“Things can change on the fly”: CM Punk and Rhea Ripley explain how WWE storylines come together behind the scenes 

Two of WWE’s biggest stars, CM Punk and Rhea Riley, were available for an exclusive interview with E! News where they talked about the franchise's latest series WWE Unreal.

WWE is giving fans a chance to peek behind their curtains and see how their shows come together. WWE Unreal premiered on July 29, 2025, and is a five-part docuseries narrated by pro wrestler and Chief Content Officer Triple H.

CM Punk and Rhea Riley gave fans a glimpse of what to expect. The two-time women’s world champion, Rhea Riley, revealed to the magazine that she looked forward to the unexpected twists in their world because even though there are often storylines and choreography set out for wrestlers, things could change, even in the ring.

Rhipley stated:

"Things can change on the fly. They happen all the time, which then leads to the people in the ring having to do something else—live on television—no help, no nothing.”

"John Cena, I've affectionately referred to as my wrestling soul mate," CM Punk speaks fondly about John Cena in an exclusive interview

In the exclusive interview with E!, CM Punk reflected on one of the biggest moments set to be featured in the Netflix documentary—John Cena’s retirement. As the WWE powerhouse plans his retirement after two-plus decades with the franchise, his colleague, CM Punk, who has been friends with Cena for decades, described the latter as his “wrestling soul mate":

"John Cena, I've affectionately referred to as my wrestling soul mate,”

The 46-year-old wrestler who reigned as WWE Champion for 434 days also reminisced on leaving WWE in 2014 due to disagreements and returning in 2023:

"There's a part of me that regrets stepping out, because there's more we could have done. But it makes it so much sweeter that I'm back now, and I was able to come in here and work with him one last time.”

As he prepares for SummerSlam 2025, Punk revealed the type of match and opponents he would like to face:

“I think somewhere down the line we’ve got to do some form of a six-man tag with myself, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Jon Hamm,” CM said with a laugh. “So we can do the switch behind the referee’s back, and you can't tell who's in the ring and who isn't. Except I have tattoos. But we'll ignore that. We'll use our creative liberty.”

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