It’s official. John Cena vs. CM Punk.
Undisputed WWE Championship.
June 28. Riyadh.
The desert. The drama. The destiny.
Also, probably a monologue or three.
This will be the first singles match between these two since 2013, and somehow the tension has only aged like wine mixed with protein powder and unresolved trauma.
It all kicked off again two nights after Money in the Bank, where Cena got pinned by Cody Rhodes and immediately entered the “open mic therapy” portion of Raw. CM Punk, sipping the air like it was 2011 again, made his entrance and declared he was coming for the one thing Cena cherishes more than jorts—the WWE Championship.
Punk told Cena to pick the night. Cena, who apparently chooses violence and frequent flyer miles, picked Riyadh, Saudi Arabia—a location Punk has historically avoided harder than a reunion with Colt Cabana.
The segment ended without an official confirmation, because Seth Rollins and his briefcase just had to have a moment. But in typical modern WWE fashion, the match was confirmed via a tweet/X/whatever we’re calling it now by Adam Pearce.
“IT. IS. OFFICIAL. CENA vs. PUNK. Undisputed WWE Championship. NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS.”
CM Punk vs. John Cena.
12 years since their last singles match.
14 years since Punk shocked the world by beating Cena at Money in the Bank 2011 and left through the crowd with the WWE Title and a contract colder than Vince’s handshake.
This isn’t just about championships. It’s not even just about pride.
This is petty perfection in pyro form.
One man thinks he is the company. The other man thinks he was the company.
And now they’re meeting in a place neither of them probably put on their dream venue list.
Only question left: Will Punk go through with it? Or will Seth Rollins go through with him?