Ric Flair Explains Why He Was Pulling For John Cena To Win WWE Royal Rumble 2025

Like many pundits, WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair lent his support to John Cena heading into the 2025 Men's Royal Rumble. As it turns out, though, Cena placed second in the match as he ultimately fell to the hands of Jey Uso, who has since cashed in his win for a WWE World Heavyweight championship match at WrestleMania 41. During an appearance on "Gabby AF," Flair explained the reasoning behind his Cena endorsement.

"I was really pulling for John because they would have been talking about me on TV for the next three months," Flair joked, "but it kept me in line. Jey's great. The Usos are phenomenal performers, individually and as a team. They're big kids and people don't realize it. They're 230, 240 [pounds]; they're not little guys. They can do all the stuff Rey Mysterio can do."

As Flair alluded to, he and Cena are currently tied for the most world championship reigns in WWE with a total of 16. With a Royal Rumble victory, Cena would have secured himself a title match of his choosing at WrestleMania 41, naturally raising the talking point of him potentially eclipsing Flair for the WWE record. Fortunately for Flair, that talking point may soon rise again when Cena enters the Men's Elimination Chamber next weekend, with the winner earning an Undisputed WWE Championship match at "The Show of Shows."

Just as the Royal Rumble, the 2025 Elimination Chamber will mark Cena's last appearance at the respective premium live event as he plans to hang up his wrestling boots at the end of this year. Competing alongside him in the caged structure are CM Punk, Drew McIntyre, Logan Paul, Damian Priest, and Seth Rollins.

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