CM Punk Uses ‘Super’ Metaphor for His Bond with Retiring John Cena

Though they haven’t shared the ring in over a decade, CM Punk and John Cena will forever be linked in the eyes of professional wrestling fans, as you cannot tell one of their stories without mentioning the other.

When Cena announced at Money in the Bank that he was calling it a career at the end of 2025, fans eagerly awaited his words about his relationship with “The Face That Runs the Place” during the post-Money in the Bank press conference. This interest was heightened after Drew McIntyre, Cena’s arch-rival, was escorted out of the building for attacking Adam Pearce earlier in the postshow.

Asked to describe their relationship as Cena prepares to end his career, Punk made a spot-on metaphor, comparing the 16-time champion to “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. 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.”

Though Punk is usually seen as a Marvel guy, given his “It’s Clobbering Time!” catchphrase from the Fantastic Four, his comparison is on the money. Cena always stood for “Truth, Justice, and the American Way,” while the “Best in the World” operated on the margins, using brains and resources, but no firearms, to get things done. If that’s how fans remember their dynamic, it’s safe to say both men would be okay with that.

Elsewhere in his time with reporters after Money in the Bank, CM Punk reflected on John Cena’s career end, detailing how he texted “The Champ” when he heard the news and how he sees their history together evolving.

“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, 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 plays out, it’s safe to say Cena will be remembered as one of the best WWE products of all time, with his professional wrestling career, apart from a dozen or so matches for UPW, being tied to one of the promotion’s brands. While his story may be incomplete without mentioning Punk, when it’s all said and done, the tale will stand as one of the greatest ever told. This is a remarkable accomplishment for a kid who once slept in his car at the start of his career.

Source: WrestleTalk