CM Punk has a 'super' metaphor for his relationship with retiring John Cena
Though they haven't shared the ring in, oh, over a decade, CM Punk and John Cena will forever be linked together in the eyes of professional wrestling fans, as you can't tell one of their stories without mentioning the other.
So naturally, when Cena announced at Money in the Bank that he was calling it a career at the end of 2025 , fans were eager to see what he would have to say about his relationship with "The Face That Funs the Place" at the post-Money in the Bank press conference, especially after his arch-rival, Drew McIntyre , was escorted out of the building after attacking Adam Pearce earlier in the postshow.
Asked to describe their relationship as Cena prepares to call it a career, Punk made a pretty spot-on metaphor for their places in WWE history, comparing the 16-time champion to the "Man of Steel" and himself to the "Caped Crusader."
"I always looked at it like Superman and Batman , you know? Superman? He's great, he's cool if you like that sort of thing but then there's Batman and who doesn't like Batman, right? And that's what I mean, when you talk about John, you have to talk about me, and certainly when you talk about me, you have to talk about John," CM Punk told reporters after Money in the Bank.
"That moment, that night, if you said that's the best moment of my career, and I feel fortunate to have had a career where maybe you can argue that, and I think a lot of other people might argue that too. There's the Pipebomb, there's Money in the Bank, and there's my return in Chicago, most recently at Survivor Series; I'm always going to be connected to John Cena, and if that is the best moment of my career, I'm proud of that."
You know, while Punk is usually considered a Marvel guy, what with his "It's Clobbering Time!" catchphrase coming straight out of the Fantastic Four, his comparison is pretty much on the money, as Cena always stood for "Truth, Justice, and the American Way," while the "Best in the World" was more willing to operate on the margins, using his wits, resources, but no firearms to get what he needs done done. If that's how fans remember their dynamic, it's safe to say both men would be okay with that.
CM Punk wants one more match with John Cena
Elsewhere in his time with reporters after Money in the Bank, CM Punk reflected on the end of John Cena's career, detailing what he texted "The Champ" when he heard the news and how his run with shake out in professional wrestling history.
"I texted him right away and I said, 'Don't leave before you say hi to me'. And he texted back, 'Haha, have a good one tonight.' And I immediately took that as, 'P**s off, I'm leaving,' so... I know he's busy, he's filming Peacemaker so I figured he was leaving right away, I was pleasantly surprised to run into him afterward, and I told him I'll be the guy that drags him out of retirement," CM Punk told reporters via WrestleTalk.
"This retirement that he says he's gonna adhere to, and this is it, and when the final one happens, that's gonna be it, like, yeah, 15 years I'll drag him out of retirement. But 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. We're married in that respect.
"So 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 gonna be one more time, we gotta do it at least one more time."
No matter how this last year shakes out, it's safe to say Cena will go down as one of the best WWE products of all time, with his entire professional wrestling career, give or take a dozen or so matches for UPW, coming for one of the promotion's brands. While his story may not be able to be told without mentioning Punk, when it's all said and done, the tale will go down as one of the greatest ever told, which is a pretty good accomplishment for a kid who slept in his car at the start of his career.
