CM Punk: I’ve Taken A Page Out Of John Cena’s Book, ‘They Deal Them, I Play Them’

Throughout his career, CM Punk has never been one to shy away from letting his feelings known about his creative, especially if he wasn’t a fan of what was given to him.

In 2025, Punk has admitted that he is a more chill version of himself, and is more likely to take the creative given to him.

“There are a lot of great minds that I work with and a lot of people who have more experience than me. Maybe, back in the day, I would say, ‘No, I know what to do.’ Now, I guess I’m just kind of chill. Before, it was more rebelious. To me, there is a magic about taking something that you didn’t see or you didn’t think of, somebody else’s idea, and going, ‘Okay, I can do that with this. What if we did this?’ I don’t really pitch things. I’ve taken a page out of (John) Cena’s book. They deal them, I play them. I have ideas and suggestions, and more often now, it’s for other people and not for me. I just roll with it,” Punk said on Pardon My Take.

Cena has often said throughout his career, and reiterated during his retirement run, that he takes the creative given and does his best to make it work.

Elsewhere during the interview, Punk commented on bringing personal rivalries to television. You can find his full comments here.

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