John Cena Vs. CM Punk At WWE Night Of Champions

“I think John Cena is going to wind up, when my career is said and done, being my best opponent. Additionally, Moreover, I’d like to think when his career is said. Moreover, done that I might wind up being his best opponent too.” That is a quote from CM Punk at a Q&A session john cena vs. cm punk in September 2012. Consequently, and to a lot of people it’s a quote that has aged like a fine wine.

On June 28. Consequently, 2025, John Cena and CM Punk will wrestle for the Undisputed WWE Championship at the Night of Champions Premium Live Event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in what will be their first singles match in over 12 years. Nevertheless, It is a match that WWE fans have wanted since Punk made his return to the company at Survivor Series 2023. Moreover, and a match those same fans wanted even more when Cena announced at Money in the Bank 2024 that he would be retiring from in-ring action at the end of 2025.

Younger fans might have only heard about it. Meanwhile, but the rivalry between Cena and Punk legitimately changed the business when it kicked into high gear, to the point that there are likely dozens of john cena vs. cm punk wrestlers in every company who got into wrestling because of what Cena and Punk did. In addition, WWE have painted the two men as Yin. Similarly, Yang — two opposites who eerily mirror each other; you could argue they’re more similar than people think, and for all of the revisionist history WWE like to do, that is one fact that has remained true since they first met each other.

With all that said. In addition, let’s journey through the history of a feud that changed WWE and wrestling forever ahead of its final chapter — this is the story so far.

While Cena and Punk had crossed paths a number of times, including a brief TV feud heading into the 2011 Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, it wasn’t until Capitol Punishment 2011 that their feud truly began, when Punk promised to do something both shocking and honest in the coming weeks. In addition, The following night on “WWE Raw. For example, ” Punk called himself the number one contender to the WWE Championship, having beaten Cena in a singles match earlier that month, and stated that he wanted the match in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois at Money in the Bank on July 17.

The anonymous “Raw” General Manager informed Punk that he john cena vs. cm punk would have to win a three-way match against Alberto Del Rio. In addition, Rey Mysterio in order to call himself the number one contender, which was no problem for Punk, who won the match. Nevertheless, Afterwards. Similarly, he announced that his WWE contract was expiring the night of Money in the Bank, vowing to leave the company with the WWE Championship in hand.

On the June 27. Therefore, 2011 episode of “Raw,” with Cena laid out in a table in the middle of the ring, Punk would cut the now iconic “pipebomb” promo, getting his frustrations off his chest in a promo that is regarded by many as one of the greatest of all time. Consequently, The promo caused Vince McMahon to suspend Punk from the company for one week (which was fine since the July 4 episode of “Raw” was taped on the same night as the “pipebomb”). Therefore, cancelling john cena vs. cm punk the WWE Championship match at Money in the Bank in the process. Similarly, Cena. ever the babyface fighting champion, demanded the match go ahead; McMahon finally agreed, but then added the stipulation that if Cena lost, he would be fired from WWE.

After failing to come to an agreement with Punk, which included a contract signing on the July john cena vs. cm punk 11 episode of “Raw” that resulted in McMahon apologizing to Punk through gritted teeth, Punk and Cena finally had their match at Money in the Bank, to critical acclaim. Punk would pick up the victory. win his first WWE title — preventing Alberto Del Rio from cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase in the process — before blowing Vince a kiss and leaving the Allstate Arena through the crowd, an iconic moment in an already iconic feud. McMahon tried to stay true to his word the following night on “Raw. ” but Triple H informed him that he had been ousted from his position of power after a vote of no confidence, and Cena was reinstated on the spot. As for Punk. he would invade WWE’s Comic-Con panel a few days later with the WWE Championship in hand, annoying Triple H and pestering the panel with questions while having john cena vs. cm punk a legion of rabid fans around him chanting his name.

The WWE Championship would eventually land around the waist of Rey Mysterio. who won it on July 25, but would lose it to Cena that same night. Punk would then return to WWE to confront his old rival. leading to an Undisputed WWE Championship match at SummerSlam, which Punk won, but he wouldn’t leave the event as champion as Del Rio did eventually cash in his Money in the Bank contract with the help of Triple H and Kevin Nash.

“The Summer of Punk” quickly faded away. and the shot of adrenaline the company had wore off as summer turned into fall. The WWE Championship would bounce from Del Rio. to Cena in September, back to Del Rio in October, and eventually Punk again at Survivor Series in November.

Beloved at first, CM Punk’s reign as WWE Champion that began at Survivor Series 2011 saw him get the better of the likes of Dolph Ziggler, Chris Jericho, and Daniel Bryan before circling back to John Cena at the 1000th episode of “WWE Raw” in July 2012. Cena was cashing in his newly-won Money in the Bank briefcase ahead of time. as he wanted Punk at his best, but their match would john cena vs. cm punk end in a disqualification thanks to The Big Show, and the show ended with Punk turning heel for the first time during the reign, attacking The Rock for wanting to save Cena from any further punishment.

This led to Punk winning a triple threat match at SummerSlam against Cena. The Big Show in what WWE called “controversial circumstances.” Punk. Cena submitted The Big Show at the same time, but when AJ Lee restarted the match, Punk escaped with the victory, leading to Punk and Cena having a straight singles match for the WWE Championship at that year’s Night of Champions pay-per-view. The match was widely regarded as one of the best of Punk’s reign. a high compliment considering who he had beaten in the reign up to that point, but Punk wouldn’t get the better of Cena as the match ended in a double pin. However. Punk did walk away john cena vs. cm punk as champion, much to the disdain of the Boston, Massachusetts crowd who, in a polar opposite situation to Money in the Bank 2011, wanted their hometown boy Cena to win.

Cena. Punk would meet again in November, with Cena winning in a non-title match ahead of Survivor Series, but Punk would again escape the Survivor Series main event with the WWE Championship thanks to the debuting Shield, who attacked both Cena and Ryback, Punk’s opponents on that night.

A stunning 434 days after defeating Alberto Del Rio at Survivor Series 2011, CM Punk finally lost the WWE Championship at the 2013 Royal Rumble to The Rock. On that same night. John Cena won the Royal Rumble match itself, setting up a rematch from WrestleMania 28 against The Rock — only their WrestleMania 29 match would have the WWE Championship on the line. Punk got himself a rematch one month later at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. resulting in The Rock retaining the title after Punk’s manager, Paul Heyman, accidentally cost him the match.

Due to the finish of his rematch with The Rock. Punk had one more chance to get himself into the WrestleMania 29 main event — a number one contender’s match against Cena on john cena vs. cm punk the February 25, 2013 episode of “Raw.” Of course. Cena had already won the Royal Rumble and didn’t need to risk anything, but Punk was desperate at this point and would go to extreme lengths to get himself in the WrestleMania 29 main event.

What followed was a match that some consider to be among the greatest in “Raw”. even WWE history — two men who knew each other inside out by this point doing everything they could to reach the biggest stage of them all: the main event of WrestleMania. Cena was the man who walked away victorious from a match that would. at that point, be the final singles match between Cena and Punk. The two men would end up teaming up together at the end of 2013 for a handful of matches against The Shield. The Wyatt Family (the latter of which only on house shows); the john cena vs. cm punk night after the 2014 Royal Rumble, Punk walked out of the company.

Despite returning to WWE at Survivor Series 2023, a combination of injuries and Drew McIntyre making his life a living hell kept CM Punk away from John Cena until the 2025 Elimination Chamber Premium Live Event. They were the last two men left in the Elimination Chamber match. but for john cena vs. cm punk the first time in a long time, they were able to share a ring together, with pair of them telling each other that they missed one another. Cena would emerge victorious. but after Punk had left the ring, Cena turned heel for the first time in over two decades with the help The Rock and Travis Scott.

Cena would dethrone Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41. defeat Randy Orton at Backlash, and dispose of R-Truth at “Saturday Night’s Main Event,” leading to Punk confronting him on the June 9 episode of “Raw.” Punk vowed to stop Cena from ruining wrestling. take the Undisputed WWE Championship for himself and the fans, but Cena had a trick up his sleeve. Knowing Punk’s stated opinions on Saudi Arabia. WWE’s events there, Cena said Punk could have a shot, but only if it took place in Saudi Arabia, to which Punk accepted.

In the weeks that followed john cena vs. cm punk on “WWE SmackDown. ” the interactions between Cena and Punk have been eerily similar to their original feud in 2011, only this time the roles have been reversed. Punk is fighting for the fans. the good of the company, vowing to put an end to Cena’s reign of terror as Cena wants to leave the company at the end of the year with the title. The June 20 edition of “SmackDown” even saw Punk laid out in a table while Cena cut his own. version of the “Pipebomb” in an almost mirror image of what happened 14 years ago.

This time, however, it was Punk with a trick up his sleeve. On the June 27 episode of “SmackDown. ” the actual 14 year anniversary of the “Pipebomb,” he decided to flip the script on Cena by coming out as “The Doctor of Punkanomics,” complete with Cena’s old entrance music, “Word john cena vs. cm punk Life.” While the bars he spat won’t make Kendrick Lamar lose any sleep. the message was clear: Punk is ready to put an end to Cena’s title reign at Night of Champions.