CAGEMATCH » Promos Database » "Maybe I'll go back to Ring Of Honor... (The Pipe Bomb)"

"Maybe I'll go back to Ring Of Honor... (The Pipe Bomb)"

Promo

Promo Data

Title:

Worker(s):

CM Punk

Date:

27.06.2011

Promotion:

World Wrestling Entertainment

Event:

WWE Monday Night RAW #944 - RAW Roulette 2011 (Card with guide)

Promo

CM Punk: "John Cena, while you lay there, hopefully as uncomfortable as you possibly can be, I want you to listen to me. I want you to digest this, because before I leave in three weeks with your WWE Championship, I have a lot of things I wanna get off my chest.

I don't hate you, John. I don't even dislike you. I do like you, I like you a hell of a lot more than I like most people in the back. I hate this idea that you're the best - because you're not. I'm the best. I'm the best in the world. There's one thing you're better at than I am and that's kissing Vince McMahon's ass. You're as good at kissing Vince's ass as Hulk Hogan was. I don't know if you're as good as Dwayne, though. He's a pretty good ass-kisser. Always was and still is. Oops - I'm breaking the fourth wall. [Er winkt in die Kamera.] I am the best wrestler in the world. I've been the best ever since day one when I walked into this company. And I've been vilified and hated since that day because Paul Heyman saw something in me that nobody else wanted to admit. Yeah that's right, I'm a Paul Heyman guy. You know who else was a Paul Heyman guy? Brock Lesnar. And he split, just like I'm splittin', but the biggest difference between me and Brock is that I'm going to leave with the WWE Championship.

I've grabbed so many of Vincent K. McMahon's imaginary brass rings that it's finally dawned on me that they're just that. They're completely imaginary. The only thing that's real is me. And the fact that day in and day out, for almost six years, I've proved to everybody in the world that I am the best on this microphone, in that ring, even on commentary. Nobody can touch me. And yet, no matter how many times I prove it, I'm not on your lovely little collectors' cups, I'm not on the cover of the program, I'm barely promoted, I don't get to be in movies, I'm certainly not on any crappy show on the USA Network, I'm not on the poster of WrestleMania, I'm not on the signature that's produced at the start of the show. I'm not on Conan O'Brien, I'm not on Jimmy Fallon, but the fact of the matter is I should be. And trust me, this isn't sour grapes, but the fact that "Dwayne" is in the main event of WrestleMania next year and I'm not, makes me sick!

Oh hey, let me get something straight. Those of you who are cheering me right now - you are just as big a part of me leaving as anything else, because you're the ones that are sipping out of those collector cups right now, you're the ones that buy those programs that my face isn't on the cover of, and then at five in the morning at the airport, you try to shove it in my face so that you can get an autograph and sell it on eBay, because you're too lazy to get a real job.

I'm leaving with the WWE championship on July 17 and hell, who knows, maybe I'll go defend it in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Maybe I'll go back to Ring Of Honor. [Punk winkt nochmal in die Kamera] Hey, Colt Cabana, how you doing? The reason I'm leaving is you people because after I'm gone you're still going to pour money into this company - I'm just a spoke on the wheel - the wheel's gonna keep turning and I understand that. But Vince McMahon's gonna make money despite himself. He's a millionaire who should be a billionaire. You know why he's not a billionaire? It's because he surrounds himself with glad-handing nonsensical douche bag yes-men like John Laurinaitis, who's gonna tell him everything that he wants to hear. And I'd like to think that maybe this company will be better after Vince McMahon is dead, but the fact is, it's gonna be taken over by his idiotic daughter and his doofus son-in-law and the rest of his stupid family.

Let me tell you a personal story about Vince McMahon. You know we do this whole bully campaign-- [Das Mikrofon wird ausgeschaltet, Punk klopft ein paar mal oben drauf und ruft dann ohne Mikro] I've been silenced!"

9.88

Current Total Rating (?)

Valid votes: 726

Number of comments: 259

10.0

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Average rating: 9.89 [726]

Average rating in 2026: 9.80 [25]

Average rating in 2025: 9.85 [71]

Average rating in 2024: 9.98 [88]

Average rating in 2023: 9.89 [61]

Average rating in 2022: 9.94 [47]

Average rating in 2021: 10.00 [26]

Average rating in 2020: 10.00 [28]

Average rating in 2019: 9.57 [21]

Average rating in 2018: 10.00 [18]

Average rating in 2017: 9.97 [29]

Average rating in 2016: 9.97 [35]

Average rating in 2015: 9.96 [26]

Average rating in 2014: 10.00 [15]

Average rating in 2013: 10.00 [17]

Average rating in 2012: 8.90 [10]

Average rating in 2011: 9.85 [209]

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Latest comments of the CAGEMATCH inmates

Dokkan wrote on 28.08.2026:

"The best promo in the last 20 years, this right here made CM Punk into a superstar & a must see attraction"

GarganoIsGod wrote on 28.04.2026:

[10.0] "As much as I am dismayed at the current CM Punk I must admit this version of him is up their for my favorite wrestler of all time. One of the best if not the best anti authority promos ever cut. Changed Punks trajectory in WWE and really changed the whole wrestling landscape for better or worse. References to Ring Of Honor and New Japan just put the cherry on top of this scathing promo."

dhruboezit wrote on 09.04.2026:

[10.0] "changed pro wrestling forever, catapulted an underdog to a cemented legend. The Pipe Bomb is indeed the greatest promo of all time. And maybe the most infamous in modern wrestling history."

Redflame2194 wrote on 08.04.2026:

[10.0] "Come on now, it's the pipebomb you have to give it a 10. A promo that is played in video packages to this day, one that forever established punk as the voice of the voiceless and keeps him fondly in the eyes of wrestling fans to this day."

Mikeloveprowrestling wrote on 08.02.2026:

[10.0] "This is the best on earth professional wrestling promo I have ever seen in my entire life! I still remembered that day, that spectacular historic moment happened just like yesterday! From that day on Cm Punk completely change the whole pro wrestling industries! He started a revolution that nobody will believe , he paved the way for guys like Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose (Jon Moxley)to become the future of professional wrestling mega stars! Even though after he leave WWE for ten long years, WWE fans still chanted his name for ten long years! Even to this day the pipebomb promo still have impact and influence many people in the wrestling world and that's why he is the best wrestler in the world!"

Best in Chicago 2011 wrote on 07.12.2025:

[10.0] "CM Punk's "Pipebomb" promo is one of the most iconic and influential promos in WWE history. It perfectly blurred the lines between reality and storyline, capturing the attention of fans worldwide. Punk spoke with honesty, edge, and charisma, calling out top stars, authority figures, and the direction of WWE itself. Every word hit with precision, building tension for months and leading directly to one of the most memorable storylines of the modern era. This promo changed the landscape of WWE storytelling and elevated CM Punk to legendary status. A flawless promo -- 10/10, timeless."

Brayan wrote on 16.10.2025:

[10.0] "Arguably the most iconic promo of the past 25 years. For as hyperbolic as that may sound, it's a statement I don't think there's much ground for disputing. It's all subjective, just how I see it."

Punkcedes wrote on 23.08.2025:

[10.0] "The greatest promo in the history of promos, I still get goosebumps when I rewatch this. Promos are supposed to make you believe it's real & that is exactly what the pipebomb did"

casnonotbcofspn wrote on 11.07.2025:

[0.0] "CM Punk cuts one mediocre promo and everyone thinks he is Jesus. Would be a 5/10 if we didn't have to pretend it was the greatest promo of all time."

StingTheIcon1999 wrote on 07.05.2025:

[10.0] "This is most likely the best promo of the modern era of WWE and not only that it is the best worked-shoot promo ever."

WrestlingReviewer33 wrote on 21.04.2025:

[10.0] "One of the best promos ever cut by the self proclaimed best in the world CM Punk.At first I just thought he was an ass hole who had behaviour issues as sadly I was not around for the Summer of Punk and the pipebomb aswell as being way too young to remember his WWE exit.But now I look into it, CM Punk is so real in this promo.Maybe some of the stuff he was going to do like go to ROH or New Japan with the WWE title would've been a bit extreme but it would've have been so badass and it would have fucked WWE up.He is not wrong with some of these things about Vince in here so overall this is a 10/10 promo."

CrystalClearMSA wrote on 06.04.2025:

[10.0] "What can i say, it's the Pipebomb, im glad that this promo sits this high on this website because really, back in 2011, it turned the entire wretling circle into asking "is this real? " and while some of the promos are somewhat scripted, this one isn't."

Spireal wrote on 29.03.2025:

[10.0] "Iconic promo with a masterful control of what makes CM Punk so good on the mic. Perfect dosage of "work" and "shoot", it blurs the lines in a very, very beautiful way. You can argue it kickstarted the rise of wrestling internet discussions."

trexyyy wrote on 27.03.2025:

[10.0] "The greatest promo wrestling has ever seen, it was fantastic and is still talked about to this day. Peak"

yamom wrote on 21.03.2025:

[10.0] "Probably the best and most impactful wrestling promo of all time. Historic for a reason and the ushering of a new era"

Keithnelson18 wrote on 18.02.2025:

[10.0] "One of the best wrestling promos ever. No lies were told in this promo. This shows why CM Punk is one of the best on the microphone"

TeaganFox wrote on 08.02.2025:

[10.0] "The best promo of the Cena/Punk rivalry. Absolutely amazing. Loved every second of it and wished it went longer."

dsv the rater wrote on 17.01.2025:

"Dude, this is literally the best promo in history, it revolutionized the entire pro wrestling scene, there's no way around it, with Punk in this rivalry with John Cena, history was made."

Alooi wrote on 18.12.2024:

[10.0] "Earth shattering promo that so many fans -including me- still go back to on a regular basis. The pipe bomb changed the industry on many different layers both in long and short terms. Punk has and will always be one of the best if not the best to ever do it and this segment alone is proving testament on its own."

BestBoutMachineP wrote on 17.12.2024:

[10.0] "The Greatest Promo in the history of professional wrestling and its not even close, I loved every second of it."

AVERAGEWRESTLINGFAN wrote on 11.10.2024:

[10.0] "One of the most important and impactful moments in wrestling history. Everything was straight out of the heart and that's what made it stand out in a sea of bland and forgettable stuff from the pg era."

armedroomba wrote on 16.08.2024:

[10.0] "This is the finest moment of probably my favorite wrestler of all time. There will never be something as cutting as this, a man allowed to say whatever the hell he wanted because it would further the current story. Knowing his frustrations with WWE at the time, this leads to the most explosive promo of all time that keeps you engaged for the full ten minutes and still dominates Punk's legacy. Because why wouldn't it? Most don't even come within miles of this."

brooksavage2004 wrote on 27.06.2024:

[10.0] "What else could be said about CM Punk's pipe bomb that hasn't already been said before. It has everything that needs to have and done, it perfectly defines CM Punk himself, the promotion of WWE, what wrestling was at that time and how the fans were feeling about and it revolutionized the whole sport of professional wrestling for life. No wrestling fan will be right here still loving wrestling today if it wasn't for CM Punk and his pipe bomb."

darkflame4527 wrote on 23.06.2024:

[10.0] "The greatest promo of all time. Punk perfectly blended "too real" and kayfabe. His aggression sold this promo for literally everyone everywhere. I kind of wish it happened now in this renaissance era instead of near the start of a horrible period in the WWE."

Theaziz2001 wrote on 09.05.2024:

[10.0] "This era of the WWE definitely did NOT deserve to have this promo. Thats all I will say since everything else has already been said."

Akm wrote on 17.04.2024:

[10.0] "Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood deeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaam GPOAT Greatest promo of all time"

CHICAGO MADE wrote on 16.04.2024:

"11/10 THIS promo of the Wrestling GOD is everything , and more - what intelligent professional wrestling fans want ! Pepsi Phil once again subverted my expectations , braking every dumb rule Vincent brought upon this buisness. Every once in a while I come on youtube , to rewatch that shoot, always amazed how that one man could have such BALLS OF STEEL !"

Pigeon Scratch wrote on 18.03.2024:

[10.0] "Recent history both with WWE and CM Punk (both good and bad) kind of puts this promo at a weird angle for me. But I can't deny how important this promo is in the grand scheme of things, and how much of a big deal it was for someone as easily recognized as Punk to just talk about stuff that was bothering him about the very company he was sitting in the arena of. It elevated the storyline between Punk and Cena, it showed how amazing Punk was on the mic, something he still proves to this day, and did wonders for so many indie talents that were hopeful to once be in a big promotion like WWE, as it paved the way for a change in who are the top guys and reality began bleeding into characters that at the time were so PG stained and unbelievable."

sarahlicity wrote on 04.02.2024:

[10.0] "Hands down, one of the greatest promos of all time, which only poured petrol onto a white-hot story (that, in true Vince McMahon fashion, was fumbled in spectacular fashion like Mark Sanchez into his own right guard). But even with the Summer of Punk proving itself an Indian summer, even with a couple of lines becoming ironic, a lot more became prescient and a lot more inspired a rebirth in the industry. There is simply no rating you can give the promo other than full marks; a reminder of Punk at his greatest."

CorpusSkiptotelicum wrote on 28.11.2023:

[10.0] "One of the greatest promos of all time for a reason. Punk's best atribute has always been his character work and mic skills, and him letting lose like this in such a terrible era of the wwe made for one of the most exiting moments in wrestling history. Its funny though him finishing with the bully campaign line, as he's a notorious bully too."

Dynamax Dawn wrote on 27.11.2023:

[10.0] "I had only heard of this promo but never watched it myself until now, but holy shit this an awesome promo! Really the worked shoot promos to end all work shoot promos. I love that at one point he calls out the fans who are cheering him to call to get them to boo him, just excellent heel work. Also the fact that he brought up other promotions in a time when that was a big nono is huge (now under the Triple H regime it happens sometimes, but back then it just didn't happen.) The man even brought up VInce Mcmahon's death like holy shit absolutely no chill! And of course there's that millionare that should be a billionaire that has been quoted a million times since. I'm not sure if its the peacock version or it was like that during the live feed but the crowd just sort of sounds like their listening like he's got them in the palm of his hands? But I would have guessed there would be more booing or cheering or both I've never seen this brought up when talking about this promo, so I'm not sure, but either way it did not affect the rating of this promo because this could have been executed perfectly even in the pre thunderdome pandermic era, it's just that good."

Dune wrote on 02.11.2023:

[10.0] "It's still one of the greatest, most important, and most exciting promos of all time. Literally business-changing and it's difficult to explain why unless you were tapped into the WWE product at the time or acutely understand how sanitized things had become by this year. What's even more impressive about it is that, unlike its imitators, the Pipe Bomb actually served a purpose instead of popping smarks and winking to the audience. It didn't bury Cena, it furthered and enhanced the storyline, and still kept kayfabe, which is probably the most important thing about it. It's not a "worked shoot", it's a believable piece of storytelling given Punk's character at the time and the surrounding plot involving his contract ending. Really think people took the wrong lessons from this promo, but that's usually what happens when you don't spell out and beat your audience over the head with the message or intent of your art."

glisteningmelon wrote on 02.11.2023:

[10.0] "Its just so freaking good, the man tells no lies and it still rings true 12 years later. Love him or hate him, you have to respect the man for having the balls to go out and rip his employers to shreds on live tv, with everything thats happened in the last couple of months and the buzz the dude creates by just having an article mention him still goes to show how impactful he and this promo were to modern wrestling as a whole. Call me a mark but id call it the greatest promo of all time."

Loge wrote on 02.11.2023:

[10.0] "This freaking promo..... THIS FREAKING PROMO? Ok, FUCK CM Punk. He is possibly the CHEAPEST POP in Wrestli------ SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT History. ANd second of all, HE RUINED KAYFABE! So dumb. Its not funny and witty and cool like all you WrestleMarks and All Ohiout Marks think. John Laurinaitis deserves better than this stupid shit. I mean, what's wrong with my collectors cup collection, huh? Theres nothing wrong with that! Theres nothing wrong with my funko pop collection! Im just a happy consooooomer IM A CONSOOOOOMER! Man, now that punk is done ruining WWE and AEW for good, I really hope he doesn't go to Stardom Wrestling. I would be so sad I don't think I could ever watch sports entertainment ever again. The only good thing CM Punk has done for sports entertainment is bringing those WWE Ice Cream Bars back, so I can gain even more weight while watching my Hikaru promo marathons. And THAT's Keeping it Real! (Reaches down to drink my soylent, but its been replaced with MANLY JACK AND COKE) Oh man, how refreshi- OMG! IM A MAN AGAIN! All those years of chugging soylent and hikaru matches really fried my brain, Thanks Jack Daniels! Ok, this promo is pretty cool actually. I think he should've gone back to ROH for a bit and defended the title there. Wouldve been sick. Punkc also deserved that Mania main event spot that he sadly never got. Maybe when he comes back for Survivor Series he'll get it."

uzi wrote on 05.04.2023:

[7.0] "Would be an 8 just based on the promo itself, which hasn't aged great but still was such a success you can't deny it. But deducting a point for the fact that the impact it's had on wrestling promos is pretty negative overall."

reneegade wrote on 23.03.2023:

[10.0] "Iconic for a reason. Full of incredible lines, this brought so many people in to see Money In The Bank and what more could you say for a promo than that."

Xwrestlingx2003 wrote on 27.02.2023:

[10.0] "After all these years, it is still the best promo in wrestling history, Everything CM Punk said on this day was the truth and will forever be remembered as the Truth."

Wrasslinfan619 wrote on 06.02.2023:

[10.0] "Best work shoot in wrestling history, people were confused but interested after this promo ended, many thought it was A shoot, which it turns out not really but either way, Punk meant all of this. And mentioning Ring Of Honor, and NJPW in this promo made it even more convincing. This is in my opinion maybe the best promo... ever."

MainEventMaster wrote on 13.01.2023:

[10.0] "Me personally I do not think this is the GREATEST promo in wrestling history, but it is so shocking and so unbelievable that its impact on wrestling history cannot be ignored."

MokhaPunk wrote on 08.09.2022:

"A remarkable achievement in wrestling history, still the best promo ever in history of wrestling the changed a lot."

CutterClub wrote on 16.08.2022:

[10.0] "You've got Austin 3:16 and you've got the Pipe Bomb. Two of the most iconic mic performances in WWE and wrestling history. Each one revolutionized the business and entered it into a new era. The Pipe Bomb will be on the pro wrestling promo Mount Rushmore until the end of time."

blackgoku wrote on 08.08.2022:

[10.0] "This is the promo that changed the wrestling industry forever. One that is still relevant 11 years later. The beginning of the perfect storyline."

gj07czos wrote on 22.07.2022:

[10.0] "This is probably the single greatest promo of all time. The handful of people giving it 2's and 3's should straight up just be banned from the website. This promo created reverberations that are still having an affect on the industry to this day."

eltetechori wrote on 09.07.2022:

[10.0] "Iconic moment for CM Punk's career, where to this day there are still doubts as to whether it was real or fictitious."

funyunnnnnnnn wrote on 04.06.2022:

"I remember this promo word by word. Its the best promo from that time. It was a promo i will remember forever. 10/10"

OMEGAOBSCURO wrote on 13.03.2022:

[10.0] "I remember very well watching this promo at my television, didnt know what was Punk saying at the time, I was confused, but now I can clearly see that its one of the best promos ever."

TigerDiver wrote on 31.01.2022:

[10.0] "A decade later and this still aged well like a fine wine. This completely changed the landscape of the whole WWE at the time, revolutionize the whole business and there's still hundreds of people talking about it to this very day. It has been considered an all-time greatest promo for so long. And honestly, I think I can agree with that. Everything about The Pipebomb came straight from Punk's heart which make it so great. Absolute perfection."

javimg96 wrote on 27.06.2021:

[10.0] "On this day 10 years ago, CM Punk delivered the best promo of the PG era and one of the most relevants in history. A promo that reflected what many wrestling fans thought about the WWE. A promo that shocked the audience when Punk mentioned NJPW, ROH, Brock Lesnar and insulted the chairman and his family. The end, with CM Punk being censored, turned the road to MITB 2011 into a battle between good and evil."

NastyYaffa wrote on 27.06.2021:

[10.0] "A generation defining moment. One of the most magical pieces of business I have ever witnessed in pro-wrestling, and it will remain exactly that till the end of times."

The A-Lister wrote on 06.05.2021:

[10.0] "The promo of the decade definitely. The promo definitely hits different 10 years later. He was goddamn right."

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