How many times did Ric Flair win WWE Championship? Wrestling legend reacts to John Cena’s historic win 

Back in 2001, Ric Flair made his WWE comeback for what would become his farewell run. The company leaned into his legacy angle and frequently called him a 16-time world champion. However, wrestling historians and Flair himself might tell you that the true count is close to 21.

John Cena’s provocative taunt to his opponents, ‘You can’t see me,’ has had quite the opposite effect lately. WWE fans globally witnessed John Felix Anthony Cena become one of the most decorated WWE wrestlers in history. WrestleMania 41 ended with Cena making history as he won the World Wrestling Entertainment Championship for a record-breaking 17th time. The superstar wrestler has overtaken Ric Flair by winning more world titles than anyone in the history of the company.

Ric Flair, too, had watched Cena pin Cody Rhodes to end WrestleMania 41. He later replied to the events witnessed using the social media platform X. The post went viral with an amazing 1.5 million views.

“Congrats To My Great Friend @JohnCena On Becoming A 17x Champion! It Was Only A Matter Of Time! You And @CodyRhodes Put On An Instant Classic! Much Respect! WOOOOO! #WrestleMania” the post read.

Since 2018, the Ricky Stanicky actor has gradually moved away from his full-time wrestling career, shifting his focus towards building a career in Hollywood. Last year, the 47-year-old shared the news that 2025 might be his final year in the ring. But any longtime fan will tell you: In wrestling, always learn to expect the unexpected.

How many titles did Ric Flair win?

Often, "The Nature Boy" is credited as a 16-time world champion. However, Ric Flair’s title history tells a different story. According to various wrestling records, he won world championships no fewer than 21 times during his tenure in the business.

According to a report shared by TalkSport, Ric Flair’s title wins were ignored by the WWE. His title wins were excluded from the record books because they weren’t televised, leading to WWE not counting them.

The Sportster recently spotlighted a few of Ric Flair’s world title wins that seemed to have been lost over the years. Despite capturing the NWA World Heavyweight Championship multiple times, including memorable wrestling matches with Harley Race and Jack Veneno, the titles didn’t make WWE’s official count because they weren’t aired on television.

Previously, Ric Flair had addressed John Cena’s recent turn from being a ‘face’ to a ‘heel,’ when Cena announced his plans to break the 16-time world title record on a WWE Raw promo.

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“I’m just glad I’m alive after the life I’ve led to be here to hear it. I got news for John. They’ve been trying to get rid of the ‘Woo’ for 50 years. The ‘Woo’ isn’t going away, and neither is Ric Flair—and the odds of him winning a seventeenth world title are astronomical.” he explained.

If the 1980s can be considered the golden age of professional wrestling, then Ric Flair was among the men who made it happen. Together with Hulk Hogan, he spearheaded a national boom in popularity, with the two of them being the faces of competing promotions—Flair for the NWA and Hogan for the WWF.

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