CM Punk Reveals What Inspired Moment With John Cena After His Last Match, Putting the Belts on His Shoulders

Fans will recall John Cena retiring at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event last December, where he lost to Gunther in the main event. After the show, Cena was given a huge sendoff by the fans and the WWE locker room. Then World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk and WWE Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes came into the ring, where they put their belts on Cena’s shoulders, so he could celebrate in the ring with the belts one last time.

During WWE: Unreal Season 3, Episode 2, CM Punk revealed what inspired the moment with him and Cody putting the belts on John Cena’s shoulders. According to Punk, it was inspired by Batista and John Cena doing something similar with late WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan in 2005.

According to Punk, he saw a clip of that earlier segment before Cena’s final match. He explained (via Fightful), “I saw a clip, I mean, it’s gotta be 2005, because Batista and Cena are both champs and Hogan’s there. Cena and Batista, they both take their titles off, and they put them on Hogan’s shoulders. I think the universe does silly things sometimes.” He continued, “I can’t remember who sent me the clip, but I knew there was a reason I saw it cause I saw it right before that day Cena was retiring, but I just thought it’s symbolic.”

WWE: Unreal Season 3 is streaming now on Netflix. You can check out Robert Leighty Jr.’s full report on Season 3, Episode 1, “The Why,” RIGHT HERE.