'I Wish' - John Cena Regrets Top Rival's WWE Departure

CM Punk controversially left WWE in January 2014 after growing disillusioned with life in the promotion. He was frustrated with his position, his creative direction, and injuries, and had lost his passion for the business.

The Best in the World's exit came two years after he locked horns with John Cena at Money in the Bank in Chicago, Illinois, in one of the greatest main events and storylines in WWE history. He beat Cena and took off with the WWE Championship after his contract had "expired".

Punk and Cena ripped it up each time they faced one another, and their feud extended beyond 2012 when the Second City Saint became a heel and aligned with Paul Heyman. They were a match made in heaven in the ring because of their contrasting styles, looks and mentalities.

Cena touched on this in an interview at FAN EXPO Chicago:

"First of all, we both want the same spot. And I also think we both love the same thing. A lot of people that want that front spot, purely want it for selfish reasons. Every once in a while, you get somebody who wants to sit in the front that loves the business, and we love it in different ways, too."

He added:

"I think we’re such different personalities, but we share a lot of the same core values. So we just want to bring the best out of each other. For some reason, we kind of found each other and found each other at the right time."

Cena rued Punk's exit and suggested he regretted not managing to persuade him to stay with WWE 11 years ago:

"I wish I could have kept him with us. I wish he didn’t have to take all that time off because we could have had some more matches, but I’m grateful for the moments we’ve had. And I think that, I think we just, we both want to sit in front. We both really love the business."

Punk vowed never to return to WWE after leaving and spent nine years away from the company before returning to pro wrestling with AEW in August 2021. He'd spent around two years with AEW before backstage issues led to his dismissal, coinciding with the end of Vince McMahon's WWE regime.

The 46-year-old made a stunning return at Survivor Series in November 2023, but this came amid Cena's absence, during which he had been working a part-time schedule. The pair were able to relive their rivalry earlier this year when they battled it out at Night of Champions in June.

When Will CM Punk Retire?

John Cena will officially retire from in-ring competition on December 13th in his final match at Saturday Night's Main Event in Washington, D.C. His opponent has yet to be announced, although reports suggest that Gunther will be given the nod.

Punk is one of Cena's peers who fans are similarly fearful will be closing the book on his storied career in the near future. But he was as defiant as ever in a recent Q&A, telling a fan that he would retire whenever he wants to.

The former World Heavyweight Champion has been mooted as a possible successor to NXT head booker Shawn Michaels as a leader of WWE's creative team in the future. He alluded to Cena's stance on his passion for pro wrestling while speaking on ESPN’s Pardon My Take: "I love all aspects of the business. There’s like a thousand hats that I could wear once I’m crippled and I can’t go anymore."

Cena and Punk have shared visible heart-to-hearts on several occasions whenever they meet this year. Fans believe the Voice of the Voiceless mouthed "I'm gonna miss you" to the 17-time world champion during a promo segment ahead of Night of Champions.