Former AEW stars Nic Nemeth and Matt Cardona responded to John Cena after being name-dropped during his WWE SmackDown promo.
John Cena recreated CM Punk's "pipe bomb" speech and mentioned talents outside WWE, including Claudio Castagnoli, Nemeth, and Cardona.
Speculation arose that Cena's mentions may have been veiled references to CM Punk's past conflicts, including indirect nods to The Young Bucks and Colt Cabana.
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Nic Nemeth and Matt Cardona have both taken to social media to acknowledge being name-dropped by John Cena during a fiery promo on the latest episode of WWE SmackDown. The unexpected mentions occurred during a segment that saw Cena recreate CM Punk’s legendary “pipe bomb” speech.
During his speech, Cena called Punk an opportunist before breaking the fourth wall to address talent outside of WWE, a rare occurrence for the company.
Shortly after the segment aired, Matt Cardona, the current NWA World Champion, posted a direct message on X, simply tagging Cena in a post that read, “Hey @JohnCena”. The mention immediately revived fan speculation about a potential WWE return for Cardona, who has previously stated he would only come back using his real name.
Nic Nemeth, a former TNA World Champion, offered a more cryptic reaction. He responded by posting a GIF from the animated series Archer with the caption, “Danger zone!”.
Further analysis suggests Cena’s words may have contained a veiled message aimed at CM Punk’s well-documented backstage conflicts in AEW. Speculation posits that the mention of Matt Cardona and Nic Nemeth could have been indirect references to Matt and Nick Jackson of The Young Bucks. Similarly, the shoutout to Claudio Castagnoli, whose initials are C.C., is being theorized as a subtle jab related to Colt Cabana, another figure from Punk’s past controversies.
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