John Cena, a 16-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion, recently received a surprising gesture from his longtime rival, CM Punk. As Cena prepares to kick off his retirement tour in just a few days, he will appear on the debut episode of WWE RAW on Netflix. Cena and Punk share a rich rivalry that began in 2011 and continued through 2013. Punk’s popularity soared after his infamous pipebomb promo, which set the stage for their WWE Money in the Bank 2011.
At Money in the Bank 2011, Punk defeated Cena for the WWE Championship — a moment still considered one of the greatest in WWE history. However, their rivalry wasn’t limited to one match. Fans witnessed several memorable matches between them in two years, including their clash at Night of Champions 2013 and a WWE RAW match ahead of WrestleMania 29.
Both the stars created some of WWE’s most iconic moments. Now, as Cena prepares to retire, many fans are hoping to see them share the ring one final time. Recently, Punk surprised Cena with a thoughtful gesture at a show in Madison Square Garden ahead of his retirement tour.
CM Punk does John Cena’s iconic move at WWE MSG show
At a recent WWE live event at Madison Square Garden, CM Punk took on Ludwig Kaiser and won the match with his signature GTS finisher. During the bout, Punk honored John Cena by performing Cena’s trademark 5 Knuckle Shuffle. This gesture sparked ovations from the fans in the arena.
Punk’s gesture to Cena quickly went viral on social media, but the night didn’t end there. Later in the show, Damian Priest faced Gunther in a steel cage match for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Though Gunther defeated Priest, the action didn’t stop after the match. As Ludwig Kaiser and Dominik Mysterio attacked Priest, the MSG fans erupted into laughter when CM Punk ran down to the ring with a towel. Moreover, Punk cleared the ring and helped Priest in the post-match assault.
