CM Punk Opens Up On What Prompted ‘Pipebomb 2.0’ WWE Raw Promo: ‘A Lot Of People Were Feeling Disrespected & Pissed Off’

Published: Apr 14, 2026 by Connel Rumsey | Last Updated: Apr 15, 2026 by Connel Rumsey

Connel has over five years of wrestling journalism experience writing about some of the biggest stories from across the wrestling world. Being a fan for 20 years, Connel has an expansive knowledge from a wide range of various wrestling promotions, including WWE, AEW, NJPW, TNA and Joshi.

@connel1405

CM Punk Opens Up On What Prompted ‘Pipebomb 2.0’ WWE Raw Promo: ‘A Lot Of People Were Feeling Disrespected & Pissed Off’

World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk has opened up on what prompted his ‘Pipebomb 2.0’ WWE Raw promo last week.

On last week’s episode of WWE Raw, CM Punk opened the show with a scathing promo, where he targeted Roman Reigns, Pat McAfee and TKO following the reports of TKO inserting Pat into the WrestleMania feud with Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton.

Punk’s promo got a lot of buzz, with many wondering if what he said was scripted for him, and Punk has now opened up on the promo and what prompted it.

CM Punk Says ‘A Lot Of People Feeling Disrespected’ Led To ‘Pipebomb 2.0’ Promo

Speaking on All The Smoke: Unplugged, Punk opened up on what prompted the promo, and that it came from ‘a lot of people’ feeling disrespected by McAfee’s involvement.

He said:

“What prompted this was an overall feeling from not just me or not just the boys, but hair and make up, production, management, the crew, a lot of people were feeling a little bit disrespected and pissed off, so I had a job to do in my mind.

“I have to go out there and promote my WrestleMania match with Roman, who’s not in the building, it’s not an easy thing to do. So you’re out there, your solo, and I need to take these people on a ride.

“When you’re the only one out there it’s a little bit more difficult. I’m fortunate that I have done this long enough and I have failed at this long enough, and I’m better at this than a lot of people, and this is where I thrive. Just me, I could fall flat on my face, and that danger kind of just heightens everything.

“I was out there trying to sell WrestleMania, sell some tickets, make it exciting, make it real, and also stick up for the business.”

If you use this transcription or any portion of it, please credit WrestleTalk.com and link back to this page.

Will Pat McAfee Get Involved In WrestleMania Sunday Main Event?

With CM Punk and Pat McAfee trading verbal bars in recent weeks, there has been potential speculation that he could also get involved in the night two main event to cost Punk the match.

McAfee’s involvement in the Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton Saturday main event has already led to a lot of fan backlash, so adding McAfee to the Sunday main event would likely only add more fan frustration with his involvement.

WWE was reportedly considering changes to their planned storyline following the reaction to McAfee’s involvement, so his involvement should probably be kept to a minimum if the company aims to keep their fans content.