CM Punk went way outside the lines during WWE SmackDown, and the wildest part of his backstage promo wasn’t even listed in the company’s internal rundown. Punk’s NSFW shot at Sami Zayn made it onto television anyway, turning what looked like a standard championship interview into one of the most unfiltered moments of the night.
According to Fightful Select, Punk’s “jerking it” line about Zayn was not included in the rundown for the September 11 episode of SmackDown. That means the jab wasn’t part of the material laid out for the segment and Punk added some extra heat once the cameras were rolling.
Cathy Kelley asked Punk about giving Zayn another shot at the Undisputed WWE Championship, and Punk immediately went after Zayn, Kevin Owens and basically everyone circling his title. Then he took things somewhere WWE’s rundown apparently didn’t.
“Sometimes you got to reward bad behavior. Sometimes bad behavior needs to be taught a lesson. And Sami Zayn, sometimes when you’re the champion, I don’t think you understand. It’s like you won the idiot lottery. So Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, they’re part of the problem. I also got Gunther, Finn, Balor, all eyes are on the champion. But if you think I came to Mexico City, where some of the greatest pro wrestling fans in the world reside, to lose my title to a guy who broke his hand jerking it to his nine day fluke title win, you got another thing coming.”
Punk didn’t stop there. He leaned into Mexico City’s elevation and used it to set up another threat aimed directly at Zayn. He then closed the promo by reminding Zayn exactly who he believed was running the show.
“The air here is rare. We are at elevation 8,000ft. And the air is even more rare when you’re on the champ shoulders. When I lift you up high into the clouds and drop your ugly face down onto my knee and shatter your face, hopefully so we can wire it shut so we never have to listen to the thinner excuses in the air here.”
“But you’re going to give when you lose again and understand why I am CM Punk. Why I am undisputed. Why I am the champion. Best in the world, Mexico. CM Punk. My name is CM Punk and I have approved this message. Very poetic. Good luck tonight.”
The important part of the update isn’t just that Punk said something outrageous on television. It’s that the most outrageous line wasn’t listed in WWE’s internal rundown, which strongly suggests Punk decided to spice things up himself instead of sticking strictly to what was planned.
That promo came shortly before Punk defended the Undisputed WWE Championship against Zayn in the SmackDown main event. Zayn ultimately left Mexico City with the title, but Punk had already made sure his backstage interview was going to get plenty of attention on its own.
Punk has never exactly been known for playing it safe with a microphone, and this was another reminder of why. WWE may have had a rundown for the segment, but Punk clearly had something else he wanted to say — and once the camera was on, he said it.
Do you think CM Punk going off script made the promo better, or should WWE have kept that line off television? Leave your feedback in the comments.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
