During a word-association segment on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, John Cena provided a specific description for his long-time rival, CM Punk. When asked to describe Punk in one sentence, Cena used a term indicating a deep professional connection.
“My wrestling soul mate,” Cena declared.
Cena and Punk engaged in a high-profile rivalry in 2011, which included the Money in the Bank match in Chicago. The two reunited on-screen during Cena’s 2025 farewell tour.
The Saudi Arabia Moment
Cena identified a specific event involving Punk from 2025 as his favorite moment of the year, and potentially of his entire career. He referenced Punk’s trip to Saudi Arabia for a Premium Live Event. Cena noted that watching the pre-show coverage of the event elicited an emotional response.
“That moment with Punk and Saudi that transcends wrestling,” Cena stated. “To see cultures bridged, to see genuine forgiveness, like I’m watching that pre show bawling”.
Cena explained the factors that contributed to the significance of the moment. “Because man unfolding before our eyes is accountability and genuine forgiveness and like the bridging of cultural gaps people who might not know a lot about each other understand each other, getting along in harmony through this one thing that we dig wrestling like what a global conduit to peace, excitement, happiness,” Cena said.
He discussed the difficulty of the situation for Punk, given past circumstances. “He made that trip, knowing it was going to be uneasy, and knowing he was going to have to be accountable, and just leaned in, man and like, in a moment, people were like, Oh, I’m heard yes, I’m ready to forgive — astonishing, astonishing,” Cena observed.
In-Ring Interactions
Cena also commented on the match itself, during which Punk performed Cena’s signature sequence of moves, known as the “Five Moves of Doom.” Cena revealed his reaction to seeing Punk utilize his character’s mannerisms.
“He comes out and does my gimmick… I’m like, dude, you have to do that. And he crushed it. He absolutely just crushed it,” Cena recalled.
He also mentioned a specific line of dialogue from Punk during their interactions that nearly caused him to break character. “He’s the one that almost got me to break because in between one of his lines, he said, ‘I miss you already.’ And I, man, I almost lost it right in front of it,” Cena said.
Descriptions of Other Competitors
In the same segment, Cena provided descriptions for other WWE Superstars he worked with throughout the year:
- Cody Rhodes: “Resilient”.
- Randy Orton: “Smooth”.
- R-Truth: “Beautiful. He makes everybody smile. On camera, off camera”.
- Logan Paul: “Underrated”.
- Drew McIntyre: “Glad I wasn’t on the other side of that kick. I again, a story of resilience”.
- Sami Zayn: “Underdog”.
- Brock Lesnar: “The best… Brock is a once in a genre. There will be one Brock Lesnar in wrestling, and that’s from like carnival time to the time we shut the lights out”.
- AJ Styles: “Best to ever do it. Shawn’s [Michaels] gonna be pissed. And, man, God, did Shawn ever take care of me. Man, there’s not a lot he can’t do like and he can’t make it look easy. He makes difficult look easy”.
- Sheamus: “This is way inside baseball, and only he’s gonna get it. The world’s tallest wrestler”.
- Rey Mysterio: “A mentor and someone who allowed me to be part of their family when they didn’t need to”.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Insight with Chris Van Vliet with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription. You can watch the full interview on Chris Van Vliet’s YouTube channel.
