CM Punk was ‘flabbergasted’ to learn pipe bomb promo was WWE Raw’s greatest moment
CM Punk’s 2011 pipe bomb promo on Raw remains a top moment in wrestling history. Nearly 15 years later, he addressed the incident and his reaction to it making a Top 100 list in his absence.
Punk revisited his pipe bomb promo from 2011 on What’s Your Story? With Stephanie McMahon. He reflected on his conversations with Vince McMahon about what he was allowed to say, explained the thought process behind crafting the promo, and admitted he was surprised to learn that WWE ranked it No. 1 on its list of the Top 100 Raw moments.
“When I was out of the business, I was obviously persona non grata, right? I mean, I don’t think the other place existed yet and you’ll did, think a top 100 moments of Raw or something like that? And you guys put the pipe bomb is No. 1.And I remember, I remember being like I am flabbergasted at that. To be so good, to make that moment what it was, to have him sign off on that and to make that the number one Raw moment is, to me, it speaks volumes.That’s insane!,” stated Punk.
The Undisputed WWE Champion is hopeful that an NXT talent can outdo his promo someday.
“Well, somebody will top it. I hope somebody does. I hope there’s somebody in NXT.”
When asked about the possibility of a wrestler taking away the moment, Punk dismissed it and talked about the wave of NXT talents.
“They can try, but again, that’s just noise, you know? I trust my instincts. I mean I was in the business, I don’t even know how long before I got signed. And then I was in developmental for a year and so I had tricks up my sleeve that a lot of people coming in didn’t, that a lot of people from developmental at the time didn’t. So I was able to navigate things a little bit better. But there’s NXT talent that come up and they get thrown on Raw and it’s sink or swim but then they think one little mistake it’s like the end of the world.”
Punk returned to WWE after almost a decade in November 2023. Last week on Raw, he ended Sami Zayn’s barely 10 day reign as WWE Champion.
Rosanne Raphael is a wrestling writer with over three and a half years of experience covering all things related to the industry. From a kindergarten teacher to PR Associate to turning her lifelong passion for the industry into a career, Rosanne is currently writing for F4W Online where she focuses on wrestling news, analysis, and storytelling.
Rosanne previously contributed to Sportskeeda as an Assistant Content Manager.
When not consumed by wrestling, Rosanne is a musician and an aspiring artist.