10 Times WWE Genuinely Shocked The Fans

Kayfabe-breaking "shoot" promos have been an occasional part of WWE for at least a couple of decades now. The likes of Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels and Paul Heyman all did it before CM Punk even joined the company.

But those three examples differ slightly from the Straight Edge Superstar's 2011 Pipebomb in that they were generally directed at heels. Calling Mr McMahon or JBL an a*shole isn't really anything new, even if the subtext of real-life animosity makes it more juicy.

Punk, on the other hand, went after the likes of John Cena, lambasting his bosses for showing what he perceived to be preferential treatment, and in so doing echoing the sentiments expressed on online wrestling message boards for years.

This was the kind of stuff many of us never thought we'd hear on WWE programming, and that it came out of the mouth of a well-known backstage nuisance made it all the more shocking. For a second, we almost wondered whether he might be going off-script for real.