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Pipe bomb!
Two words that are bound to garner a wrestling fan's attention whenever they're mentioned. The term gained notoriety and became a well-known term among fans of professional wrestling back in 2011, when CM Punk delivered one of the greatest promos in the history of this business.
On the recent episode of SmackDown Live, Kevin Owens added another layer to his babyface turn when he went off on Shane McMahon. As the "Best in the world" desperately tried to shut off Owens' mic, the former Universal Champion delivered a scathing promo that targeted the fact that Shane McMahon was being shoved down the fans' throats at the expense of top performers.
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The night ended with Owens hitting a thunderous Stunner on Shane McMahon, which Stone Cold himself later approved of on Twitter. In light of recent events, let's dive down memory lane and look at 5 scathing pipe bombs from WWE's storied history.
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Also read: 5 ways WWE can make Kevin Owens the new Stone Cold
#5. Joey Styles slams WWE
Tired of being made fun of by Jerry Lawler, Joey Styles left the commentary table on an episode of Raw, back in 2005. Styles came out soon after, and kicked off a verbal tirade on the ramp. Styles brutally buried WWE in a worked-shoot promo, making it clear that it was WWE that called him for a job, and not the other way around.
Styles highlighted points like how he was asked not to utter the word 'wrestler' on commentary, and his frustration with WWE not finding him good enough to call the Backlash PPV.
As the fans booed Styles in unison, he quit his job and stormed off. The angle came to an end at ECW One Night Stand, where Taz defeated Lawler after Styles' interference. Styles went on to announce for WWE's third brand, ECW. After his departure as an announcer, Styles continued working for WWE in a backstage capacity.
#4. AJ Lee buries Total Divas
On the August 26th, 2013 edition of Monday Night Raw, WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee came out on the ramp and proceeded to bury the stars of Total Divas for the next three minutes. Lee didn't spare anyone, as an enraged bunch of divas listened to her in disgust. Natalya, The Bella Twins, Eva Marie, and The Funkadactyls were the women Lee targeted in her promo.
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Lee referred to them as interchangeable, useless women. She added that she has done more in the past year than all of their combined careers. Lee also took a shot at Natalya being in WWE because of her family and accused the others of being nothing more than yes-women to the backstage officials and the higher-ups. The Bella Twins' bickering throughout the promo hurt it a lot, but it's still widely regarded by many as possibly the greatest promo ever delivered by a diva.
#3. Paul Heyman's emotional outburst on Vince McMahon
At Survivor Series 2001, Vince McMahon's WWE battled Stephanie and Shane McMahon's Alliance, consisting of WCW/ECW Superstars. McMahon eventually won the war when The Rock pinned Stone Cold in the end. The buildup to the match saw Paul Heyman coming up with a gem of a promo on an episode of SmackDown.
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As a calm and composed Vince McMahon listened, Heyman took it all out, and it seemed as if he had been waiting forever to say those things to McMahon. The former owner of the then-defunct ECW blasted McMahon for killing the territory system, despite Vince McMahon Sr. promising that WWE would never try to do the same.
Heyman also accused Vince of stealing his ideas, resulting in the formation of the Attitude Era. The promo is a work of perfection and needs to be seen to be believed.
#2. Triple H vents out his anger
Longtime fans might remember "The Curtain Call" incident from 1996, which saw The Kliq breaking kayfabe and embracing each other in front of an arena full of confused fans. Three years later, Jim Ross conducted an interview with Triple H, who was the only guy punished after the incident.
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Triple H went off on WWE and proceeded to bash Jim Ross and other officials who kept mum when he was getting punished for the incident. In one of the most intense promos Triple H has ever delivered, he slammed the company for holding him back for years.
He finished it off by uttering those famous words, "I'm the f**king game". Many consider this to be the promo that turned Triple H into a bonafide star and someone who was capable enough to become one of the absolute best in the business.
#1. CM Punk breaks the internet
This is the promo that made the term "pipe bomb" famous among wrestling fans. Years after this promo was delivered, WWE released a DVD chronicling the 100 greatest moments in the history of Monday Night Raw and ranked this moment #5 on the list.
Also read: 5 WWE Superstars who insulted Hall of Famers in real life
It began when Punk interfered in a Tables match, helping R-Truth defeat John Cena in a huge upset. As an exhausted Cena looked helplessly, Punk sat on the ramp and went off on WWE, the McMahon family, John Cena, and a bunch of WWE legends like The Rock and Hulk Hogan.
As Punk was about to reveal a secret regarding WWE's Anti-bullying campaign, his mic got cut off. The promo kicked off the Summer of Punk, resulting in him becoming one of the longest reigning WWE Champions of the modern era.
