CM Punk thanks John Cena and WWE fans while celebrating 9th anniversary of MITB 2011

On Friday, CM Punk celebrated the 9th anniversary of the iconic Money in the Bank 2011 PPV where he defeated John Cena to become the WWE Champion. The match between the two WWE legends was incredible as it was acclaimed by both fans and critics. The WWE MITB match was so good that it received five out of five stars from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter. It also got five stars from wrestling critic Wade Keller as he said that the “athleticism wasn't at the A+ level, but everything else that equals magic in pro wrestling happened in the last 40 minutes”.

Also Read l CM Punk WWE return: Bryan makes surprising revelation about what upset him during feud with Punk

While recalling the title match, CM Punk revealed that it wouldn’t have been possible without John Cena and Scott Armstrong. The most important element about the match was the energetic Chicago crowd who kept cheering on for their hometown hero. After the match, CM Punk became the face of WWE and kick-started the iconic “Summer of Punk” era. He was so good in the ring that he became the longest-reigning WWE Champion of the modern era. His championship reign lasted for 434 days, during which he faced legends like The Rock, Chris Jericho, John Cena, Dolph Ziggler, Daniel Bryan, and others.

I did a thing nine years ago. Couldn’t have done it without @JohnCena, @WWEArmstrong and most importantly the fans. That crowd, that atmosphere is something I’ll never forget. Thank you all. #MITB

— player/coach (@CMPunk)

Also Read l CM Punk WWE return: CM Punk accused of stealing GTS move from former WWE star: WWE News

Money in the Bank 2011: CM Punk defeats John Cena

The duo went back and forth for a couple of minutes before John Cena took control of the match. John Cena delivered two Attitude Adjustments, but CM Punk recovered soon. The 'Best in the World' punched Cena's ribs, causing him to fall out of the ring. As CM Punk rolled John Cena back into the ring, Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis emerged to distract CM Punk. John Cena saw an opening and placed CM Punk in his STF hold.

Also Read l CM Punk WWE return: Henry wants CM Punk to 'stir up trouble' as mystery hacker: WWE News

After John Cena saw that Vince McMahon was signalling the referee to give Cena the win, he attacked Laurinaitis and said that he wants to win fairly. After Cena returned to the ring and turned towards CM Punk, ‘The Voice of the Voiceless’ delivered Go to Sleep (GTS) and won the match. McMahon then called Money in the Bank winner Alberto Del Rio to cash in his contract on CM Punk, but CM Punk took Del Rio down with a roundhouse kick. After blowing a kiss to Vince McMahon, CM Punk fled the arena and left the company as the WWE Champion. However, he returned one month later to reignite the feud with John Cena and Vince McMahon.

Image Source: WWE.com

Also Read l CM Punk WWE return: John Cena’s WrestleMania 22 entrance saw little-known CM Punk playing cameo as gangster