"You are what you hate. You have become the New York Yankees" - When WWE superstar CM Punk evoked age-old MLB rivalry to Boston Red Sox fan John Cena

As one of baseball's most storied teams, the Boston Red Sox count a plethora of celebrities and big names among their fanbase. However, one man stands out from the rest, and his name is John Cena.

The winner of the WWE Championship a record-high 13 times, Cena is regarded as one of the best pro wrestlers of all-time. A pro since 2001, Cena grew up in the Boston suburb of West Newbury, Massachussets, and was a die-hard fan of the Red Sox as a boy and young adult.

During a 2011 WWE Event, Cena faced one of his arch-rivals CM Punk. Punk, known for his anti-establishment behavior, berated Cena before the fight:

"What you have lost sight of is what you are. And what you are is what you hate. You are the 10-time WWE champion. ... You like the Red Sox, like Boston, you are no longer the underdog. You are a dynasty. You are what you hate. You have become the New York Yankees."

"John Cena thought CM Punk crossed the line when he called him the New York Yankees, even though Punk got on his family just before that. Cena is a Red Sox fan" - The Lucha Poodle

Punk stared John Cena down, knowing that he was traditionally a Boston Red Sox fans, CM Punk compared his adversary to the New York Yankees. Without missing a beat, Cena squared up and delivered a punch to Punk's face.

Despite absorbing the tough punch, CM Punk actually won the fight against Cena, and won the WWE's Money in the Bank championship. CM Punk's 434-day reign as the WWE champion remains seventh on the all-time leaderboard of time at the top.

Contrary to the nature of the interaction between Cena and CM Punk, there was the notion that the former was a fan of the Boston Red Sox. The famed wrestler is actually a fan of the Tampa Bay Rays. In addition to now living in Florida, Cena also slammed the Sox, saying, "The Red Sox also by design have become the team that the Red Sox used to hate."

Boston Red Sox will need big improvements to win fans like Cena back in 2024

2023 saw the Boston Red Sox finish at the bottom of the AL East for the third time in four seasons. Although new chief baseball officer and former reliever Craig Breslow is promising sweeping changes, the fanbase has grown very weary of talk of that kind. For lapsed fans like Cena, this is the year for the Red Sox to show why they are not, in fact, the Yankees.