5 times WWE fans were genuinely fooled by scripted moments

One of the best things about WWE and wrestling, in general, is that there can be a "real life" element used in storylines. Not many forms of entertainment can draw the line between fiction and reality, but WWE has done that on numerous occasions.

Let's look at five instances where WWE fans were genuinely fooled by scripted moments.

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#5. CM Punk's Pipebomb - The start of WWE's "Summer of Punk"

The moment that changed it all.

Let's start with the most famous example of the "pipebomb" from the last few decades in WWE. The term "pipebomb" itself was rarely used by WWE fans and only popularized after CM Punk's promo on RAW.

CM Punk didn't have the best start to 2011, but he emerged as the number one contender to John Cena and the WWE Championship before the summer. After becoming the number one contender, he dropped a bombshell, revealing that his WWE contract was set to expire.

The entire basis of why WWE fans weren't able to draw the line between fiction and reality was because of how real the storyline felt. In fact, CM Punk's WWE contract was set to expire at Money in the Bank 2011 - where he was challenging for the WWE title in his hometown of Chicago.

The stars couldn't have aligned better, and after assisting a situation that saw John Cena go through a table on RAW, CM Punk let his true feelings known.

In what has come to be a career-defining promo, Punk took the mic and essentially broke the fourth wall. He vented several of his real-life frustrations with Superstars, Vince McMahon, and the entirety of WWE.

Telling John Cena that he's the best at kissing Vince McMahon's a** (naming Hulk Hogan and The Rock in that same category), revealing himself to be a Paul Heyman guy, expressing frustration over WWE's lack of promotion for him, and much more.

He even dropped the line "I'd like to think that the company will be better off when Vince McMahon is dead," before stating that he knows it won't be because McMahon's "idiotic daughter" (Stephanie McMahon) and "doofus son-in-law" will eventually take over the company.

Everything about it felt real. And when he was seemingly ready to talk about Vince McMahon and the "bully campaign" ("Be A Star"), his mic was promptly cut off. WWE fans hadn't seen anything like that in a long time, and many believe that the promo is vital in how the PG era shaped up.

Although fans believed that CM Punk went off script, it was all planned by WWE, with Punk taking a free reign of the microphone. He ended up becoming the WWE Champion at Money in the Bank 2011 in what was considered one of the best matches of the decade.

It also kickstarted WWE's "Summer of Punk" and led to him holding the World Title for a record-breaking 434 days.

#4. Bret Hart vents his frustrations to Vince McMahon - Right before WWE WrestleMania 13

Bret Hart letting Vince McMahon know how he felt.

After Shawn Michaels vacated the WWE Championship (after infamously "losing his smile"), there were four men in the mix for the World Title - The Undertaker, Bret Hart, 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, and Sycho Sid.

It was Sycho Sid who ended up winning the title after Bret Hart earned the vacant WWE Championship. Ultimately, Bret Hart was cost the title again on the RAW before WrestleMania 13 in a steel cage match and lost his cool.

When Vince McMahon (then an on-screen commentator for WWE as well) appeared to interview Hart, The Hitman shoved him away and expressed his frustrations in the angriest way possible. Hart thrashed the WWE management as the reason why he wasn't the Champion.

Bret Hart even used some non-PG language a full year before the Attitude Era began. It led to a major brawl involving the four men. It was ultimately a "worked shoot" promo from Bret Hart that was a prelude to his heel turn at WrestleMania 13 and The Hart Foundation's eventual resurrection.

#3. Kyle O'Reilly's "stroke" on WWE NXT

Kyle O'Reilly getting a brainbuster outside the ring.

Kyle O'Reilly has come far in his time in NXT since signing with WWE and has emerged as an NXT title challenger as well. After helping Finn Balor post the main event on NXT TakeOver: Vengeance, O'Reilly was attacked by fellow Undisputed-era member Adam Cole.

A few days later on NXT, Kyle O'Reilly teamed up with Roderick Strong and NXT Champion Finn Balor to take on former WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne and Oney Lorcan, and Danny Burch.

Adam Cole interjected and assaulted Balor's team, leading Dunne, Lorcan, and Burch to pick up the victory.

Adam Cole hit Kyle O'Reilly with a brainbuster onto the steel steps, leading the latter to get taken out on a stretcher. WWE Legend Triple H was even seen attending to Kyle O'Reilly, and it was treated as something legitimate.

Raj Giri of WrestlingInc first reported in a tweet that Adam Cole was with him before stating that it was a storyline by WWE. What made it seem so real is the fact that Kyle O'Reilly has Type-1 diabetes, making him susceptible to seizures.

Thankfully, it wasn't real, but WWE fans watching felt for a brief period that it wasn't a storyline.

#2. Paul Heyman goes off on Vince McMahon and all of WWE

Paul Heyman giving it to Vince McMahon.

Survivor Series 2001 was set to conclude the "Invasion" Angle involving WWE, WCW, and ECW. Shane McMahon announced the acquisition of WCW, and it kickstarted a "war" between WWE against WCW and ECW mid-carders (Team Alliance).

While the angle didn't deliver as many hoped, there was some good to come out of it. One of those things was the scathing promo that Paul Heyman cut leading up to the event.

Paul Heyman exposed Vince McMahon for going against his father's word to never compete against any other promotion/territory. Heyman revealed how ruthless Vince McMahon was in his approach that led to him becoming a billionaire.

It was a great promo, with many WWE fans at the time believing the genuine animosity that Heyman had towards Vince McMahon.

A lot of it was based on reality, which is why a lot of WWE fans were confused about the promo and where it drew the line.

But ultimately, it was a part of the invasion angle, and WWE won to nobody's surprise.

#1. John Cena "buries" Roman Reigns in a key WWE feud

John Cena showed Roman Reigns that there are levels to the game.

John Cena and Roman Reigns kickstarted a feud that was supposed to represent the symbolic passing of the torch in WWE. They had a "war of words" in the build to their No Mercy match, where WWE ensured that neither man laid a finger on each other.

The "war of words" was a one-sided beating from the former face of WWE John Cena. Although he was criticized by CM Punk (and fans) for being WWE's golden boy, John Cena made sure to give Roman Reigns similar treatment.

In the promo, John Cena verbally decimated Roman Reigns, who many believe should have been a heel after beating The Undertaker at WrestleMania 33. WWE refused to make that move, and Roman Reigns was humiliated, with John Cena even calling out his inability to cut a convincing promo.

Ultimately, the feud was always set up for Roman Reigns to win, but with the match being underwhelming, this promo remains the most memorable part of the feud. Many WWE fans felt that John Cena was given the free mic to "test" Roman Reigns, and that's what he did. But it was all a part of the storyline.