CM Punk wants to face John Cena again before Cena’s WWE retirement
CM Punk is proud of the role that he and John Cena have played in each other’s careers.
Speaking at the post-Money in the Bank press conference on Saturday night, Punk reacted to the news that 2025 will be the final year of Cena’s in-ring career. Punk said he wants to face Cena at least one more time on Cena’s retirement tour.
“Cena, I think to my career means a lot. I don’t think there’s many people up in that rare air where, if you talk about my career, I feel you have to talk about John. And it makes me feel proud that I think if you talk about John’s career, I think you have to talk about me. You know, we’re married in that respect,” Punk said.
“Proud of him. He gets to go out on his terms, I know that’s important. I’m looking forward to what he does. And I told him that, if it’s going to be one more time, we got to do it at least one more time.”
Cena was the opponent for one of the most memorable moments of Punk’s career when Punk won the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank 2011. The two also had a standout match on Raw in February 2013.
Punk said he always viewed the dynamic between him and Cena as being like Superman (Cena) vs. Batman (Punk).
At Money in the Bank, Cena made a surprise appearance and spoke to the crowd about his retirement plans. The retirement tour will last from January through December 2025. Cena said at the post-show press conference that the amount of WWE dates he plans to work during the tour is tentatively hovering “in the mid-30s to 40s.”
Those dates will include Royal Rumble 2025, Elimination Chamber 2025, and WrestleMania 41.
Punk, who has been out of action since January due to a torn triceps, also showed up at Money in the Bank, causing Drew McIntyre to fail in his Money in the Bank cash-in. It’s looking likely that Punk will be cleared to return in time to face McIntyre at SummerSlam next month.
With both at Money in the Bank, Cena and Punk were able to meet up backstage on Saturday.