Summary

CM Punk says the best match of his career was not his famous Money in the Bank 2011 meeting with John Cena, but their February 2013 Raw match with a WrestleMania title shot on the line.

Speaking during a WWE Now interview recorded around the release of WWE 2K26, Punk said Money in the Bank carried the bigger moment, but the later Raw match in Dallas meant more to him as a pure in-ring performance. The bout has remained one of the defining matches of their rivalry, and it is still being revisited more than a decade later as Punk and Cena continue to shape WWE conversation in different ways, including Cena's WrestleMania 42 host role.

Quote from CM Punk

"I think Money in the Bank's more of a moment. I think just as a pure contest that that match, I think it was Dallas. I think that match means a whole lot more to me. I think that's the best match I've ever had. Yeah, that's my Michael Jordan flu game. I was sick as a dog, yeah."

Why the Dallas Raw match still stands out for CM Punk

Punk's answer draws a clear line between spectacle and ring work. Money in the Bank 2011 remains one of WWE's most iconic modern main events, but Punk made it clear that the 2013 Raw match is the one he rates highest when he thinks strictly about the wrestling itself.

That also gives the match a different kind of legacy. Instead of being remembered only as part of the larger Punk-Cena rivalry, Punk is framing it as the standard he still measures the rest of his career against.

What Punk's comment says about his WWE legacy

By putting the 2013 Raw match above Money in the Bank 2011, Punk is telling fans that his legacy is not just built on the loudest moment. It is also tied to the kind of match quality WWE was able to deliver on television with Punk and Cena in the ring.

It also adds another layer to how WWE can present Punk in current coverage and projects like WWE 2K26. When Punk himself points to that match as his career best, the company has an easy case for treating it as one of the signature performances of his run.

Sources

As reported by Fightful.