Eric Bischoff Weighs In On WWE Star John Cena's Version Of The Pipebomb Promo

John Cena and CM Punk recently had a brief, but intense, feud that culminated at this year's WWE Night of Champions PLE, where Cena retained the Undisputed WWE Championship. However, ahead of their match, Cena and Punk recreated the infamous "Pipe Bomb" promo but this time roles were reversed.

The segment was mostly praised online, but recently Eric Bischoff assessed the response to the promo and whether or not the moment ended up landing within the story WWE was telling. "I think the creative calculations were supported by the data that it was a great idea!" Bischoff said during an episode of his "83 Weeks" podcast. "The audience knows you're taking advantage of history and backstory with a wink and a nod; the audience likes that kind of stuff. It was a smart move; smart creative."

Interestingly, as Cena recreated Punk's "Pipe-Bomb" promo, the veteran name dropped several talent that once wrestled in WWE but now find themselves on either the independent circuit or AEW, like Matt Cardona, Claudio Castagnoli, and Nic Nemeth. Naturally, with the name drop, many fans began to run wild with their theories, with many believing that it indicated that the men would somehow find their way back to WWE soon, but according to Rob Van Dam, there could've been a more cynical nod that fans aren't aware of. According to Van Dam, the men mentioned might have all lost their jobs in WWE because of Cena.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "83 Weeks" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.