Why Ric Flair Says Cody Rhodes Should Retain Undisputed WWE Title At WrestleMania 41

Next weekend, the feud between John Cena and Cody Rhodes will reach its highest point yet when the latter defends the Undisputed WWE Championship against the former in the main event of WrestleMania 41. For some, the scene of Cena capturing his record-breaking 17th world title seems like the ideal outcome for WWE's grandest stage. In the eyes of WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair, though, the opposite applies.

"Cody should retain because he's on a roll," Flair said on "Busted Open Radio." "To be honest with you, I don't think John wants to retire with the title. John's a company guy. He wants what's best for business. And I'll tell you, I was sitting on the edge of my seat, literally watching the stuff with [Jey] Uso and John at the Royal Rumble because I thought, 'Damn it, they're going to do it, John's going to win the Royal Rumble' and then da, da, da, and then it becomes automatic. But I love it, I'm happy for everybody. It's going to be a great show."

As Flair alluded to, Cena recently proclaimed his plan (in storyline) to retire with the Undisputed WWE Championship to spite the fans after he defeats Rhodes at WrestleMania. Beating Rhodes has proven to be a difficult task, however, as he's only been pinned once since claiming the title at last year's WrestleMania premium live event, hence Flair's vote of confidence in him.

Cena earned this title match by outlasting five other men in the 2025 Men's Elimination Chamber, after which he shockingly turned heel and aligned himself with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. If Cena overcomes Rhodes at WrestleMania, he will ironically eclipse the WWE world title record currently held by both him and Flair.

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.