It’s hard to believe for many of us Pro Wrestling fans that it’s now been nearly 12 years since CM Punk’s infamous WWE pipe bomb where he let things fly that no one thought they would ever hear publicly.

On a seemingly ordinary night in June 2011, one man sat alone on the Monday Night Raw stage and forever changed the sport of professional wrestling by delivering a six-minute promo laying out all his issues with WWE and its superstars.

CM Punk’s Pipe Bomb promo, as it became known in the past decade, quickly turned one of wrestling’s slowest periods into must-watch television, leading to one of the most consequential moments not only in WWE’s storied history, but professional wrestling as a whole.

The move changed the landscape of pro wrestling, but it may have proven more who CM Punk really is than what pro wrestling as a whole is all about.

It all started as CM Punk helped R-Truth get a huge win over WWE golden boy John Cenk in a tables match on Monday Night Raw.

Punk then proceeded to grab a mic and head back up the ramp, and then Punk delivered one of the greatest promos in pro wrestling history. Whether you love him or hate him, our facts don’t care about your feelings.

The promo has been called “the pipe bomb” ever since.

Punk said he was going to take the championship from John Cena and he might go defend it in New Japan Pro Wrestling or Ring of Honor, the Crowd on hand was stunned.

Punk unloaded on Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, Triple H, and countless others including John Larinitus.

Punk’s WWE contract was about to expire at midnight on July 17, following the Money In The Bank 2011 pay-per-view.

He threatened to leave the company with the WWE title once he defeated John Cena at Money In The Bank 2011, which he eventually did.

The moment CM Punk’s mic was cut and Monday Night Raw went off the air, you could feel the change, you could tell that professional wrestling, at least WWE, would never be the same.

Immediately following the epic rant, WWE was everywhere. Sports channels picked up the story, creating a level of excitement and intrigue WWE hadn’t felt since the Stone Cold Steve Austin beat up his boss, Mr. McMahon, on live TV nearly nearly 14 years earlier.

For a moment there, wrestling felt new, exciting, and most of all real, which is honestly when the sport is at its best. You didn’t know what was going to happen the following week but you can be damn sure you were tuning in…

It propelled Punk’s career in WWE, but eventually he left the company to try his luck in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), where he had a very failed career and some terrible losses.

The following is from CinemaBlend.com

What followed has since become known as the “Summer of Punk,” a months-long storyline that saw CM Punk as the main attraction of WWE programming, week-in and week-out through SummerSlam 2011.

The first stop was that year’s Money in the Bank event, which was held in CM Punk’s hometown of Chicago at the famed Allstate Arena (previously known as the Rosemont Horizon).

The main event match, which ended with CM Punk pinning John Cena and doing what he promised all along: leave with the WWE Championship. This match is also of note as it was the first WWE contest to earn five stars from Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer since 1997.

After a few weeks off WWE TV and following a tournament to crown a new WWE Champion (which John Cena won), CM Punk returned to challenge his rival in an undisputed champion match at SummerSlam. CM Punk would win the match but immediately lost the belt when Alberto Del Rio cashed-in his Money in the Bank briefcase to take advantage of a post-match attack on Punk by a returning Kevin Nash.

WWE couldn’t let a good thing go on for too long and quickly put CM Punk into a months-long feud with Triple H, which resulted a loss at September 2011’s Night of Champions event which nearly took all of the air out of Punk’s balloon. By that November, at Survivor Series (which featured a continuation of The Rock’s feud with John Cena), Punk was back on top and secured the WWE Championshiponce more, starting a 434-day title reign.

CM Punk since returned last August to AEW (All Elite Wrestling) owned by Billionaire Tony Kahn, and featuring the likes of Chris Jericho, MJF, Jon Moxley, and and a slew of other talented wrestlers. The brand is less than 3 years old, and is absolutely on fire, with national television contracts on TBS and TNT, and doing multiple PPV’s per year.

Punk however would face more backstage drama, and is still indefinitely suspended with pay at AEW after an altercation with The Elite (The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega (possibly the current pound for pound best pro wrestler in the world).

Make no mistake about it, Punk is good. He’s crass, he’s calculated, he’s hated by many, loved by many as well. But will he ever be back in a wrestling ring again? 8 years ago we would have all said “no way” but Tony Kahn got him back into pro wrestling. Will he return to WWE amid all of the controversy and turmoil he’s involved in with AEW?

Comment below, we’d love to hear your thoughts.

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