CM Punk Shares Honest Take On Controversial Cena vs Gunther Finish

What did CM Punk think about John Cena’s final match in WWE?

Gunther defeated Cena last month at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, which completed the memorable retirement tour for the record-setting 17-time World Champion.

There was a lot of fan backlash both in the arena and online regarding the finish to the match, as Cena tapped out after ‘The Ring General’ used a sleeper hold to score the win, with some people criticizing the decision due to Cena’s ‘never give up’ motto.

And now, the current World Heavyweight Champion has revealed his thoughts on how things unfolded in Cena’s last match.

In a recent interview on My Mom’s Basement with Robbie Fox, Punk addressed the criticism from fans, drawing parallels to online reaction to the Stranger Things finale.

“I feel like it’s the same thing,” Punk said. “Some people, maybe I don’t think you understand what you’re watching. If you didn’t like it, I can also understand that. But to make it your entire personality and spend an unhealthy amount of time talking about it, I’ll put it this way, if John won, they’d be mad about that too, but we wouldn’t be talking about it anymore.”

No one does it alone. Thank you to ALL I’ve ever had the chance to share canvas with, discuss the business, learn from, and all those who behind the scenes make what we do special. Saturday is for ALL of us. Let’s go to work! One Last Time!!! https://t.co/3EBUsFe2HK
— John Cena (@JohnCena) December 11, 2025

Punk added that he thought the finish to the match was exactly what it needed to be. “We’re still talking about that finish. The smile, the tap. ‘Oh my God, the guy who said don’t give up, just gave up.’ Did he? Everybody’s an expert. I thought it was beautiful.”

Punk successfully defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Bron Breakker on this week’s Stranger Things-themed edition of Raw.

Cena and Punk capped off their legendary rivalry last June at Night of Champions, with Cena defeating Punk to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship.

Will Gunther retire more WWE legends?

WWE is clearly playing into the finish in the Cena vs. Gunther match to fuel a long-term story for the latter.

Gunther, who has now retired both Goldberg and Cena, has set his sights on AJ Styles after ‘The Phenomenal One’ announced he would be retiring in 2026. The two superstars will meet for the first time on next week’s Raw in Dusseldorf, Germany.

Meanwhile, Brock Lesnar and a returning Chris Jericho could also be targets for the former World Heavyweight Champion as they wind down their in-ring careers.

And perhaps even Punk joins Gunther’s list at some point when he decides to retire as an in-ring competitor.

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