John Cena Reflects On WWE Money In The Bank 2011, Says He Admires CM Punk’s Passion

John Cena has commended his former rival on his love for the wrestling business.

Retiring at the hands of GUNTHER, John Cena brought his incredibly storied career to a close on December 13, 2025. In his time with WWE as an active wrestler, Cena held nearly every accolade possible, as well as becoming a record 17-time world champion in the company. Across his career, few opponents had as storied a history with him as the current WWE Champion, CM Punk. The pair met in the ring on numerous occasions, most notably over the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank 2011.

In a new interview via Undisputed, Cena gave his thoughts on Punk and their classic encounter which recently celebrated its 15-year anniversary.

“That might have been like one of two matches that wrestling critics were like, ‘Eh, he’s OK–but it wasn’t because of him, it was because of the other guy.’ I think what that shows is when you have two names that span such a long test of time, it shows the individuals’ passion for what they do. If you’re not passionate about being in wrestling, you are weeded out quick. You might get a push to the top, you might get a chance, you might get a championship. If you’re not passionate, a 10-year career, a 15-year career, a 20-year career doesn’t happen. The fact we can talk about wrestling 15 years ago, and he’s got the championship and he’s main-eventing Madison Square Garden right now, regardless of the trajectory that Phil Brooks has been on–I wish he never took a break but that’s his personal journey and choice–his passion has obviously always been there, and it still is. And that’s the thing I admire most about him.”

-John Cena

Since retiring from wrestling in 2025, John Cena has continued to make appearances in a non-wrestling capacity, most notably as host of WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas. Additionally, he has continued his successful career in acting, with his most recent film, Little Brother, releasing on Netflix last month. He is also set to appear in Warner Brothers’ Coyote vs. Acme next month.

CM Punk is currently reigning as WWE Champion, in his third reign, having defeated Sami Zayn on the July 6th episode of Monday Night Raw. He is set to defend his championship at WWE Summerslam in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This year’s event will be a two-night affair, taking place on Saturday August 1st and Sunday August 2nd in the U.S. Bank Stadium.

Prior to Punk’s surprising WWE Championship win, ‘The Straight Edge Saviour’ had been absent from TV since the night after WrestleMania 42. On this, he recently discussed why he decided to take time away from our screens. You can read more about that here.

As always, we’ll aim to provide any further news from John Cena, CM Punk, or WWE as a whole in the build up to Summerslam as soon as we hear more.