WWE changing CM Punk plans; ex-writer claims it's time to adjust after SmackDown fallout (Exclusive)

Former WWE head writer Vince Russo shared his thoughts on CM Punk's segment this week on SmackDown. The star showed up during the final few moments of the blue brand.

Punk was at the receiving end of an Attitude Adjustment on a table this week. The star lay in the middle of the ring while John Cena berated him in a promo segment, eerily similar to his 'pipebomb' 14 years ago. Cena mocked his challenger and claimed he couldn't stand up to the Greatest of All Time.

This week on BroDown with host Mac Davis, Russo explained that the creative team needed to make changes to the booking based on the crowd reactions this week. He noted that Cena was getting babyface reactions, which meant that WWE should consider turning CM Punk heel. The veteran writer pointed out that when he was writing the show, such strong fan reactions were cues on how to book the following shows and couldn't be ignored.

"If I'm watching this, and these people are behind Cena, Punk is just buried alive. As a writer, Mac, I've got to adjust to that. Forget about the plans now, who gives a cr*p what the plans are. I now have to adjust to what I just saw. I don't know if that means turning Punk heel on Cena, I mean, I've got to think about it. But you've got to adjust when something like this happens." [From 9:06 onwards]

CM Punk and John Cena are set to collide at Night of Champions next Saturday. It will be interesting to see who walks out of the match as the Undisputed WWE Champion.

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About the author

Prityush is a WWE news writer for Sportskeeda Wrestling who started watching wrestling in the later part of The Attitude Era. Although he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Prityush was a creative writer for his college, and his flair for creativity and love of pro wrestling eventually led him to the journalism field. After an initial stint in 2016-2017, he has been writing regularly for Sportskeeda since 2021.

As someone who loves and respects the business, he prides himself on factual, clean, and ethical reporting, free of plagiarism and AI usage. One of the ways he ensures this is by transcribing videos that he reports on.

Prityush had the privilege of interviewing superstar Matt Hardy in his career so far. Although, his favorite wrestler is CM Punk, as he relates to his Straight Edge philosophy.

When he is not reporting news, he loves reading and collecting WWE action figures. He currently owns over 500 wrestling figures and merchandise.

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Edited by Prityush Haldar