12 Most Historic Wrestling Moments That Happened In Las Vegas
4. CM Punk's Earth-Shattering "Pipe Bomb"
There’s not a moment more memorable, jaw-dropping, or infamous in WWE over the past decade than CM Punk’s instantly classic “pipe bomb" promo. Adorned in a "Stone Cold" Steve Austin shirt, he sat on the RAW stage and lambasted WWE, its fans, and its owner before his microphone was cut and the broadcast quickly went to black. The seemingly off-the-cuff and rebellious act quickly garnered mainstream attention for both Punk and the company.
Unfortunately, while the short-term impact was huge, the long-term influence proved far less grand. What should have begun a new era for WWE and launched the Straight Edge Superstar into the stratosphere was quickly derailed by Punk's lackluster and uninspired feuds with Triple H and even a returning Kevin Nash. By 2011's end, while he'd become a permanent marquee fixture, Punk still found himself playing second fiddle to John Cena, The Rock, and others.
The “pipe bomb" should have been the catalyst for great things in WWE but it ended up proving the company was largely unwilling to change its course. In hindsight, the moment has proved historic for its followup being mishandled in a move indicative of many of WWE's current problems.