Since his return to WWE in late 2023, Punk has been a part-time performer and wrestled primarily on PLEs and a handful of times on "Raw" shows, with WWE holding him out for big matches.

This marks their first one-on-one battle in WWE in over 12 years. While they did clash during the Elimination Chamber match earlier this year, their last singles encounter dates back to February 2013.

Things are different now, especially with WWE’s desire to run Cena vs. Punk one more time before Cena retires at the end of 2025.