The Controversial History Of John Cena’s WWE Championship Spinner Belt, Explained

John Cena, with his hard work, determination, and never give up attitude, succeeded in making himself the franchise player of the WWE for almost 15 years. Cena captivated the audience like no other and continues to do so to this date. However, the most notable achievement in the lengthy career of the Cenation Leader is his 17 World Championships. John had an interesting contribution to his history of titles with the introduction of his own version of the WWE Championship.

John Cena debuted in WWE in 2002, and it took two more years before Cena tasted championship gold. However, it was not until the next year, in 2005, that John Cena captured his first world championship. Big Match John wanted to make his first-ever world title reign even more memorable and that’s when the world saw the introduction of perhaps the most controversial version of the WWE Title.

UPDATE: 2025/05/10 17:00 EST BY BENJAMIN VIEIRA

In April 2025, at WrestleMania 41, John Cena became a 17-time world champion. It was a triumphant moment for a wrestler who had dedicated decades of his life to the industry. After years, Cena broke the record that was held by Ric Flair. Now, he ushers in a truly new time for the title and in professional wrestling. However, fans have always voiced their opinions about Cena. That included the spinner belt that he introduced to the WWE. It was a true love it or hate it design that always got a reaction from fans. So, let’s learn more about the history of the spinner WWE Championship.

John Cena Won His First World Championship At WrestleMania 21

He Defeated JBL For The WWE Title

• Cena won his first WWE Title in Hollywood.
• He had previously introduced the spinner United States Championship.
• Cena helped design the spinner WWE Championship.

John Cena was heading into WrestleMania 21 for his first major crack at the WWE Championship against the dominant holder at the time, John Bradshaw Layfield. After weeks of a heated rivalry, the Cenation Leader dethroned JBL at WrestleMania 21 and won his first-ever WWE Championship in Hollywood.

Being young and hungry for success at the time, John Cena wanted to make a long-lasting impression in the history books of WWE. Therefore, he decided to make his first reign as a World Champion even more special by introducing his own version of the WWE Championship. Cena had done the same thing when he won his third WWE United States title a year before.

John Cena was involved in the title’s design. He offered his opinions on the spinner’s shape, the colored jewels, the different types of metal, the size and placement of the diamonds in the title, the size and placement of the diamonds in the title’s places, and the feel of the leather.

The feud with JBL continued even after WrestleMania, with Bradshaw stealing the previous version of the title and still claiming to be the champion. However, at WWE Judgment Day 2005, Cena defeated JBL in a brutal “I Quit” match and reclaimed both championship belts.

Several WWE Superstars Held The Spinner Title

The Spinner WWE Championship Was Used For Eight Years

• There were slight tweaks to this version of the WWE Championship.
• Edge had his own version of the spinner title.
• Triple H, Randy Orton, CM Punk, and more held the spinner title.

Although the spinner version of the WWE Championship was created to befit John Cena’s rapper character, that did not stop WWE from putting the strap on other top WWE stars. Moreover, with several title changes, the WWE Universe saw slight tweaks in the spinner belt.

The first change was witnessed in 2006 when Edge was the WWE Champion and defeated John Cena in his hometown at WWE SummerSlam. Right after, Edge introduced his own version of the title that had the Rated R spinner logo and tossed Cena’s belt into the Long Island Sound. However, he was offered a unique Rated-R version of the title by WWE. Edge got to work and came up with a design that wasn’t similar to the spinning belt. Nevertheless, because of time concerns, WWE simply swapped out the scratch logo for a Rated-R logo and presented the concept to the audience.

Moreover, a key factor of the spinner title, the actual spinning feature, was gradually discontinued in later years, presumably with No Mercy 2007. The logo was placed in a fixed location and was visible during The Miz’s title reign when it was turned inside out. The spinner feature was then observed on television after a long time in 2013 during The Rock’s new title design reveal segment. Other than that, many other WWE superstars such as Triple H, Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton, and Rob Van Dam held the spinner WWE Championship in their careers.

The Spinner WWE Championship Was Finally Discontinued After Years Of Criticism

The Rock Introduced A New Title

• The Rock won his last WWE Title in 2013.
• He retired the spinner belt.
• The Rock said that Cena’s spinner WWE Championship looked like a toy..

It was well known that the spinner WWE Championship was panned by critics, fans, and even WWE superstars who held the title. Only in 2011 did WWE executives begin to officially discuss creating a new look.

WWE finally answered the pleas of many and had the Great One and then champion, The Rock, retired the spinner title, claiming that the most important title in history should never look “like a toy.” The People’s champion then introduced a more regal and classy version of the WWE Championship. The spinner version of the WWE Championship may have been laid to rest now, but the eight-year-long storied history of the design will forever be etched in the history of WWE.

The Spinner Belt Reappeared During Cena’s Feud With Cody Rhodes

Cena Has Since Won His 17th World Title

• Cena won his first WWE Title in eight years in 2025.
• He beat Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41 to become the new WWE Champion.
• A heel Cena has referenced the spinner belt in promos.

2025 saw the return of the spinner version of the title for the first time in years. Cena mentioned it during a promo about how fans reacted when he brought it into WWE for the first time. However, Cody Rhodes took it a step further when he spoke about the history of the WWE Championship.

During a promo on SmackDown in the build-up to WrestleMania 41, Rhodes was surrounded by WWE Titles of the past. That included the spinner title. Rhodes used it to further a point about if Cena could do it and win it. In the end, he proved that he was able to do it and became a 17-time WWE Champion at WrestleMania 41. Thankfully, the spinner title hasn’t returned with this latest reign.