10 WWE storylines in 2017 that made wrestling better

5. John Cena ties Ric Flair with 16 world title wins

Uh-oh, there’s more John Cena for you. If you want another heads up, there’s more Roman Reigns coming your way in a little bit so be prepared for that. When Reigns and Cena met up at No Mercy, there was no title on the line. There was no history on the line. However, when John Cena met up with AJ Styles at the Royal Rumble, there was plenty on the line. This was also a way for me to get AJ Styles on this list somewhere because he’s still the best in-ring performer in WWE right now. He made my list of top stories last year and I would have loved to have put him in again this year but his booking was a little off despite him still putting on some of the best matches of the year. But I digress.

It’s no secret that there were plenty of people out there that never wanted to see Ric Flair’s record of 16 world title reigns tied or broken by anyone, let alone by the most polarizing figure in WWE history in John Cena. However, whether you like it or not, John Cena has been carrying WWE on his back for over a decade and there was never going to be a better choice than him to get this honor. Even The Nature Boy himself went on record and said that he would love for Cena to get to number 16, which is exactly what happened that night in San Antonio.

Getting to number 16 had been built up before but it had never come to fruition. Getting Cena in there with AJ Styles was the right way to go as the match had to be special and these two put on a show. Cena and Styles had the best feud and some of the greatest matches in 2016, and after a few months away from one another, we were almost guaranteed another classic as they came together to start the new year. It’s easily one of the best matches of the past year and some would argue that it’s better than the matches they had last year, which is really saying something. Sure, Cena lost the title a month later at Elimination Chamber but that does nothing to diminish the accomplishment and I don’t think it’s going to surprise anyone when he wins number 17 at some point in 2018.