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John Laurinaitis Confirms CM Punk's 2011 WWE Raw Line About Talent Releases Was Scripted

John Laurinaitis recently clarified that CM Punk's pointed remark on WWE Raw in 2011 about Laurinaitis calling talent to fire them was not a 'shoot' but a scripted line.

By Editor1 min read
John LaurinaitisCM PunkWWE RawTalent Releases2011Shoot PromoJanel Grant LawsuitWWE

Former WWE executive John Laurinaitis has addressed a notable moment from a 2011 WWE Monday Night Raw segment involving CM Punk, clarifying that Punk's direct comments about Laurinaitis' role in talent releases were not unscripted.

The segment, which took place in the summer of 2011, featured CM Punk, John Cena, Paul 'Triple H' Levesque, and Laurinaitis. During the exchange, Punk turned his attention to Laurinaitis, bringing up Laurinaitis calling talent such as Chris Masters, Davey Boy Smith Jr., and Vladimir Kozlov to release them from WWE.

When asked during a virtual signing with Signed By Superstars if the line delivered by Punk was a 'shoot' or unscripted, Laurinaitis confirmed it was not.

“No was not a shoot,” Laurinaitis laughed.

CM Punk has been back with WWE since 2023. He has not been present on WWE programming since the Raw after WrestleMania 42.

Laurinaitis was included in former WWE employee Janel Grant’s sex trafficking lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE. Laurinaitis was dropped from the lawsuit after he agreed to provide evidence to help Grant’s case.

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