10 Most Re-Watched Wrestling Moments Of All Time
3. Pipebomb
CM Punk's legendary "Pipebomb" promo was the perfect articulation of the depressing malaise coursing through the veins of mainstream wrestling.
Punk smashed the suffocating system. He raged against the anti-meritocratic joke that was his employer, the sycophantic enablers of it, and the fatalistic choice to hand the reigns down to Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in the dark days prior to the NXT era. Punk even wished death upon Vince McMahon. The content itself was spellbinding, but the very fact that it even aired was more incredible; Punk acknowledged the systemic failure of WWE on a WWE TV programme. Fans scrambled to replay the footage, just to make sure they'd actually seen it.
Depressingly, Punk's words were as prescient as they were cutting edge. The machine he raged against remains in optimum condition. Jinder Mahal is your WWE Heavyweight Champion. Roman Reigns is their top star, and thus yours. Punk knew he was but a spoke in the wheel. He said as much.
Still, to this day, we re-watch to inspire hope. Somebody gets it. Punk helped usher in his fierce yearning for change with a revised recruitment policy and an emphasis on workrate.
Albeit slowly, the wheel is breaking.