"A lot of damage was done" - WWE has completely buried CM Punk; there's only one way to save him now, says veteran 

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A wrestling veteran didn't hold back while blasting CM Punk's recent WWE booking and went as far as to say that the company had buried him. However, Vince Russo has suggested a way to save The Second City Saint from any further damage, saying he must be turned heel before it's too late.

Punk's feud with Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena has been heating up in the build-up to their highly anticipated title match at Night of Champions 2025. One of the standout segments of their rivalry took place at last week's SmackDown, where Cena cut a scathing promo after putting CM Punk through a table.

Though the segment has been well-received by the wrestling community, Vince Russo voiced his displeasure regarding it on The Coach and Bro Show. Russo explained that if he were in charge of WWE's creative, he wouldn't have allowed Punk to get buried in that manner. He added that the only way to rebuild the former AEW Champion was to turn him heel at Night of Champions.

"I’m saying if I was writing this, there is no way I could have allowed a talent like that (Punk) to literally be buried, and I have to tell you, Coach, there is only one way out of this. I think a lot of damage was done. We heard the response for Cena when this was all said and done. I think the only way out of this is I think CM Punk’s gotta turn heel during that match," said Vince Russo. (H/T - TJRWrestling)

CM Punk on John Cena's 'pipebomb' on SmackDown

Punk was in no condition to respond to Cena's promo on SmackDown as he had taken a brutal AA through a table. However, he got a chance to share his thoughts on it during the SummerSlam Kick-Off Show.

CM Punk fired shots at John Cena, saying Randy Orton was at a similar stature to Cena but that he didn't resort to selling his soul to The Rock.

"John [Cena] said one true real thing last night [in his pipebomb] and that is he's jealous of me, and it doesn't seem to make any sense because he is the Greatest of All Time, right? 17-time World Champion—I don't know if anybody in this room is going to live long enough to see anybody else accomplish that. It could be Randy [Orton]— Randy is probably our best bet. The big difference between Randy and John is Randy didn't sell his soul to The Rock," Punk said.

The excitement surrounding Cena and Punk's match at Night of Champions 2025 is through the roof, and it remains to be seen who comes on top this Saturday.