A blockbuster championship match has been set for WWE Night of Champions on June 28, as John Cena will defend the Undisputed WWE Championship against his longtime rival, CM Punk. The match was made official during the June 9 edition of WWE RAW after a tense in-ring confrontation. The segment began with Cena celebrating his recent victories over top stars like Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton before he was interrupted by Punk, who declared his intention to take the title.
This encounter occurs as Cena’s highly publicized farewell tour is winding down. On the same broadcast, the 17-time World Champion reminded the audience that he only has 18 dates left before his retirement. However, further insight suggests that fans will see him compete in very few of those appearances. According to a report from Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, the nature of these dates has been clarified.
“Those 18 are not matches, most of them are going to be TVs where he’s not wrestling,” Meltzer stated. “So you know, there could be others, he’s probably going to be a babyface at the end, so there might be a big heel that he works with on the last show. You got to figure he’s going to be babyface at the end.”
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While Cena listed R-Truth among his recent conquests, it has since been clarified by analyst Vince Russo that their recent interactions were not intended to start a storyline. Adding another layer of complexity to the upcoming title defense in Riyadh, Seth Rollins and his faction confronted both Cena and Punk, with Rollins conspicuously holding his Money in the Bank briefcase, hinting at a potential cash-in.
Beyond the confirmed match with Punk, it had been anticipated that Cena could face the winner of the King of the Ring tournament at SummerSlam, though no other in-ring commitments have been finalized for the decorated champion. His schedule has also included recent appearances on WWE SmackDown in Lexington, Kentucky, and San Antonio, Texas.
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