10 Fascinating Facts About WWE In 2011

3. CM Punk Was Ready To Fight Post-‘Pipebomb’

CM Punk WWE Title 2011 MSG
WWE

CM Punk's 'pipebomb' promo on the 27 June 2011 episode remains one of the most shocking moments in Raw's rich history, but there was almost more drama behind the curtain than in front of it. In fact, Punk thought his speech would p*ss so many people off backstage that they’d be waiting for a fist fight. So, he exited to the side of the Raw stage rather than through Gorilla.

Sure enough, the hallways were empty because the entire roster was jammed up close to the entrance waiting to see what might happen. Shortly thereafter, Punk had one of the trippiest conversations of his entire life. Chris Masters hilariously walked up and asked Punk, “Did you just hear what Punk said?”.

Somehow, Masters didn’t realise it was him at first.

Even Punk was confused. "Chris, it's me". Punk told this story on AEW's Unrestricted podcast in 2021 before that company's name was mud to him. WWE's roster didn't erupt into a brawl, but it's fun to find out that CM figured he'd ruffled a fair few feathers.

Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.