Although fans don't look back fondly on WWE's programming during the early 2010s, one of the bright spots was CM Punk and John Cena competing to be the face of the company, and their clash at Money In The Bank 2011 was the glimmer of hope through a rough patch for the promotion. Punk and Cena's battle at Money In The Bank has been viewed as one of the greatest professional matches of all-time, and according to "The Best In The World," the fans and the timing of the contest is what made it memorable today."I ride the wave. I am carried to the position I'm in because of those fans, because of those people inChicago. Just an unbelievable once-in-a-lifetimeatmosphere where we capture that lightning,we're riding on that lightning bolt and all the ingredients are there ... Nobody really knew what was going to happen.They knew I was out the door. They knew I was leaving. So obviously he's going to lose and when you have that kind of perfect storm,you can create magic. And John is a guy who I'm very grateful for in my career ...he didn't have to be that nice or giving to me,a lot of top guys back then weren't," he explained on "All The Smoke." "Was one of the guys who was like 'Here's the ball, kid. Run with it.' And I did what I could."Punk continued by saying that Cena is his wrestling soulmate, and that he was more generous than other top stars 15 years ago. He also compares his relationship with Cena to American football, stating that he was the lead running back while the "Never Seen 17" was the quarterback of WWE, and they always scored touchdowns.If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "All The Smoke" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
