John Cena closed out the June 20, 2025 edition of WWE SmackDown by getting the final word in his heated rivalry with CM Punk, just one week before their highly anticipated clash at Night of Champions. After laying Punk out and sending him crashing through a table, Cena grabbed a microphone and delivered a biting monologue that paid homage to Punk’s iconic 2011 “pipe bomb” promo. Only this time, Cena turned the script on its head.

In a sharp-tongued and deeply personal address, Cena used Punk’s own format to rip into his rival’s persona, beliefs, and legacy, claiming he was not the revolutionary he once portrayed but a hypocritical figure who had traded ideals for corporate status.

Cena said:

“Punk, as you lay there in your most uncomfortable… Somebody’s afraid of what I’m going to say. I hope you can listen. I hope you can digest. Because before I leave here in six months with that WWE Championship, I got to get a whole lot of stuff off my chest. First things first, I don’t hate you. I don’t even I just like you. I like you. I like you more than anyone you’ve ever shared a locker room with, that’s for sure. I hate this idea of you. This idea that you’re the best in the world. You’re not. I’m the greatest of all time. You’re better than me at one thing, you’re the best bullshitter in the world. Oh, no, kiddos. John Cena just dropped a curse word. That means the show is completely off the rails. Hey, Stu, shoot this. Hey, I’m breaking the fourth wall. Ha, ha. The truth is, Punk, I’m jealous of you. I am jealous that you have conned these people into believing the myth that you’re the best in the world.”

He continued by name-dropping Punk’s former colleagues and poking fun at his current image:

“Hey Claudio Castagnoli. Hey Nic Nemeth. Hey Matt Cardona. How you guys doing?”

“You’re promo potato salad, pal. Hey, you’re no longer the voice of the voiceless, you’re a friggin’ millionaire. Despite yourself, you’re not punk, you’re a capitalist. And you’re not against TKO, dude. You are Mister TKO. Because they knocked your balls technically off your body. Your tweets are strong. Your actions are weak.”

The verbal assault capped off an intense segment that left fans buzzing, with Cena planting the final shot both physically and psychologically heading into their showdown at Night of Champions.