Take a deep look into the infamous feud between John Cena and CM Punk, two wrestlers who brought out the best of the decade in wrestling. Here, the author focuses on their great bouts, such as the ‘Summer of Punk,’ and notes that the rivals have a healthy appreciation for each other away from the wrestling arena. However, Cena and Punk, two top wrestlers, are rivals in WWE, yet they are friends in reality. This is quite inspiring and hints at what more can be expected from the two in future WWE matches.
John Cena and CM Punk
John Cena and CM Punk are two wrestlers whose rivalry will be remembered for as long as wrestling exists. Both superstars had arguably the best feud in the 2010s when they were in WWE. They made each other better wrestlers and better speakers in the ring. Punk was always civil with Cena, even when Punk decided to leave WWE. Punk was always keen on not coming across other wrestlers, even when he was still a WWE employee.
He always has always respected Cena. Punk himself said this in an interview with Colt Cabana: they were not friends, but there was no hatred between them. This mutual respect is not often seen in the wrestling world, and is a precious thing indeed. However, now that Punk is back in WWE, the chances of the two having more matches in the future is something the fans can only hope for.
A Decade of Memorable Matches
John Cena and CM Punk both had many classic bouts during their time in WWE. Their rivalry in 2010 was one of the best examples of their compatibility. 2011 was a significant year characterized by what was referred to as the ‘Summer of Punk.’ This led to Punk finally defeating Cena to become the WWE Champion at Money in the Bank.
This match is described as one of the best of their wrestling careers, and Dave Meltzer, a wrestling journalist and analyst, rated it as a 5-star classic. The risks were very high – if Punk were to win the title and had intentions of leaving WWE, it would be a significant loss to the company.
WWE later organized a tournament to determine the new champion where Rey Mysterio was crowned. However, the turn of events happened later that night when John Cena won the WWE Championship. This brought back Punk and paved the way for another showdown at SummerSlam for the showdown for the WWE championship.
CM Punk rose to the occasion once again and came out on top. Until now, the competition between them was nothing short of phenomenal, and Punk was already a name that could rock wrestling. But the tide changed when Kevin Nash came back.
Beyond the Rivalry: Mutual Support
Although Meltzer has criticized John Cena’s record in WWE title bouts, CM Punk has given the fans a different perspective of Cena. During an interview at Starrcast III, Punk disclosed that Cena did not cage him and seldom restricted him from doing new things in the wrestling ring as most wrestlers had. Punk enjoyed this aspect of freedom, pointing out that Cena appeared somewhat relieved to finally be sharing the limelight.
“I always enjoyed working with John because it was always a piece of cake,” Punk stated. “John was glad that someone else could take the lead; he did not need to be the one to coordinate everything,” he said, “I could do whatever I wanted. I think he was happy, so we complemented each other.”
Though CM Punk was unhappy with WWE’s bias towards Cena, he respected him. They were each other’s fiercest competitors, which Punk has admitted in many interviews, including the Money in the Bank 2024 press conference. It is a bitter rivalry that the two share not only in the wrestling ring but also outside of it.
For More Great Content
Check out all the great content Total Apex Sports has to offer. Check us out on X @TotalApexSports and our other sites: Total Apex Sports Bets and Total Apex Fantasy Sports.
