Speaker A
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the undisputed WWE Champion, John Cena.
CM Punk delivers a rap-style promo taunting John Cena ahead of Night of Champions in Riyadh, mocking his acting, wrestling, and persona on SmackDown, June 27, 2025.
Key Takeaways
- The segment is a staged rivalry promo building heat for the Night of Champions title match.
- CM Punk uses personal and career-based insults and a rap format to draw crowd reaction and deflect from Cena's position.
- The promo leans heavily on callbacks to Punk's 2011 pipe bomb promo, reinforcing storyline continuity.
- The content is adult-oriented in tone, with insults about appearance, talent, and personal life typical of WWE feud segments.
What the video covers
- WWE opens SmackDown with John Cena's entrance as the undisputed WWE Champion, billed as the 'last real champion' before Night of Champions in Riyadh.
- Cena's in-ring promo claims he is a 'winner' and that CM Punk has been cornered and outmaneuvered, calling the title match a formality.
- CM Punk's rap-style response, 'Basic Thuganomics,' opens with mockery of Cena's old-school entrance look and outfit.
- Punk accuses Cena of plagiarizing his pipe bomb promo and of stealing wordplay to cover for a weak performance.
- Punk derides Cena's rapping and compares him to a 'Timu Macklemore' lacking rhythm.
- Punk claims Cena has buried more talent than The Undertaker and questions his respect in the locker room.
- Punk jabs at Cena's relationship with a former partner and his cultural image, comparing him to a 'Boston mall cop' and a 'fish-belly-white Hulk Hogan.'
- Punk references Cena's film career, including Batista comparisons and his DC work with James Gunn, dismissing his acting as straight-to-DVD material.
- Punk ends by referencing the 14th anniversary of his legendary pipe bomb promo and calling Cena a 'washed-up bum.'
Chapters
- 00:00Cena's Introduction and Championship Claims
- 01:05Riyadh and Night of Champions Setup
- 05:15CM Punk Responds: Basic Thuganomics Begins
- 05:42Mocking Cena's Look and Pipe Bomb Callbacks
- 06:36Insults on Rapping and Talent
- 07:49Cena's Persona, Acting Career, and Batista Jabs
- 08:41Final Taunts and Pipe Bomb Anniversary
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the greatest of all time, the never-seen 17, gracing Riyadh one final weekend.
Speaker A
He is the last real champion, John Cena. Get used to it.
Speaker A
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Speaker A
This is what a winner looks like. I am a winner.
Speaker A
CM Punk is a loser because he's been cornered, he's been outmaneuvered, and he is out of tricks because I am a genius.
Speaker A
Night of Champions is now a formality, and CM Punk can do nothing about it.
Speaker A
Speaker 2: Look at John Cena looking in a mirror from like 20 years ago.
Speaker A
Speaker 2: I forgot how much I love this entrance thing. Although the outfit, maybe not so much.
Speaker A
Speaker 2: Yo, yo, check it. This is basic Thuganomics.
Speaker A
Don't adjust your television set. Your eyes are working just right.
Speaker A
This clown plagiarized my pipe bomb, so now I'm stealing wordplay, and you had to rip me off to cut your best promo,
Speaker A
just to distract from the fact that we all see you move in slow motion.
Speaker A
Remember when he used to rap? Yeah, you deserve all the criticism. You're like a Timu Macklemore, but with Macklemore's rhythm missing.
Speaker A
And he said I'm a problem. He called me a player hater. Let's be honest, John Cena's buried more talent than The Undertaker.
Speaker A
That's why he's the champ. And he went and lost all his respect. But hey, John, I get it.
Speaker A
I'd retire too if this place rehired my ex.
Speaker A
If you never said your prayers, ate your vitamins, or fixed your bald spot, you wouldn't be a pro wrestler. You'd be a Boston mall cop.
Speaker A
But hey, he gets good movie roles, that's a fact. But then we see Batista act, and we realize John ain't that.
Speaker B
Same shirt, same hat, man. Your persona's tragic. You're like a fish-belly-white Hulk Hogan, but somehow more problematic.
Speaker B
Yo, yo, when it comes to best in the world, I'm your vessel, because millions chant my name, and at you they chant, "You can't wrestle."
Speaker B
Get it in while you can. In six months, he'll be gone, and I'll still be here having fun.
Speaker B
He won't have time for you little people anymore. He'll be busy washing underwear for James Gunn.
Speaker B
[NOISE]
Speaker B
Yeah, yeah, he's a superhero now. He works for DC. But no matter how hard you try, you'll always be the Marine to me.
Speaker B
And that's straight to DVD. Better find a PS3. I now understand you can't see me.
Speaker B
It's a hell of a catchphrase, John. But now it's all done, because we all see you, and we're looking at a washed-up bum.
Speaker B
Fourteen years ago today, I dropped a legendary pipe bomb, and you tried to make it all about you.
Topics:CM PunkJohn CenaWWE SmackDownNight of ChampionsRiyadhBasic Thuganomicspipe bombwrestling promorap battleWWE feud
