In 2001,Stone Cold Steve Austinwon his third and finalRoyal Rumblematch, setting theWWErecord for most wins at the event. In the 24 years since, numerous wrestlers have won the event, but haven’t been able to meet or break his win record. With main event runs being relatively short, the odds of doing so come down to a number of factors, but is the company ready for a wrestler to tie this record?
When it comes to record breakers in WWE, there needs to be two things: name value and historical significance. Many main event stars have come close, including legends like Randy Orton, Triple H, and Brock Lesnar, but so far, nobody has tied Austin’s historic streak. Going into 2025’s event,there’s finally a contender who can tie Austin’s 24-year-oldRoyal Rumblerecord: John Cena,and his win would mean something even bigger.
John Cena Has The Star Power To Tie Stone Cold
John Cena is viewed as one of the greatest stars in WWE history. Throughout his 20+ year career, he’s been the flag bearer for several generations of wrestling fans, set records for wins and championships, and even though he’s part-time performer, he’s still synonymous with WWE. To go along with his WWE franchise records, Cena is a two-timeRumblewinner, winning in both 2008 and 2013. In terms of accolades, Cena is among the most decorated performers in WWE history.
The stage is also set perfectly for the record-equalling win: Cena announced that 2025 is his last year in WWE before he retires andthere’s nothing WWE loves more than a poetic climax. Cena, who has main-evented multipleWrestleManias, would be set for a compelling send-off by main-eventing the biggest show of the year in Las Vegas. Andif Cena wins the 2025Royal Rumble, not only would Austin lose the prestige of being able to claim he’s the only man to have won threeRumbles,but Cena would be set up for an even bigger record to crown his final farewell.
John Cena Could Also Claim A Stunning All-Time WWE Title “Record”
Aside from taking the gloss off Austin’s record, winning at the Royal Rumble would have deeper consequences for Cena. If he were to win a belt,he would break the WWE’s recognized World Title reigns record. Not counting the reigns WWE doesn’t officially recognize, Cena is currently tied with Ric Flair with 16 World Championships, with all of those won by the former within WWE.
Ric Flair disputes the fact that he is a 16-time World Champion, with a school of thinking putting him on 21.
If he wins theRumble- as he should - Cena’s choice of title matches atWrestleManiacould result in several amazing stories. Chief among them, a match with Cody Rhodes could be a passing of the torch moment from one face or another. Even a showdown with a threat like Gunther would present Cena with one of the best technical wrestlers on the planet and allow him to have an epic final match at the biggest show of the year. Though there are several routes into this match, WWE could start this organically by going from one record to another.
Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn At WWE WrestleMania Would Pay Off A Storyline Decades In The Making
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn have played frenemy to each other before either was signed to WWE. What are the origins to their longstanding relationship?
Plainly, there are several waysWWEcould book theRoyal Rumblethis year, but there’s one immutable truth: John Cena winning would be an opportunity to make history. With Cena’s status and his importance to the company, tying Stone Cold’s record and toppling Flair’s could be the perfect send off for the legend.
