12 Times WWE Broke Its Own Golden Rules

4. CM Punk's "Pipe Bomb" Promo

In the mid-2000s, WWE began using writers to script promos for their talent. That, combined with the fact that certain words ("wresting" and "belt," for instance) were banned, meant that most of the wrestlers on the WWE roster began to sound very similar. As the company already insisted its workers use a specific in-ring style - one which focused on big moves with strikes used for transitions - WWE's product often felt like it offered little internal variety. As one of the company's best workers and promos, CM Punk was a ray of light in terms of originality. Even so, on the June 27, 2011 episode of Raw, Punk shocked the wrestling world with what came to be known as the "Pipe Bomb" promo and briefly made him the hottest star in the industry. After costing John Cena a match against R-Truth, Punk sat down on the stage and began tearing into Cena and the rest of WWE - especially management, referring to John Laurinaitis as a "douchebag," Stephanie McMahon as "idiotic," and Triple H as a "doofus." Punk mentioned other promotions, called himself a "wrestler," and even started insinuating that Vince McMahon's anti-bullying campaign was hypocritical before being cut off. In short, he broke all the rules, and the result was the most talked-about promo of the century.