Bully Ray Stacks Up WWE Star John Cena Against Ric Flair In GOAT Discussion

Wrestling fans often discuss who is the greatest of all time, with two names frequently entering the conversation: "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair and John Cena. The two are often linked given that WWE recognizes them both as being record-setting 16-time world champions. On a recent episode of "Busted Open Radio," WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray contributed to this conversation, making a clear distinction between Flair and Cena regarding world championships.

"Ric Flair is the greatest professional wrestler of all time because he's done it all over the world," said Ray. "In my eyes, John Cena is already the greatest WWE Champion of all time... Unless you do it all over the world, you cannot make the claim to being the greatest of anything of all time."

While Flair is recognized by WWE as being a 16-time world champion, the actual number is believed to be much greater and does not include every reign from outside of his WWE and WCW careers. Cena, on the other hand, has never held a world championship outside of WWE. According to Ray, this is the clear distinction that separates Flair and Cena. The conversation stems from Cena recently confirming that 2025 will be his final year as a professional wrestler, with plans to retire at the end of the calendar year. Ray also discussed his hopes for how WWE approaches Cena's final match.

"I would love John Cena's last match to be against whoever is the world heavyweight champion on that night," said Ray. "If John were to lose, he'd go out with his shoulders on the mat, which he should, fighting for the world heavyweight championship."

During the Money in the Bank press conference, Cena discussed at length what he hopes to achieve before his final match.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.