I have not been a fan of John Cena’s heel run so far, and I did not think that was going to change when he launched into his “reverse pipe bomb promo,” which initially struck me as pretty cringe. I think that started to change around the time Cena said he liked Punk better than “most people you’ve shared a locker room with,” and I got more into it the more Cena used the promo as a vessel for exploring Punk’s hypocrisy. I’m not well-versed enough in historic wrestling rumors to know if there are specific reasons Cena chose to reference Claudio Castagnoli, Nic Nemeth, and Matt Cardona, but the fact of the matter is that the specifics didn’t matter. Cena naming names outside WWE was good for the promo because it helped Cena mirror the audacity of the original pipe bomb, but it was really more of a general message that was being delivered. And it wasn’t Drew McIntyre’s disturbingly personal brand of hatred or Seth Rollins’ obsession with Punk leaving WWE, but something simpler. In his promo, Cena directly undermined the mythology of CM Punk, stripping him of his rebellious exterior and presenting him as just another normal guy who does normal guy stuff, like not being as good as John Cena, or taking a huge check to wrestle in Saudi Arabia.

If nothing else, it was probably about time somebody did this specific thing to Punk. Adapting the pipe bomb promo and making it about Punk himself being a sellout is kind of a layup in 2025, and Cena was probably the right person to deliver it. It certainly felt like the most authentic thing he’s done on the microphone since turning heel, but despite the worked shoot nature of it all (also just like the original pipe bomb) he kept things focused on storyline, with some really interesting line deliveries and facial expressions as he realized the crowd was legitimately getting on his side. I thought the closing line about it being a small world after all was weak — maybe I’m missing something about the line? — but everything surrounding it was done with so much actual conviction that I didn’t care. Authenticity, conviction — these are the things the Cena character has profoundly lacked as a heel, and they were things he never, ever struggled with as a babyface. It was refreshing to see some spark of them return.

Written by Miles Schneiderman