CM Punk made John Cena cry during WWE retirement tour

John Cena and CM Punk revisited their iconic rivalry at “Night of Champions” in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in June 2025, where Punk challenged a heel Cena for the Undisputed WWE Championship. The match marked Punk’s significant return to the country after he had previously criticized WWE’s events in the region, notably in a 2020 tweet where he told The Miz to “go suck a blood money-covered d**k in Saudi Arabia.”

Despite the past backlash, Punk returned to the Kingdom and apologized publicly at the event kickoff. He called his previous comments a moment of crankiness rather than true intent. Speaking to Chris Van Vliet on his Insight podcast, Cena revealed that Punk’s willingness to take accountability moved him deeply.

“Phil Brooks going to Saudi Arabia. That sh*t made me cry. Accountability, vulnerability, apology, forgiveness, cultures melding into each other. And then he comes out and does my gimmick,” Cena said.

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Cena also praised “The Best in the World” for adopting his “Five Moves of Doom” persona in a promo and during the match, finding the creative choice to be a stroke of genius.

“Like, how do you follow what I did? He came up with this crazy idea. I’m like, ‘Dude, you have to do that.’ And he crushed it. He absolutely just crushed it. What a trip for him. Redemption, acceptance,” Cena said.

Although he didn’t win that night in Saudi Arabia, Cena believes Punk created a special memory that will last forever. He noted that Punk is now welcome in the region and can entertain the fanbase there whenever he chooses.

“He can go there whenever he wants and he can entertain fans who are incredible over there… they welcome him and he welcomes them. And that’s super cool,” Cena said.

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