Ranking All 17 of John Cena's WWE Championship Runs

WWE has been heavily touting John Cena as the greatest of all time for years, and the extensive list of championships he's won is an important piece of his indelible legacy.

Cena captured a record 17th world title in WWE early on his retirement tour by beating Cody Rhodes on Night 2 of WrestleMania 41. Although Ric Flair has held far more than 16 world titles over the course of his own career, WWE always established that as the number to beat.

However, many of those title reigns for Cena were uneventful and not nearly as memorable as the wins themselves. His most recent run lasted almost four months and featured a few high-profile title defenses, whereas his last world championship reign in 2017 ended after only two weeks.

Cena's place in wrestling history is virtually impossible to dispute and unquestionably well-deserved, but a case can be made for the quality of world title reigns meaning more than the quantity.

Ahead of The Unseen 17's final-ever match at Saturday Night's Main Event on Dec. 13, let's look back at every one of his WWE world championship runs and rank them from worst to best.

Blink and You Missed Them (17-15)

17. Eighth run (>1 day, 2010, 0 defenses)

Cena captured the WWE Championship in a hard-fought Elimination Chamber match at the eponymous event in 2010, only to lose it minutes later to Batista after Mr. McMahon made their impromptu match official. It was the shortest world title reign he ever had as well as his most forgettable.

16. 16th run (14 days, 2017, 0 defenses)

Cena bested AJ Styles in a classic at Royal Rumble 2017 to tie Ric Flair's (WWE-sanctioned) record of most world title wins ever. The match and moment were worthy of the occasion, but the run itself ended two weeks later inside Elimination Chamber.

15. 12th run (14 days, 2011, 0 defenses)

Alberto Del Rio had just cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase at SummerSlam to clinch his first WWE title and fulfill his self-proclaimed destiny. Cena taking the title from him a month later at Night of Champions served no purpose, seeing as how he then lost the belt back to Del Rio on the very next pay-per-view, Hell in a Cell.

More Transitional Reigns (14-12)

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14. 11th run (20 days, 2011, 0 defenses)

Following his loss of the WWE Championship to CM Punk at Money in the Bank 2011, all signs pointed to fans getting a bit of a breather from Cena in the title picture for a bit, especially since he was excluded from the subsequent tournament to crown a new champ. Instead, he faced Rey Mysterio the same night he won the tourney to take the title and lose it once again to Punk at SummerSlam.

13. Sixth run (21 days, 2009, 0 defenses)

Cena avenged his SummerSlam loss to Randy Orton at Breaking Point by beating him in an "I Quit" match to claim the prestigious prize, seemingly ending their rivalry. They went on to run it back at the first-ever Hell in a Cell PPV three weeks later, when Orton regained the gold.

12. Fifth run (21 days, 2009, 0 defenses)

Cena had not one but two title reigns in 2009 that lasted 21 days, with the first one happening between WrestleMania 25 and Backlash in the same month. His grand championship celebration at 'Mania was short-lived, ending in a Last Man Standing loss to Edge at the latter event thanks to an assist from Big Show.

Minimal Defenses (11-9)

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11. 15th run (49 days, 2014, 1 defense)

All signs pointed to Daniel Bryan holding the WWE World Heavyweight Championship he won at WrestleMania 30 through SummerSlam 2014, where he'd lose it in a one-sided squash to Brock Lesnar. Bryan's untimely injury forced him to vacate the title and his spot to Cena. He became champ in a star-studded ladder match at Money in the Bank, defended it in a Fatal 4-Way at Battleground and was destroyed by Lesnar at SummerSlam.

10. Seventh run (49 days, 2009, 1 defense)

Cena's aforementioned 2009 rivalry with Randy Orton culminated in him reclaiming the championship in an epic Iron Man match at Bragging Rights and successfully defending it in a terrific Triple Threat against Triple H and Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series. Newcomer Sheamus was the underdog going into their Tables match for the title at TLC that December but shockingly found a way to win less than six months removed from debuting on the main roster.

9. 14th run (49 days, 2013, 2 defenses)

In typical Cena fashion, he won the World Heavyweight Championship the same night he returned to the ring at Hell in a Cell 2013. Damian Sandow cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on Cena the next night and lost by pinfall. Cena knocked off ex-champ Alberto Del Rio in a rematch at Survivor Series before failing to unify the world heavyweight and WWE titles against Orton at TLC.

Fine Yet Forgettable (8-6)

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8. 10th run (2011, 77 days, 3 defenses)

Cena came up short of unseating The Miz for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 27 but clinched the title in their Triple Threat Steel Cage match also involving John Morrison at Extreme Rules. The run was nothing special as it consisted of rematches with The Miz on Raw and Over the Limit and an average outing against R-Truth at Capitol Punishment. His title loss to CM Punk at Money in the Bank is widely believed to be among his best bouts ever.

7. Fourth run (2008-2009, 84 days, 2 defenses)

Much like he would on the same show five years later, Cena returned from injury at Survivor Series 2008 to defeat Chris Jericho for the World Heavyweight Championship. Following successful title defenses against Jericho at Armageddon and JBL at Royal Rumble, Cena lost his coveted title to Edge inside the Elimination Chamber at No Way Out 2009.

6. Ninth run (2010, 84 days, 2 defenses)

Cena redeemed himself from his brief title reign at Elimination Chamber 2010 by getting the belt back from Batista in an excellent encounter at WrestleMania 26 and scoring another two decisive wins over him in Last Man Standing and "I Quit" action at Extreme Rules and Over the Limit, respectively. He later lost the title to Sheamus at the one-and-only Fatal 4-Way event that June.

5. Record-Setting 17th Run (105 Days, 2025, 2 Defenses)

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Although Cena's heel turn left a lot to be desired this year in terms of how it was executed, the actual WWE Championship run had several bright spots and was fun for as long as it lasted.

The match in which Cena won the title from Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41 was disappointing and was capped off by one of the worst finishes in 'Mania history with Travis Scott interfering, but the story told from that point forward with Cena holding the gold hostage had potential.

As one of Cena's greatest rivals ever, Randy Orton stepping up as his first challenger post-WrestleMania was logical and made for an unprecedented reversal of roles. The buildup to their Backlash bout was uninspired, but the atmosphere at the event in Orton's hometown of St. Louis was electric. Cena narrowly retained in what was a fantastic final encounter.

His next two matches with R-Truth weren't what they could have been due to being on the shorter side, but the renewal of his rivalry with CM Punk heading into their last-ever match together at Night of Champions featured its fair share of memorable moments, including Cena cutting his own version of the "pipe bomb" promo.

Rhodes regaining the gold from Cena at SummerSlam was hardly surprising as it was always the endgame, but them having a five-star mat classic was completely unexpected and proved the veteran still had some gas left in the tank.

4. Unseating The Rock (133 Days, 2013, 3 Defenses)

WWE told a two-year story with The Rock and John Cena that culminated in The GOAT finally defeating The Great One at WrestleMania 29, this time with the WWE Championship on the line.

It marked the first time Cena had held a world title in a year and a half.

He wasted no time in making new enemies, namely Ryback and Mark Henry. Ryback turned heel just to be Cena's first challenger, failing to take the title from him in a Last Man Standing match at Extreme Rules as well as in a Three Stages of Hell bout at Payback.

Cena's feud with Henry made for most-see TV, despite only lasting a month.

Henry's faux retirement and betrayal of Cena was an all-time Raw segment and resulted in a heated championship clash between the two at Money in the Bank that The Cenation Leader won.

Company man Cena was also the perfect foil for Daniel Bryan in his hunt for the WWE title in the summer of 2013.

Both were babyfaces at the time, but their feud and outstanding SummerSlam match were effective in elevating Bryan to the next level, especially with The Beard winning in clean fashion to claim the prestigious prize.

3. Proving Himself as a Headliner (133 Days, 2006, 2 Defenses)

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Two title defenses in five months may sound egregious, but it was what Cena accomplished in that time that truly cemented him as a headliner.

It was a mere three weeks after he lost the WWE Championship to Edge at New Year's Revolution 2006 that he reclaimed the title at the Royal Rumble. From there, he set his sights on Triple H en route to WrestleMania 22 in an attempt to prove himself as main event-caliber competitor.

Despite having held a top title for nearly a year by then, none of it mattered until he could put down The Game. It was an arduous task in front of a hostile crowd in Chicago, but ultimately Cena prevailed and earned the respect of Triple H in the process.

He managed to pull it off yet again in a Triple Threat against both HHH and Edge at Backlash before transitioning into a program with Rob Van Dam, where he found himself in enemy territory at ECW One Night Stand.

Interference from Edge cost Cena the title and put him back in chase mode for the summer while also inadvertently giving RVD the biggest moment and victory of his entire career.

2. Fantastic First Run (280 Days, 2005-2006, 9 Defenses)

With the fans behind him, Cena soundly defeated JBL for his first WWE Championship at WrestleMania 21 and never looked back.

Their rematch at Judgment Day, which was contested under "I Quit" rules, was significantly bloodier and more brutal than their original encounter. The resilient Cena went to great lengths to prove he could hang at such an elite level, even in extreme environments.

He spent his summer racking up wins over Christian and Chris Jericho in PPV matches with the WWE title before embroiling in a three-month feud with Kurt Angle in the fall and successfully setting back every challenge.

Cena even beat then-Raw general manager Eric Bischoff to send him packing from WWE, in addition to coming on top in a tremendous Triple Threat against Angle and Shawn Michaels at Taboo Tuesday 2005.

It was only after surviving five of Raw's finest in an Elimination Chamber match to retain his title that he promptly lost it to Edge via a Money in the Bank cash-in. Cena wasn't without gold for long, but he did set the standard for all of his future runs with how impressive his first one was.

1. Super Cena Is Born (380 Days, 2006-2007, 12 Defenses)

Cena's ruthless rivalry with Edge throughout 2006 solidified his spot atop the Raw roster and also put a massive target on his back as WWE champion.

After overcoming Edge in a feud-ending steel cage match on Raw that October and submission specialist Chris Masters in a Masterlock Challenge, Cena conquered the undefeated Umaga at New Year's Revolution and again in a grueling Last Man Standing match at the Royal Rumble.

Shawn Michaels gave Cena some of his best matches during this reign by pushing him to his limit in a top-notch WrestleMania match in April and in a Fatal 4-Way also involving Edge and Randy Orton at Backlash, falling short on both occasions.

Cena brought the best out of The Great Khali when they collided on back-to-back PPVs in the spring of 2007, defied the odds by retaining his title in a Five-Pack Challenge at Vengeance and barely beat Bobby Lashley at The Great American Bash.

He also retained his title in PPV outings against Randy Orton at SummerSlam and Unforgiven, only to relinquish it due to injury that October.

The fans never stopped rallying against Cena, yet he produced good to great matches every time the gold was up for grabs and made himself synonymous with the strap.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.