Punk seemed to be in his element, taking on two of the biggest heavyweights on the microphone and leaving them stunned, much like a pitcher who strikes out top hitters with wickedly deceptive throws. Bear with me on the baseball analogy here.
Fresh off his explosive pipebomb promo, the tension was mounting as Money In The Bank in Chicago approached. Punk was set to face John Cena in a match loaded with high stakes. If he emerged victorious, he would walk away from WWE with the coveted WWE Championship, and John Cena would face the axe.
In a desperate attempt to keep Punk under their banner, Vince McMahon decided to handle the situation personally. Just days before MITB, he tried to negotiate a new contract with Punk live on Monday Night Raw. Vince, in his typical fashion, was full of bravado until Punk quickly reminded him who had the upper hand.
Punk didn’t hold back, shoving his boss (thanks to a clause in his contract), demanding the return of WWE ice cream bars (which, by the way, we all still miss!), and delivering this gem: “Vince, I’ll kick you in the nuts and you’ll smile at me and like it, and show me some respect!”
Soon enough, Cena entered the mix. Punk exploded at Cena’s comment that he had lost his focus. Punk didn’t mince words, pointing out a harsh reality about Cena’s status in wrestling: The 10-time champion, who always saw himself as the underdog, had actually become the opposite. Cena was no longer like his beloved underdog Boston Red Sox but had transformed into the loathed New York Yankees. I hope you’re still with me on the baseball references.
Cena didn’t take kindly to the jab and clocked Punk, prompting him to retreat to a familiar spot—the very place he had delivered his pipebomb weeks before. Taking a seat on the ramp, Punk laid it all out:
“John, I’m glad you just punched me in the face… because it made me realize exactly why I no longer want to be here. I’m just exhausted from this. I’m tired of you. I’m just burnt out.”
With that bombshell, Punk declared that after the upcoming Sunday night’s event (Money In The Bank), it would be time for WWE to bid farewell to the WWE title, to John Cena, and to CM Punk himself.
BOOM. That’s what you call selling a storyline and promoting an unmissable event in front of what Punk likened to the George Steinbrenner and Derek Jeter of WWE. Yup, more baseball metaphors! While often overshadowed by the pipebomb moment, this performance by Punk could be argued to be just as impactful. Even legendary.
