4 AEW stars who have defeated both CM Punk and John Cena

John Cena and CM Punk are two of the most decorated WWE stars of the past twenty years. At Night of Champions 2025, the two veterans will reignite their iconic rivalry when they clash in Saudi Arabia for the Undisputed WWE Championship.

The Cenation Leader was arguably the most protected star in the Stamford-based promotion from 2005-17. CM Punk has also been in a similar category, as he rarely lost any matches during his prime years in the company.

Since his return to WWE in 2023, The Second City Saint has been booked very strongly. Scoring a win over either of the two legends is a massive accomplishment. However, certain AEW stars are part of the elite list of wrestlers who took down both The Franchise Player and The Straight-Edge Superstar.

Bryan Danielson and Paul Wight are two major names who have scored wins over the two WWE veterans in the past. While Danielson and Wight are currently away from in-ring competition, four other active AEW stars have also accomplished the rare task of besting both Cena and Punk.

In this article, let's look at four current AEW stars who defeated both John Cena and CM Punk.

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#4. Shelton Benjamin has defeated both John Cena and CM Punk

Shelton Benjamin is considered one of the most underrated WWE stars of the past two decades, who impressed the fans with his incredible agility and natural charisma. While he never got the chance to win a world title, The Gold Standard did manage to accomplish many amazing feats in the Stamford-based promotion.

The former WWE United States Champion is among the handful of superstars who have registered a win against both The Best in the World and The Greatest of All Time.

In June 2002, weeks before John Cena's actual WWE debut, the reigning Undisputed WWE Champion went toe-to-toe with Shelton Benjamin on a number of house shows. Interestingly, Cena was wrestling under his 'The Prototype' gimmick during this time.

The two stars met again during a dark match before WWE Sunday Night Heat, where the current AEW star came out on top. Similar to Cena, CM Punk also failed to defeat The Hurt Syndicate member when the duo wrestled each other in February 2010.

The two stars clashed in a qualification bout for the Money in the Bank ladder match on WWE SmackDown. Despite having The Straight Edge Society by his side, The Best in the World could not emerge victorious in this contest, as Benjamin moved on to the high-stakes ladder match at WrestleMania.

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#3. Chris Jericho has wins over the two legends

Chris Jericho carved out a memorable career in WWE. The Lionheart won several championships and defeated numerous top stars.

The first-ever AEW World Champion locked horns with John Cena for the first time on July 2, 2002. Despite showing impressive resilience as a rookie, The Cenation Leader could not beat the experience of Jericho in this contest.

Although Jericho did go on to have a full-fledged rivalry with Cena a few years later, it pales in comparison to his incredible feud with CM Punk in WWE. Whenever the two stars battled each other, it was usually The Best in the World who came out on top.

In 2008, The Learning Tree decimated CM Punk in singles matches on four occasions. On the September 15, 2008, episode of RAW, Chris Jericho defeated Punk in a ladder match for the World Heavyweight Championship.

In January 2009, the 54-year-old veteran bested Punk yet again to qualify for the 2009 Elimination Chamber Match. The Best in the World did get his redemption in 2012 when he took down Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 28 to remain the WWE Champion.

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#2. Cope has a history with both Cena and Punk

Cope (fka Edge) spent almost his entire career in WWE. During his first run in the Stamford-based promotion, the Rated-R Superstar ran into John Cena and CM Punk countless times.

While his rivalry with John Cena was iconic, The Ultimate Opportunist also had some back-and-forths with The Second City Saint. Cope emerged as the perfect heel for a red-hot babyface like John Cena during the Ruthless Aggression Era.

The former TNT Champion beat The Franchise Player on a number of occasions in his career. One such instance was Backlash 2009, where Cope annihilated Cena in a Last Man Standing match to win the World Heavyweight Championship.

The Canadian native also had a few matches with CM Punk, one of which came in January 2008 on WWE SmackDown. It was a decent match, where The Rated-R Superstar came out on top.

The two men could have had another interaction in WWE, but The Ultimate Opportunist left the company in August 2023 to join AEW, months before Punk returned to the sports entertainment juggernaut.

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#1. Jon Moxley has battled the two iconic rivals in the past

Jon Moxley's WWE run left a lot to be desired. However, The Purveyor of Violence still managed to leave an impact in his seven-year-long stint in the company.

In the summer of 2016, The One True King found himself in a rivalry with AJ Styles and John Cena. On the September 20, 2016, episode of SmackDown, the erstwhile Dean Ambrose went to war with John Cena.

Surprisingly, it was Moxley who ended up on the winning side in this contest. The reigning AEW World Champion barely avoided an Attitude Adjustment to earn a sneaky pinfall victory over his nemesis.

While Jon Moxley only battled Cena in WWE, CM Punk is one of the only few stars who wrestled The One True King in both WWE and AEW. When The Best in the World faced Moxley in the Stamford-based promotion, he earned a convincing victory.

However, things were quite different when the duo met again in AEW. In August 2022, Moxley and Punk faced each other on Dynamite to determine the Undisputed AEW World Champion.

In a shocking turn of events, Moxley squashed The Voice of the Voiceless in nearly five minutes to become the new champion. It was a massive victory for The Purveyor of Violence and an equally stunning setback for The Best in the World.

Ultimately, Punk redeemed himself by dethroning Jon Moxley at All Out 2022.