CM Punk Changed His Perspective On Absent WWE Legends
CM Punk has a different point of view when it comes to WWE legends not being “full-time” superstars.
When CM Punk was feuding with The Rock in early 2013 over the WWE Title, Punk said things similar to John Cena about how The Rock was just a part-timer not working a full schedule.
Fast forward over a decade later and Cena is also a part-timer because he’s only appeared on WWE television two times, yet he’s one match away from a WWE Title match at WrestleMania 41. The Rock has also appeared on WWE TV twice in 2025, yet he’ll be at Elimination Chamber like Cena as well.
As somebody who worked the grueling WWE schedule for about eight years before his 2014 departure, CM Punk was justified in his complaints. However, things are different in WWE now with Punk as a veteran at 46 years old.
One of the big differences is that WWE has cut back significantly on the non-televised event schedule. Many WWE superstars only show up to work one day per week depending on what brand they are on.
While speaking to Alex McCarthy for Inside The Ropes, CM Punk was asked if The Rock’s return would lead to Punk crossing paths with The Final Boss again while also bringing up the limited schedule.
“I’m sure it will. I’m sure it’s gonna trickle down and affect everybody. I think one of the difficult parts of this being so big and there’s so many moving parts, and you’re seeing it with [John] Cena now. Definitely, I have a different perspective now than I did ten years ago, when I was working with The Rock.
It was easy for everybody to say, ‘You’re not here. We’re grinding, we’re doing this.’ The schedule now is so much limited than it was ten years ago. I can’t point a finger at somebody else now and say, ‘Well, you’re not here.’
CM Punk Understands What John Cena And The Rock Bring To WWE
As a full-time WWE superstar who appears on Raw nearly every week, CM Punk knows he has a big role in the company and he also appreciates what The Rock and John Cena add to the shows as well.
“Plus, a guy like John Cena, to me, he’s a busy dude. He’s earned that right. He’s stated that he’s retiring, this is going to be his final run. So I’m less inclined to say, ‘You should be here doing this, doing that.’ Sometimes, the tickets sell themselves when we’re in these international markets, and you hear ‘John Cena retirement tour,’ that’s gonna put butts in seats.
John Cena doesn’t necessarily need to show up every week. He’s busy filming a movie, and I understand that. But there’s a flip side to that coin where there is still a locker room full of pro wrestlers, and they will get a chip on their shoulder, and there will be resentment because there are people that feel, ‘Oh, I’m here every week. I’m doing this, I’m doing this.’ But really at the end of the day, I think everybody just wants to rise to that level, and along the way, yeah, we’re gonna poke, we’re gonna prod.
We’re gonna say, ‘Hey, Rock. You showed up here, how come you’re not here? Why aren’t you doing this?’ I think the fans do that too. I think they enjoy it when they see us do it, too. There’s no denying what a giant box office star The Rock is.
I think peeling back a little bit and him being ‘Final Boss’ instead of being happy-go-lucky Rock, I think that is a character that can say, ‘Yeah, I’m not here all the time. Yeah, so what? I’ll show up for eight minutes every six months, and it’ll still be the biggest.’ I think there’s freedom and there’s an air to play with that a little bit, and it makes it better and more real and more exciting for everybody. But yeah, piss off for not being here every week, guys. Come on [laughs].”
CM Punk and John Cena will be in the ring together at the WWE Elimination Chamber in PLE in Toronto along with Drew McIntyre, Damian Priest, Logan Paul and Seth “Freakin” Rollins. Whoever wins that match will go on to face Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Title at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas.