Reason Revealed For John Cena Naming Three Specific Wrestlers In CM Punk Promo
During his "pipebomb" promo on SmackDown, John Cena namedropped Claudio Castagnoli, Matt Cardona, and Nic Nemeth, a direct reference to a 2013 CM Punk interview.
John Cena’s scathing promo on the June 20 episode of WWE SmackDown featured a calculated reference to a dozen-year-old interview, directly mirroring comments once made by his rival, CM Punk. During the segment, Cena broke the fourth wall to mention Claudio Castagnoli, Matt Cardona, and Nic Nemeth—the real names of wrestlers CM Punk had championed back in 2013.
The reference traces back to a WrestleMania 29 press event where Punk, while wearing a Cesaro t-shirt, namedropped Dolph Ziggler and Zack Ryder and criticized the main event between The Rock and Cena. By using the current, non-WWE names of those same individuals, Cena effectively turned Punk’s past criticisms back on him, adding a deeply personal layer to their ongoing feud.
The promo itself capped off a chaotic sequence in the ring. The segment began after Cena lost his main event match against Ron “R-Truth” Killings by disqualification when he used the championship title as a weapon. As CM Punk entered the ring to confront him, Cena quickly turned the tables, driving Punk through a table with an Attitude Adjustment.
With Punk laid out, Cena seized a microphone to deliver his speech, calling Punk the “greatest bullshitter in the world” and accusing him of manipulating the audience.
Punk responded to the promo the following day during an appearance on the SummerSlam Kickoff Show. He acknowledged that while most of Cena’s words were false, one accusation held weight.
“The one thing he did say that was true is I’m jealous of him,” Punk stated, before questioning why the self-proclaimed “Greatest of All Time” would feel that way.
Punk then drew a sharp comparison between Cena and Randy Orton, claiming Orton “didn’t sell his soul to The Rock.” He concluded by promising a severe retaliation, referencing the classic diss track “No Vaseline.”
The promo also drew praise from former WWE writer Vince Russo, who credited Cena’s performance entirely to the performer himself. The segment has significantly escalated the conflict heading into their Undisputed WWE Championship match at Night of Champions, a match already steeped in controversy over Cena accusing Punk of hypocrisy for agreeing to compete in Saudi Arabia.
