WWE: How John Cena Dropped the Pipe Bomb Against CM Punk on Raw

A pipe bomb was dropped on Monday Night Raw during the closing segment between CM Punk and John Cena.

And Punk didn’t drop it.

Shocking, right?  Yeah, I thought so too.  Truth be told, we really should not be surprised at the words spoken during that spot, or the fact that John was the man who spoke them.

Yes, we are very accustomed to hearing the current WWE Champion lay it on the line, cutting to the very core of every moment that he’s involved in.  We’re used to Punk doing those promos that you just can’t forget.  The fact is, no one does it better.

He’s been doing it since that infamous night on Raw last year, when he first sat cross-legged on the ramp, and ripped WWE apart from the top down.  On that night, CM Punk went from talented, underrated Superstar to being king of the mountain.

Like Jeff Jarrett.  Only, for real.

Punk is the best on the mic, and we expect him to cut a great promo.  It’s his thing.  

John Cena?  Eh.

It’s not that he can’t do it, Cena is fully capable of grabbing a crowd by the throat and making them feel every word he says.  But, oftentimes he’s either drowned out by the jeers of the crowd, or he’s telling one lame joke after another, until you just want to punch him in the face.

Really hard.

But on Monday night, Cena took Punk’s spot as WWE’s resident bomb maker, if only for a few moments.  And, he went straight to the heart of the matter.

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“For 300 days you have been WWE Champion, for 300 days that championship has been irrelevant. Month after month you watch main event after main event pass you by and your excuse is that there is some weird political conspiracy against you.  But the fact is, there is no you.

You see, you have been here for many many many years, and the night you made the most noise was ironically the night your microphone was turned silent.  Ah, I remember those days. Talk about change.

Passionate, convicting talk of change.  And, then one triumphant night in Chicago when you were the victor and the universe finally said ‘we get change!’  And they were lied to.  They were fooled into a false claim, because change was not ice cream bars, change was not edgy television, change wasn’t even new talent.

All you meant by ‘we want change’ was make CM Punk a star.  You don’t even know who CM Punk is.”

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Not bad, right?  No sir, not bad at all.

All John did was make the point that he has made before, that Punk’s supposed devotion to the fans, and his desire to make WWE fun again, was all just smoke and mirrors to him getting the main event push that he felt was denied to him for so long.  On its face, it’s nothing new.

But, for a CM Punk who is attempting to get over as heel, the truth is, this promo had to happen.  And, for the sake of their upcoming match at Night of Champions, it had to come at the hands of John Cena.  Why?

Because John Cena has to be the face.  That’s it.  Fans love CM Punk, there is no denying that, and his hardcore, straight edge believers will follow him despite what he does or how he does it.  But where Punk would falter, Cena will rise.  Where Punk would change, Cena would get stronger.

Hate it, don’t you?  Yeah, I know.

But, Punk has the luxury of turning back and forth as the wind blows.  His motivations can change on a whim, and he can do what he wants to do, when he wants to do it.

John does not have that.  He is a babyface.  Period.  And, being a babyface means he does not change for anyone, he is staying with the ones who got him there in the first place.  That’s his M.O., and that’s the way it is.

That is the point that he made to Punk during Raw.

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“I went from an underdog to an odds-on favorite, but I did it as me.  Through all of this, the wins, the losses, the championships, the year when I didn’t win the big one at WrestleMania, the embarrassment, the humility, I’ve hand to stand on my own two feet, and do it as me.

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And then there’s you.  You have changed your ideology numerous times, you have stabbed your friends in the back, you borrow colors from Hall of Famers, you steal the elbow of the late Randy Savage.

All because you have yet to find you.”

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Ready for the funny part?  They popped for him.

You heard me.

The Montreal crowd popped for John Cena, the same John Cena they had booed every moment he was on camera when Raw went on the air.  The promo worked.  Plain and simple.

For me, this was the moment since Punk’s much debated heel turn began that he was properly defined.  Every word John spoke rang with truth.  There was nothing malicious in his words, no accusations he could not back up.  All he did was put the entire situation into focus, and when he did, it had an immediate impact.

That’s what Cena does best.  That is where he excels.  And, it is that way for a reason.

Promos like this have to be made by the top guy, the one who is beyond reproach.  This was John Wayne staring down the barrel of a gun, as tough and fearless as ever.  He is the hero of the piece, and no one can touch him.

Remember the countless promos that Cena cut against the Rock?  How many times did fans find themselves, even if they do not like John, actually sit back and give him credit?  How many times did they believe that maybe, just maybe, John had a point when he criticized Rocky’s supposed devotion to WWE though he is never there?

And, how many fans took an ever so subtle step back as John dismantled the WWE Champion and turned a hostile crowd to his side?

John Cena was in his element on Monday night.  But then again, he always is.