[WATCH] John Cena gets emotional mid-pipebomb on WWE SmackDown
WWE Superstar John Cena left no stone unturned in firing major shots at CM Punk in the latest episode of Friday Night SmackDown. However, a subtle detail that likely went unnoticed was that the 17-time World Champion briefly broke his character mid-segment.
After suffering a loss to R-Truth via disqualification, The Cenation Leader was confronted by CM Punk on the June 20 edition of SmackDown. However, the Undisputed WWE Champion gained the upper hand over The Straight Edge Superstar and sent him through a table with an Attitude Adjustment. John Cena sat on the top turnbuckle with a microphone and delivered a brutal pipebomb on CM Punk ahead of their Undisputed WWE Title match at Night of Champions.
This was a direct parody and reversal of The Second City Saint's iconic pipebomb from 2011, when he famously called out Cena and the company. The Last Real Champion claimed that he liked CM Punk but called the 46-year-old "the best bullsh*tter in the world" and referenced former WWE stars like Claudio Castagnoli, Nic Nemeth, and Matt Cardona.
At one point during the promo, when John Cena declared himself the "Greatest of All Time," the crowd erupted with a thunderous pop. This powerful moment saw The Franchise Player getting emotional and cracking a smile as fans chanted his name.
Check out the bit from 05:18 to 05:48 in the video below:
WWE veteran comments on John Cena's promo on SmackDown
Wrestling veteran Vince Russo recently shared his thoughts on The Last Real Champion recreating CM Punk's pipebomb from 2011. He discussed this on Sportskeeda's BroDown podcast.
According to Vince Russo, John Cena was responsible for writing his segments, operating independently of Triple H's creative team and agents.
"I'm gonna say it. I talked to some people inside WWE. I'd never say who it is; I don't want to get anybody in trouble. They told me weeks ago when this angle started [that] Cena is doing all his own stuff. Nobody is telling John Cena what to do. Nobody is producing John Cena; nobody is writing for John Cena. Cena is going out there and doing what he wants to do. Cena cut a reality-based promo, which is the best thing I've seen on any wrestling show in the last 10 years. Let me be clear, that's not Triple H, that's not the creative, that's not the office," he said.
It will be interesting to see if The Cenation Leader retains his world title against The Voice of The Voiceless next Saturday at the Night of Champions PLE in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
