John Cena: ‘The World Title Is Viewed As Second-Tier’

In an interview with NOLA.com, John Cena spoke about the status of the World Heavyweight title as a “second-tier” championship. Here are highlights:

On bringing prestige back to the World Heavyweight Championship: “This is not taken as a shot of disrespect to anyone who has held the title before me, but it’s now viewed as a second-tier championship. [Defending the title at WrestleMania XXX] will truly put a stamp on making it the real deal. I want the WWE universe to realize that it’s not a second-tier championship. It should be treated with as much respect as the WWE Title.”

On coming up on passing Ric Flair’s legendary 16-time title reign: “If I have two more, that means I’m going to lose it two more times. So I’d rather stay at 14. That record is held in pretty high esteem. Just to be in that conversation, that means I’ve done something right over the years. If it gets to the point of where it does happen, I’ll enjoy hearing what our fans have to say.”

On his critics: “I’m glad at least (the critics) are watching. So I’ll keep accepting their criticism as far as my in-ring skill set and just keep moving on. I’ve won 14 championships with five moves, and if I could only get myself a sixth one, I’ll be able to break that 16 mark. … I truly take (the criticism) in jest.”

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