A Breakdown Of One His Best WWE Promos Ever

Fourteen years ago, the ears of WWE fans were blessed with one of the most iconic promos of all time – CM Punk’s “Pipebomb”. Punk delivered this worked-shoot speech to a downed and defeated John Cena during their 2011 feud. Fast-forward to 2025 and the roles were reversed as WWE re-enacted this segment, but this time with Punk broken and beaten on a table, with Cena delivering a “Pipebomb” of his own. Coming out of the June 20 episode of Friday Night SmackDown, this may very well have been one of Cena’s best promos ever. Let’s take a look at why it was so effective, and break down all the things said.

Cena Used A Lot Of Similar Lines To Mock Punk

• Cena opened up this promo in a similar way.
• The parallels between the two moments were well done by WWE.
• Cena mocking Punk in this way adds a lot to their feud.

Trying to recreate something as iconic as CM Punk’s “Pipebomb” feels like an impossible task, but John Cena had a good go of it on the June 20 episode of SmackDown. With CM Punk down and out, Cena echoed many of the points made by Punk all those years ago, creating a brilliant mirroring image to the past. Nostalgia for the sake of nostalgia can be damaging, but in this sense, the callbacks and references were fantastic, and it is the perfect sort of nostalgia that Cena’s retirement tour should be laced with in 2025 – much like his final match and feud with Randy Orton at Backlash. It feels good for the audience, rewards fans for sticking with WWE for so long, and also adds to the now legendary feud between Cena and Punk. Cena said:

“Punk, as you lay there in your most uncomfortable… Somebody’s afraid of what I’m going to say. I hope you can listen. I hope you can digest. Because before I leave here in six months with that WWE Championship, I got to get a whole lot of stuff off my chest.”

Cena managed to weave in many of the throwback lines to Punk’s promo, such as the opening comment about Punk lying there uncomfortably, talking about leaving with the WWE Title, comments about not hating Punk, and more. As the promo went on, there were more references – being annoyed about being considered the best, breaking the fourth wall, saying hello to wrestlers outside of WWE (in this instance, Cena said hello to Claudio Castagnoli, Nic Nemeth, and Matt Cardona), among other reimagined lines from Punk’s monologue. It wasn’t a word-for-word rehashing of the promo, but more of a homage and one that resonated more in terms of their current story and characters today.

“First things first, I don’t hate you. I don’t even I just like you. I like you. I like you more than anyone you’ve ever shared a locker room with, that’s for sure. I hate this idea of you. This idea that you’re the best in the world. You’re not. I’m the greatest of all time. You’re better than me at one thing, you’re the best b*llsh*tter in the world.”

John Cena Looked More Comfortable Than Ever As A Heel

This Version Of A Heel Cena Is Entertaining

• Cena’s heel run in WWE within 2025 has had mixed reviews.
• Cena becoming more relaxed and impassioned makes for a better character.
• This is the best example of his promo work as a bad guy.

One of the biggest reasons why this promo worked so well was the fact that Cena looked super comfortable in this role. At times throughout his heel run in 2025, Cena has felt too stoic, rehearsed, and uninspired in his promos, with the direction of his heel character struggling to find a consistent theme. However, his persona up against CM Punk has seen Cena feel more natural, looser, and animated – and this has been a brilliant development.

“Hey, I’m breaking the fourth wall. Ha, ha. The truth is, Punk, I’m jealous of you. I am jealous that you have conned these people into believing the myth that you’re the best in the world.”

The “Pipebomb” on SmackDown was perhaps the best example of this yet. Cena’s cadence was mocking, superior, and joking, with his manure-eating grin looking like a million bucks as he waved into the camera. There were also serious and insecure undertones that he managed to sell too, showcasing all the acting props he’s revealed in Hollywood. This promo gave him freedom to say what he wanted, but to have it backed up with storytelling, topics to play off, and a narrative to build from after his previous promo interactions with CM Punk. In contrast to his initial heel promos that saw him just insult the crowd and garner basic heel heat, he was able to spread his heelish wings and showcase more personality here.

“Hey, Stu, shoot this. Hey Claudio Castagnoli. Hey Nic Nemeth. Hey Matt Cardona. How you guys doing?”

John Cena’s Pipebomb Didn’t Feel Forced, And It Featured Great Lines

Cena’s Pipebomb Had Purpose And Impact

• It didn’t feel like a cheap parody by any means.
• Fans will remember many lines of this promo, much like with Punk’s.
• Cena’s retirement run got a whole lot better with this one speech.

One of the biggest risks with running this angle was the fact that it could well have felt like a cheap parody and forced nostalgia. Cena managed to expertly weave in current storyline beats, throw ironic lines at Punk, whilst also paying homage to Punk’s original promo. For instance, Cena discussing the hypocrisy of Punk as someone who is now a sellout rather than the “Voice of the Voiceless” was a great touch, playing off their reversed roles in 2025 with Punk now a babyface who does everything for the company, whereas Cena is a heel doing whatever he wants and not caring about the damage his words cause.

“You’re promo potato salad, pal. Hey, you’re no longer the voice of the voiceless, you’re a friggin’ millionaire. Despite yourself, you’re not punk, you’re a capitalist. And you’re not against TKO, dude. You are Mister TKO. Because they knocked your balls technically off your body.”

These elements of the promo gave the speech its own life and its own two feet to stand out. There is a good chance that fans remember this as “Cena’s Pipebomb” rather than “Cena’s throwback to Punk’s Pipebomb”. Cena was in top form here, and this may very well go down as one of his greatest promos ever – it is certainly the best of his 2025 retirement tour, without a doubt.

“Your tweets are strong. Your actions are weak.”