10 Wrestling Promos That Were Inadvertently Infamous

War Of The Words

Ultimate Warrior
WWE

CM Punk proclaimed how he was the best "in that ring", "on that microphone" and "even on commentary", when he cut a promo that redefined both his career and a generation of WWE midcard malaise in 2011, but he did so with laser-focused intent.

'The Voice Of The Voiceless' was in rare form as he spat fire on what he assumed would be one of his final ever appearances on Monday Night Raw. Punk was allegedly given a free pass by Vince McMahon to air his grievances ahead of an exit, but did so well maximising his minutes that it triggered further negotiations on both sides.

McMahon won out in the end - Punk partly got to the position he believed worthy of but never replaced John Cena as the undisputed top star of the organisation. Vince was briefly furnished with a brand spanking new megastar, and pushed him (in both senses of the word) until he felt like he had no choice but to exit the company acrimoniously less than three years later.

The words in his 'Pipe Bomb' were intended to cause such explosions, but there's often been even greater power behind otherwise innocuous statements after the fact. Punk himself even knew this, leaving behind yet more disdainful remarks a year shy from his eventual exit...

10. The Forgotten 'Pipe Bomb'

The Chicago firebrand never labelled his legendary Las Vegas promo - he didn't need to. The wrestling community was shook to the core almost immediately following his momentous monologue, with the wider world even tiptoeing towards Sports Entertainment for the first time in a generation. Money In The Bank 2011 was a watershed moment if interviews with GQ and the curious glances of the mainstream media were to be believed. CM Punk did indeed drop a pipe bomb that night - WWE diffusing it within weeks remains one of their most heartbreaking blunders.

Punk looked every bit a man with the weight of those expectations still upon his shoulders as he incinerated WWE yet again shortly before the end of his iconic title reign in 2013, but the sadness in his eyes rivalled any dog picture Kay Burley felt fit to tweet.

Though still 12 months away from his unvarnished departure, he verbally flails as if given the same freedom he was years earlier. Tyson Kidd gets a shout out, the fans are barely castigated by the heel compared to the company, whilst Royal Rumble opponent The Rock was only thrown into the verbiage for 'The Great One' himself to come and deliver a show-selling retort.

"YOU DO NOT GET TO WIN", yelled Punk to the audience. He may as well have been screaming into a mirror.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett