One of the most famous moments from CM Punk’s “Summer of Punk” storyline has finally been cleared up. For years, fans believed Punk’s comments aimed at John Laurinaitis during a 2011 episode of RAW were unscripted and based on real backstage frustrations.
The segment happened during an in-ring confrontation involving CM Punk, John Cena, Triple H, and Laurinaitis. After Triple H called Punk “gutless,” Punk turned his attention to Laurinaitis.
“Who fires people around here? You or ‘Funk-man’ over here?” Punk asked Triple H before going after Laurinaitis directly. He then brought up several recently released WWE stars by name.
“Let me ask you a question Johnny, Funk Man!” Punk said. “Did you personally, face-to-face, fire Vladimir Kozlov on Friday? Did you fly yourself to Florida to tell Harry Smith? Yes his name is Harry, not ‘David Hart Smith,’ that he was no longer needed here? Did you tell Chris Masters, somebody who over the past year has worked his ass off to get better, did you fire him face to face, or did you call him up and say, ‘Hey kid, it’s a budget thing, best of luck in your future endeavors.’ Don’t call me gutless, you (Triple H) have him (Laurinaitis) do your dirty work,” Punk stated.
At the time, WWE rarely mentioned released wrestlers on television, which made the promo feel incredibly real. Many fans believed Punk had gone off script and was airing actual backstage complaints.
John Laurinaitis explains the truth behind CM Punk’s segment
Laurinaitis has now confirmed that the segment came out of a script.
During a recent virtual signing with Signed By Superstars, Laurinaitis was asked whether Punk’s remarks about him firing wrestlers over the phone were a genuine “shoot” moment.
“No…was not a shoot,” Laurinaitis said with a laugh.
His response puts an end to years of speculation surrounding one of the most memorable promos from Punk’s legendary WWE run leading up to his WWE Championship match against John Cena at Money in the Bank 2011.
The fact that Laurinaitis worked in Talent Relations only added to that belief. His real-life job involved delivering difficult news to wrestlers, including informing them of releases, which made Punk’s comments sound believable.
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