was weakened, and a fresh Batista took advantage of an opportunity presented. The Animal was unleashed, executing the Batista Bomb, becoming a six-time WWE world champion. This WWE Championship reign was Cena&#8217;s shortest world title reign to date, holding the title for just three minutes and 34 seconds.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>16. 10th WWE Championship Reign (9\/18\/11 &#8211; 10\/2\/11)<\/h2>\n<p>John Cena was next in line to challenge Alberto Del Rio for the WWE Championship at Night of Champions 2011. The Mexican Aristocrat wasn&#8217;t a popular WWE Champion. Nevertheless, Cena regained the WWE Title from Del Rio.<\/p>\n<p>Cena became the first man in WWE history to hold the WWE Championship 10 times, which is an outstanding record. However, it was a forgettable title reign for Big Match John. He dropped the title back to Del Rio in the first-ever triple threat Hell in a Cell match, a couple of weeks later, with CM Punk, the other participant involved.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>15. 9th WWE Championship Reign (7\/25\/11 &#8211; 8\/14\/11)<\/h2>\n<p>The WWE Championship title picture was bleak after CM Punk &#8220;departed&#8221; WWE with the WWE Championship in tow after Money in the Bank 2011. Rey Mysterio clinched the WWE Championship after he won a tournament for the &#8220;vacant&#8221; title. However, Cena was in line for a WWE Title shot, and he invoked his rematch clause. <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Cr_3UrghQa0\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cena defeated Mysterio on the July 25, 2011<\/a>, episode of Raw to become the first nine-time WWE Champion in history.<\/p>\n<p>The Straight Edge Savior returned to WWE, setting up Cena and Punk&#8217;s rematch at SummerSlam 2011. The winner was crowned as the Undisputed WWE Champion. Triple H undertook special guest referee duties with Cena, once again losing to Punk in the main event.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2><strong>14. 13th WWE Championship Reign (1\/29\/17 &#8211; 2\/12\/17)<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>John Cena failed several times in his quest to tie Ric Flair as a 16-time world champion. Cena&#8217;s latest attempt to tie Naitch was at the 2017 Royal Rumble, challenging AJ Styles for the WWE Championship. Cena and Styles hit a home run in another iconic match between the pair.<\/p>\n<p>Cena finally captured a record-equaling 16th world championship. However, it was another two-week reign as WWE Champion for Cena. Furthermore, he defended his title in an Elimination Chamber match, and Bray Wyatt eliminated him. The Eater of Worlds went on to win his first WWE Championship at Cena&#8217;s expense by lastly eliminating AJ Styles.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2><strong>13. 4th WWE Championship Reign (9\/13\/09 &#8211; 10\/4\/09)<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The WWE Championship changed hands aplenty in 2009, and John Cena and Randy Orton featured in several title changes during the fall of that year. <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/05\/10\/all-john-cena-vs-randy-orton-wwe-ple-matches-ranked\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">At Breaking Point, Cena recaptured the WWE Championship from the Viper<\/span><\/a> in an &#8220;I Quit&#8221; match. Cena&#8217;s title win was his first WWE Championship reign in two years.<\/p>\n<p>Cena&#8217;s fourth WWE Championship reign lasted just three weeks as he dropped the title back to Orton inside Hell in a Cell. This title change was historic as it was the first time that the WWE Championship changed hands in a Hell in a Cell match.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>12. 2nd World Heavyweight Championship Reign (4\/5\/09 &#8211; 4\/26\/09)<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"FULL MATCH - Edge vs. John Cena vs. Big Show \u2013 World Title Triple Threat Match: WrestleMania XXV\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wfbLJKzkyl0?start=8&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>At WrestleMania 25, John Cena, Edge, and Big Show had the unenviable task of following The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels&#8217; epic. The Rated-R Superstar&#8217;s World Heavyweight Championship was on the line in a triple threat match, and Cena bossed this title bout. Cena reclaimed the World Heavyweight Championship after delivering an AA to Edge onto Show, and he covered the World&#8217;s Largest Athlete.<\/p>\n<p>Again, this was another short world championship reign for Cena. He defended the title against the Ultimate Opportunist in a Last Man Standing match at Backlash 2009, dropping the gold back to Edge all thanks to outside interference from Big Show.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>11. 3rd World Heavyweight Championship Reign (10\/27\/13 &#8211; 12\/15\/13)<\/h2>\n<p>John Cena and a familiar foe, Alberto Del Rio, clashed in a World Heavyweight Championship match at Hell in a Cell 2013. Cena marked his return to in-ring competition after he was ruled out of action with a shoulder injury. Nevertheless, Cena defeated Del Rio to become the World Heavyweight Champion for the third and final time in his career.<\/p>\n<p>Cena retained the title in their subsequent rematch at Survivor Series. Cena faced his eternal rival, Randy Orton, in their biggest match to date at TLC 2013. Orton&#8217;s WWE Championship was on the line, as was Cena&#8217;s World Heavyweight Title. The winner is crowned as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. The Viper prevailed with the World Heavyweight Championship no more.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>10. 12th WWE Championship Reign (6\/29\/14 &#8211; 8\/17\/14)<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"FULL MATCH - John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar - WWE Title Match: SummerSlam 2014\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7tVUA3DzhF4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, the injury bug struck Daniel Bryan, leaving the WWE Championship vacant. Cena outlasted five other competitors in a ladder match, clinching his 12th WWE Championship.<\/p>\n<p>Cena was a sensible choice to give the WWE Title to. He retained the title in a fatal-4-way match at Battleground 2014 against Randy Orton, Kane, and Roman Reigns. His seven-week WWE Title reign ended emphatically at Brock Lesnar&#8217;s expense in a squash match at SummerSlam 2014.<\/p>\n<h2>9. 5th WWE Championship Reign (10\/25\/09 &#8211; 12\/13\/09)<\/h2>\n<p>John Cena and Randy Orton were inseparable in 2009, and their feud was finally put to bed at Bragging Rights 2009. Cena regained the WWE Championship from the Viper in a 60-minute Falls Count Anywhere Iron Man match, with Cena becoming a five-time WWE Champion.<\/p>\n<p>Cena&#8217;s 49-day reign atop the mountain was entertaining. He retained the WWE Championship against DX&#8217;s Triple H and Shawn Michaels in a <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/11\/14\/every-wwe-survivor-series-main-event-from-the-2000s-ranked\/9\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">quality triple threat bout at Survivor Series 2009<\/span><\/a>. Surprisingly, Cena&#8217;s reign was curtailed by Sheamus in a tables match at TLC 2009, which no one saw coming.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>8. 7th WWE Championship Reign (3\/28\/10 &#8211; 6\/20\/10)<\/h2>\n<p>Cena&#8217;s feud with Batista over the WWE Championship in 2010 isn&#8217;t spoken about enough. Cena captured his seventh WWE Championship after he regained the title from the Animal at WrestleMania 26. However, Batista was set to leave WWE in 2010, with Cena besting Batista in two further title rematches.<\/p>\n<p>The Nexus debuted in June 2010 and wreaked havoc in WWE. Cena fell victim to the Nexus&#8217; interference, dropping the WWE Championship to Sheamus once again in a fatal-4-way match.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>7. 1st World Heavyweight Championship Reign (11\/23\/08 &#8211; 2\/15\/09)<\/h2>\n<p>Cena was a four-time WWE Champion by the time he returned to WWE at Survivor Series 2008. Big Match John was in front of his hometown fans in Boston when he challenged Chris Jericho for the World Heavyweight Championship. Inevitably, Cena won the title, marking his first time holding the iconic Big Gold Belt.<\/p>\n<p>Cena&#8217;s three-month World Heavyweight Championship reign was superb, retaining the title against Jericho and JBL. Cena&#8217;s old rival, Edge, was responsible for ending his title run at No Way Out 2009 inside the barbaric Elimination Chamber.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>6. 11th WWE Championship Reign (4\/7\/13 &#8211; 8\/18\/13)<\/h2>\n<p>John Cena cut a disappointed figure when he lost to The Rock in the main event of WrestleMania 28. Cena had another bite at the cherry as he won the 2013 Royal Rumble match, challenging the Great One for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 29. Their rematch wasn&#8217;t as good as the bout a year prior, but Big Match John gained his revenge to become an 11-time WWE Champion.<\/p>\n<p>Cena&#8217;s 11th WWE Championship reign saw him defend the title against bigger men, including Ryback and Mark Henry. The highlight of this title reign was his outstanding wrestling match with Daniel Bryan at SummerSlam 2013, with Bryan unseating Cena for the WWE Championship.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>5. 14th WWE Championship Reign (4\/20\/25 &#8211; 8\/3\/25)<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/media.gettyimages.com\/id\/2211457609\/photo\/wrestlemania-41.jpg?s=1024x1024&amp;w=gi&amp;k=20&amp;c=xm_to7SVC91ts1Wb_jyB4B7lG5P7soQn0OWkUPhIbkY=\" alt=\"WrestleMania 41\" width=\"607\" height=\"433\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The Never Seen 17&#8221; was born on night two of WrestleMania 41 when John Cena dethroned Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship. Cena&#8217;s triumph was historic as he became a record-breaking 17-time WWE world champion.<\/p>\n<p>This title reign was the first time Cena held a world championship while being a heel. Cena&#8217;s title reign was a throwback, as he defended the title against his former rivals Randy Orton and CM Punk in two high-profile title bouts, winning both. However, Cena became a babyface once again when he defended the title against &#8220;The American Nightmare&#8221; Cody Rhodes in a five-star battle with Cena&#8217;s final run as a world champion over.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>4. 8th WWE Championship Reign (5\/1\/11 &#8211; 7\/17\/11)<\/h2>\n<p>John Cena ended The Miz&#8217;s WWE Championship reign in a triple threat steel cage match at Extreme Rules 2011, with John Morrison also involved. Cena&#8217;s eighth WWE Championship reign was steady as he retained the title against Miz in an &#8220;I Quit&#8221; match, and he saw off R-Truth at Capitol Punishment 2011.<\/p>\n<p>Cena&#8217;s feud with CM Punk is what made this title reign great. Their rivalry was fascinating, and Cena faced a hostile environment in Chicago. His 77-day title tilt was curtailed by the Second City Saint at Money in the Bank 2011 in one of the best matches in both men&#8217;s careers.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>3. 2nd WWE Championship Reign (1\/26\/06 &#8211; 6\/11\/06)<\/h2>\n<p>2006 saw the beginning of the legendary rivalry between John Cena and Edge. Cena toppled his rival at the 2006 Royal Rumble to become a two-time WWE Champion. Cena&#8217;s second WWE Championship reign was excellent, and he walked into WrestleMania as the defending WWE Champion for the first time.<\/p>\n<p>Fans started to turn their backs on Cena, evidently, in his WWE Title match with Triple H at WrestleMania 22. Cena&#8217;s 133-day reign as WWE Champion was brought to a halt by Rob Van Dam at ECW One Night Stand 2006.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>2. 1st WWE Championship Reign (4\/3\/05 &#8211; 1\/8\/06)<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Edge Spears John Cena - New Year&#039;s Revolution 2006\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MBoT5QUGqQQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Finally, John Cena ended JBL&#8217;s long 280-day WWE Championship reign at WrestleMania 21, embarking on a 280-day WWE Title reign of his own. During this reign, Cena introduced the Spinner Belt version of the WWE Championship, and he was drafted from SmackDown to Raw in the 2005 draft lottery.<\/p>\n<p>Cena improved drastically during his maiden WWE Championship reign. He retained the gold against the likes of Christian, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, and Shawn Michaels. Ultimately, Cena fell victim to the first Money in the Bank cash-in. Edge dethroned a battered Cena at New Year&#8217;s Revolution 2006.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>1. 3rd WWE Championship Reign (9\/17\/06 &#8211; 10\/2\/07)<\/h2>\n<p>Unquestionably, John Cena&#8217;s third WWE Championship reign was the best championship run of his career. Cena regained the WWE Championship from the Rated-R Superstar against all odds at Unforgiven 2006. He faced a hostile crowd in Toronto, Canada, his hometown.<\/p>\n<p>Cena was at the top of his game and overcame a series of stern tests. Umaga, Shawn Michaels, Edge, Randy Orton, The Great Khali, and Bobby Lashley were some who fell by the wayside at Cena&#8217;s hands. Heaven alone knows how long Cena would have held the WWE Championship had he not sustained a pectoral injury.<\/p>\n<p><strong><b>More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em><i>Header photo \u2013\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/Category:John_Cena_in_2012#\/media\/File:John_Cena_August_2012.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">WikiMedia Creative Commons<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 Stay tuned to the\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_self\"><em><u><i>Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i> for more on John Cena and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><i>You can check out WWE programming on\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/title\/81788927\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>Netflix<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(Raw),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usanetwork.com\/wwe-friday-night-smackdown\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>USA Network<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(SmackDown),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cwtv.com\/shows\/wwe-nxt\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>The CW<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(NXT),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/tubitv.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>Tubi<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(WWE Evolve),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aetv.com\/wwe\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>A&amp;E<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(WWE Superstar Sunday \u2013 Rivals, WWE LFG, and Greatest Moments), and\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peacocktv.com\/watch\/home\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>Peacock<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(WWE Main Event, as well as archives and premium live event streaming). Follow WWE on social media to relive top moments and matches on\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/wwe\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>YouTube<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>, and catch fast-paced action on X (<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/i\/events\/1773457579022155776?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>WWE Speed<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>).<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>John Cena is one of the greatest WWE wrestlers of all time. Cena announced at Money in the Bank 2024 that he&#8217;d be retiring from professional wrestling in 2025. Cena&#8217;s farewell tour has taken fans on an emotional rollercoaster with Cena doing the unthinkable by turning heel for the first time in 22 years. However, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5695,"featured_media":146447,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,7205,4,3],"tags":[165],"class_list":["post-146295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-history","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","tag-john-cena"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5695"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146295"}],"version-history":[{"count":44,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146295\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":146448,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146295\/revisions\/146448"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/146447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}