John Cena may have surpassed Ric Flair’s record earlier this year when he became the 17-time World Champion at WrestleMania 41. However, The Never Seen 17 never saw one-on-one in-ring action against Ric Flair. That said, the two did cross paths one time in a Tag Team Match. Did you know that John Cena and Ric Flair didn’t wrestle in WWE, but in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW)? Ric Flair shared footage of his match against John Cena, reminiscing about some GOAT-on-GOAT action.
John Cena Was The Prototype in OVW
As we’ve seen in all the recent tribute footage, John Cena wanted to be a WWE Superstar since he was a child. He did just that…and then some! In his final year, John Cena made history by becoming a Grand Slam Champion and setting the record for the most World Titles.
When John Cena started out, he didn’t don the tights under his own ring. John Cena was The Prototype. As the name implies, John Cena’s The Prototype was described as “The Perfect Man.” He was a heel character in UPW and brought that persona with him to OVW, where he fought with the likes of Leviathan (Batista) and David Flair.
Prototype Was The “Next Ric Flair”
Much like he was in his final year, John Cena was a heel as The Prototype. Former OVW Booker Jim Cornette has gone on record to say that he envisioned The Prototype as the next Ric Flair.
The host of The Jim Cornette Experience explained,
“John Cena’s success was the least surprising. When Cena got to OVW as The Prototype, he looked great physically. He could cut a wonderful promo, and he impressed [OVW Founder] Danny Davis when he showed up for the first day of class after coming out from California by already getting a place to live in Louisville.
He got there early. Always had his s*** together, and was always a step ahead. I thought he was going to be the next Ric Flair.”
As a result, Jim Cornette booked John Cena in a program with David Flair. This clash would ultimately lead to the only match between John Cena and Ric Flair.
Prototype Feuds with The Flairs
In the early 2000s, OVW served as a developmental territory for WWE. Not only did John Cena graduate from OVW, but Brock Lesnar, Shelton Benjamin, Charlie Haas, and Batista are all graduates from the same group. Like John Cena, Brock Lesnar is possibly looking at a retirement tour heading into SummerSlam 2026.
When WWE bought WCW in 2001, it procured many talent contracts, including David Flair’s. When Ric Flair joined WWE in 2002, David Flair started appearing on OVW TV.
Around this time, Ric Flair and Vince McMahon were embroiled in a bloody rivalry over WWE’s ownership. On OVW television, The Prototype was trying to get the attention of Vince McMahon so that he could get called up to the main roster. So, The Prototype started picking on David Flair.
Finally, David Flair’s first OVW television victory was an upset win over The Prototype. The Nature Boy’s son Sunset Flipped over John Cena into a Victory Roll for the pin.
Humiliated, John Cena promised to exact revenge. The future GOAT would enlist the help of former WCW Superstar Sean O’Haire to take on both Flairs at OVW Spring Breakout 2002.
Sean O’Haire & John Cena vs. Ric Flair & David Flair: April 5, 2002
History was made at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, as John Cena and Ric Flair’s only wrestling match went down in Louisville, Kentucky. At Spring Breakout 2002, Ric teamed up with his son, David, to take on Sean O’Haire and The Prototype.
The finish of the match came when David Flair made the hot tag to his father. Ric Flair cleaned house as the captain of Space Mountain does.
Eventually, things would break down with all four men in the ring. The chaos allowed Slick Ric to do what he does best…Be the Dirtiest Player In the Game. Naitch leveled The Prototype with a Low Blow during the melee.
OVW: Ric and David Flair defeated The Prototype (John Cena) and Sean O’Haire
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In the end, Ric and David Flair hit dual Figure Four Leglocks on their opponents. Ric Flair trapped John Cena while David Flair cinched it on Sean O’Haire. Both heels tapped, giving the father-son duo the W.
This match has not been released in its entirety. Perhaps WWE Vault can find the whole match and release it soon!
Ric Flair Reacts to Prototype Match
The wrestling world is still buzzing about John Cena’s retirement. Many Superstars, past and present, have been sharing past photos and videos with the retired legend.
While Ric Flair’s mouth has been getting him in trouble with the likes of Hulk Hogan’s widow and even Jim Ross these days, The Nature Boy was complimentary to the GOAT.
Ric Flair posted a clip from this rare match, stating,
“This Footage Brings Back So Many Memories! This Is The Only Time I Had The Opportunity To Wrestle @johncena! A Young GOAT In The Making! WOOOOO!”
While John Cena left his shoes in the ring, he’s not done with WWE. The Never Seen 17 signed a 5-year deal to remain a WWE Ambassador. Meanwhile, Mick Foley recently gave WWE his notice after they continued to work alongside Donald Trump.