John Cena Cuts "Pipebomb" Promo On SmackDown - References AEW & TNA Stars (WWE News)
WWE let John Cena mimic CM Punk's iconic (and fourth wall breaking) 2011 speech.
John Cena mimicked CM Punk's infamous "pipebomb" speech from 2011 on Friday's episode of SmackDown. During the penultimate episode of blue brand fare before they meet inside the ring for the last time, Cena put Punk through a table (sponsored by Slim Jim, don't forget), then grabbed the mic and started chuckling.
Initially, it seemed like technical problems would force Cena to grab another mic, but he played along by suggesting some folks in the back didn't like what he was about to say. Then, John launched into his own version of the "pipebomb" promo by recreating parts of Punk's iconic rant but personalising them to fit his own vow to leave the company with his WWE Championship.
At one point, Cena even looked right down the camera lens and said "hi" to AEW star Claudio Castagnoli (formerly known as WWE's Cesaro), TNA man Nic Nemeth (Dolph Ziggler) and even independent standout Matt Cardona (Zack Ryder). This got the expected reaction from fans there live for SmackDown in Grand Rapids - they were fully on board with JC mocking Punk's promo from 14 years prior.
Earlier, Cena had soundly thumped comeback man R-Truth, but their match ended via disqualification when John used his belt to blast Ron Killings between the eyes. Sadly, even this finish couldn't mask the fact that Truth came across as a real afterthought to the 'last time ever' clash between Cena and Punk.
Understandable given the strength of that bout, but still arguably a wasted opportunity following Truth's fan-driven return.
Cena & Punk Wrestle For First Time Since 2013 In Saudi Arabia
Night Of Champions 2025 in Saudi Arabia next weekend will mark the final time John Cena and CM Punk work a match together inside WWE rings. It's also the first time they've clashed since 2013; before this, the pair's last singles match as opponents came on the 25 February 2013 edition of flagship show Raw. That was a WWE Title number one contenders battle won by Cena.
There had been some talk about Punk's involvement at NOC due to the location. Previously, he'd criticised others on the WWE roster for taking "blood money" over in Saudi, but now CM himself will jet off to Riyadh on 28 June for a blockbuster showcase against one of his greatest foes ever.
Events on SmackDown were painstakingly designed to portray Punk as somebody who holds others accountable whilst being a hypocrite himself. It's a realistic bit of storytelling with merit, and it gave Cena something to lean on in between riffing on Punk's old "pipebomb".
Of course, WWE has another edition of SmackDown to power through before reaching Saudi, but that could be a wrap on in-person build towards Cena and Punk.