John Cena says CM Punk going to Saudi Arabia for Night of Champions made him cry
During an interview with Chris Van Vliet, John Cena commented on his storyline with CM Punk leading up to the 2025 Night of Champions PLE in Saudi Arabia…
“Gosh, one of the moments in sports entertainment that’s larger than sports entertainment itself is Phil Brooks [Punk] going to Saudi Arabia. That just made me cry. Like, awesome. Accountability, vulnerability, apology, forgiveness — man, cultures melding into each other.
And then he comes out and does my gimmick. Like, how do you follow what I did? He came up with this crazy idea and I told him, ‘Dude, you have to do that.’ And he crushed it. He absolutely crushed it.
What a trip for him — redemption, acceptance. Now he can go there whenever he wants, and he can entertain fans who are incredible over there. When we started early on, they didn’t know what was going on. Now they’re loud, they pack that place, and it’s a great place to perform. They welcome him, and he welcomes them, and that’s super cool.”