John Cena has shared the ring with CM Punk during some of the biggest moments of both men’s careers, but he doesn’t think that was Punk at his best. According to Cena, the version of CM Punk fans are watching right now is doing the best work of his entire career.
Speaking during Fan Expo 2026, Cena was asked which wrestling storyline he believes is currently the best. His answer quickly turned to Punk and the position he now finds himself in as one of wrestling’s most polarizing veterans.
“I think CM Punk right now is doing his best work, and that kind of sucks because I had a lot of awesome moments with CM Punk.”
There’s also some irony in Punk reaching this point of his career. Cena pointed out that Punk is now dealing with the same kind of divided reactions he used to criticize Cena for getting roughly 15 years ago.
“When I see the passion that CM Punk brings to every feud, he’s kind of stepped into the same situation that he kind of made fun of me about 15 years ago. He’s in a real polarizing situation, and it’s cool to see him handle it in stride.”
Cena isn’t basing that opinion on crowd reactions alone either. He believes Punk has somehow become an even better seller while becoming more deliberate with the way he tells stories inside the ring.
“I think his selling has somehow gotten better, and it was already really, really good. I think his storytelling is deliberate and passionate. I think he brings the best out of his opponents, which is very important.”
That leaves Cena in a funny position considering their own history. Their rivalry produced some of Punk’s most memorable work, but Cena is willing to admit that he believes Punk has actually gotten better since then.
“It’s crazy to say this because I want to selfishly say that the chemistry we had was the best, but in my opinion, he’s doing his best work.”
Cena and Punk will always be tied together because of what they created during their rivalry, but Cena clearly isn’t judging Punk through nostalgia. Fifteen years after Punk mocked him for being the polarizing veteran, Cena is now watching Punk navigate that exact position—and believes he’s doing the best work of his career while doing it.
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