Why did WWE send referee to check on CM Punk during John Cena’s pipebomb promo?

John Cena is set for his second title defense this Saturday!

Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena is set to defend the title against ‘The Second City Saint’ CM Punk this Saturday at Night of Champions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This will be Cena’s second title defense after winning the title at WrestleMania 41.

In the build-up to the match, Punk made a surprising appearance on the June 13 episode of SmackDown and confronted Cena to deliver an intense promo. Punk also made an appearance on the June 20 show, aiding R-Truth and attacking Cena; however, this time the Champion got the better of the exchange and then shocked everyone with the promo.

What Happened?

John Cena, after getting the better of the exchange, slammed Punk through a table before jumping on the ropes to deliver one of the best promos of his career, and quite possibly the best of his current heel run.

Cena, much like CM Punk, delivered his own version of a “pipebomb” promo, literally turning the tables. While the style was similar, references were adjusted to fit Cena’s own perspective. During the promo, Cena called Punk the “best bullshitter in the world,” pointing out that Punk was no longer the “voice of the voiceless.” Instead, he was a millionaire, a capitalist, Mr. TKO.

He didn’t just go after Punk; he sent shockwaves across the entire wrestling landscape by name-dropping AEW’s Claudio Castagnoli, TNA’s Nic Nemeth, and Matt Cardona. The promo has created a lot of buzz in the fandom, and fans are eagerly waiting for the two stars to battle.

WWE sent out a referee during the promo to make it “less cringey”

According to WrestleVotes, WWE sent out a referee to check on CM Punk during the long John Cena pipebomb promo to make it “less cringey.”

“I heard on Saturday that if you go back and rewatch the segment, you’ll see after about five minutes of him laying there a referee slide into the ring to check on him.

I had heard they did that to make it seem less cringey that he was just laying there. That wasn’t supposed to be the case but I guess somebody in the back said, ‘He can’t just lay there for 10 minutes. Send somebody out.’”

John Cena teases big plans for WWE SmackDown & urges fans to tune in to Night of Champions 2025

Cena made an appearance during the WWE SummerSlam Kickoff event, which was held on Saturday, June 21, at the Javits Center in New York. The Champion, in his closing comments on the show, said he hoped the fans liked SmackDown because they are planning something big for the next show. He also encouraged fans to watch Night of Champions.

“If you guys are digging what we’re doing on television, I hope you watch Night of Champions because it’s gonna be f***n great. I hope you like SmackDown, hope you like the next SmackDown because we’re cooking up something awesome for you.”

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