Former WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes Explains What CM Punk Really Meant To Professional Wrestling
The WWE completely changed thanks to one signature CM Punk action and former WWE superstar Cody Rhodes said it also changed the entire landscape of the professional wrestling industry. Rhodes appeared on the talk show Chopcast Live, a FOX Sports show that deals with the Atlanta Braves. On the show, the hosts asked Rhodes what the professional wrestling business is like right now.
Cody Rhodes interview
Cody Rhodes said that everything in professional wrestling now changes constantly and the entire industry is like a test tube that takes various shapes. Cody then pointed out that wrestling completely changed when CM Punk came out on WWE Monday Night Raw and cut his “Pipe Bomb” promo.
For fans who don’t remember the “Pipe Bomb,” it took place on June 27, 2011, after CM Punk ran into the ring to cost John Cena a match against Ron “The Truth” Killings. This was supposed to be close to the ending of Punk’s WWE career. His contract was expiring so the WWE had CM Punk cut a shoot promo to end the show.
The CM Punk ‘Pipe Bomb’
The “Pipe Bomb” saw CM Punk sit on the floor at the top of the stage and talk about a lot of insider information. He mentioned friends that were no longer in the company (Colt Cabana) and insulted WWE legends that were gone (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Hulk Hogan). He even threw out names of men who had left the company at that time like Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman.
It was all a setup for CM Punk challenging John Cena for the WWE title before his contract expired.
.@ringofhonor World Champion @CodyRhodes joins @coryjmccartney & @Zach_Dillard on #ChopcastLIVE – and says Atlanta is in for a big surprise pic.twitter.com/xNQgVfE9L1
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) August 2, 2017
The “Pipe Bomb” was the biggest promo in WWE history. It was so famous and popular that CM Punk ended up almost more popular than John Cena and the WWE did everything they could to keep him. It really did change professional wrestling by finally shattering the illusion that the WWE was a self-contained company.
How CM Punk affected wrestling
Cody Rhodes said that CM Punk and his “Pipe Bomb” promo changed everything. He said that, whether the WWE intended it or not, it proved that people could survive outside of the WWE. Rhodes pointed to the Young Bucks as a tag team that has no need to ever go to the WWE due to the success they have built.
Cody Rhodes himself has no need of the WWE anymore. He wrestles wherever he wants to. He is the Ring of Honor world champion and doesn’t even need to have an exclusive contract with the company to hold their biggest title.
This is because Cody Rhodes said that CM Punk made the performers the draw and not the WWE or the pre-scripted story lines. Fans actually started to care more about the individual wrestlers – no matter where they competed.
“That attitude is kind of caught like wildfire, it has made it the most fun time to be a pro wrestler and a wrestling fan because legitimately anything can happen. I am a free agent. I haven’t signed with Ring Of Honor but I damn sure like, love the Honor brand and I really treasure the responsibility of being its world champion.”
[Featured Image by WWE]
