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On this week's SmackDown, the rivalry between John Cena and CM Punk took a dark turn. Cena put Punk through a table and then unexpectedly delivered a pipe bomb promo. This segment was a callback to their 2011 rivalry, where the WWE Championship was on the line.
Cena name-dropped former WWE stars Claudio Castagnoli, Nic Nemeth, and Matt Cardona, who were respectively known as Cesaro, Dolph Ziggler, and Zack Ryder. According to the Undisputed WWE Champion, the former AEW star steps on the necks of people to excel, and the above three names were his victims. This feud is finally heating up, and it seems like more words will be exchanged before their eventual showdown at Night of Champions 2025.
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Hopefully, John Cena keeps mentioning names from Punk's past because fans are enjoying it. With that said, here are three such names that Cena can bring up to get under The Best in the World's skin.
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#3. "Hangman" Adam Page
When CM Punk was an AEW star, he had a world championship feud with "Hangman" Adam Page. The two locked horns at Double or Nothing 2022 for the title, and Punk eventually dethroned Hangman. Interestingly, before this showdown, the two men had a controversial promo battle on Dynamite. Page reportedly went off script, and this enraged The Best in the World. Furthermore, he called Page an "empty-headed, f*****g dumb f**k" and accused him of going into business for himself.
In a 2023 interview with ESPN, the former AEW star criticized his match with Page at Double or Nothing 2022.
"I proceed to have what I think is a garbage match because I'm trying to protect myself on stuff instead of actually just working and trying to put on the best performance I can," Punk said. [H/T: ESPN]
Punk has a complicated history with the former Bullet Club member. If John Cena name-drops him, it will certainly get under Punk's skin.
#2. CM Punk's former best friend, Colt Cabana
Colt Cabana and CM Punk were once best friends. However, they eventually fell apart. They filed lawsuits against each other, which wrecked their friendship. Although it has been years since this happened, they reportedly still don't see eye to eye.
John Cena can completely take advantage of this situation. He is aware of the animosity between his rival and Cabana. If the former ROH Tag Team Champion/current AEW star is name-dropped, The Best in the World will certainly lose his mind. He seemingly hates being associated with his former best friend and prefers not to talk about their issues in public.
#1. Jack Perry
The controversy between Jack Perry and CM Punk was the talk of the wrestling world a few years back. At All In 2023, Punk and Perry had a physical altercation backstage after the latter used real glass in his match against Hook. Furthermore, the former Jungle Boy's comment about Punk during this bout set the WWE star off.
John Cena has the golden opportunity to play mind games by mentioning Perry in his next promo. CM Punk will certainly get furious, and it will make for some must-watch TV.
