WWE Star CM Punk Details Prep & Subverting Expectations With Thuganomics Promo

Ahead of WWE Night Of Champions last month, CM Punk impersonated John Cena by appearing as the Doctor Of Thuganomics on "WWE SmackDown," where he created his own rap and appeared wearing jorts and baseball jersey in front of the live audience in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Punk's surprise imitation was a response to Cena recreating his infamous pipe bomb promo, and although he failed to defeat the Hollywood star for the Undisputed WWE Championship the following night, Punk is still proud of how he presented himself as the Doctor Of Thuganomics. Speaking with "ComicBook Nation," Punk explained that he devoted himself to preparing for the segment, especially since it was the concluding chapter of his feud with Cena.

"It was a lot of research. I watched a lot of John's delivery and his cadence and how he talked," Punk explained. "The genesis of the idea was everybody's expecting this pipe bomb from me and I'm not into delivering sequels to stuff that don't need sequels. For 14 years, people have been chasing this moment and trying to replicate it, duplicate it, talk like me, sit like me, and I'm not so much into doing the same thing ... that entire week was pretty emotional for me being the last time I was going to get to share a ring with John Cena and I wanted to make it special and memorable. And I find that when I challenge myself and I put myself outside my comfort zone, that's when the best stuff happens."

Punk also claimed that his mockery of the Doctor Of Thuganomics will stand out as an unforgettable moment because of the attention to detail he put into replicating Cena's attire, the delivery of the rap and the atmosphere in the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "ComicBook Nation" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.