Heading into last night's SmackDown, there were rumblings that WWE planned to up the ante with the John Cena and Roman Reigns feud heading into next week's SummerSlam PPV.
Well, they certainly did that with a heated exchange between the two that featured some surprising references. The Universal Champion mentioned Cena's failed relationship with Nikki Bella, while the Leader of the Cenation flat out say that Reigns "almost ruined Seth Rollins" and "ran Dean Ambrose out of WWE" (which is a reference to him now being Jon Moxley in AEW).
Later, Cena even referenced CM Punk's WWE departure at SummerSlam in 2011. "I’m gonna take your title, jump the barricade and run out of Allegiant Stadium as fast as I can. I may even blow you a kiss goodbye." Punk is, of course, expected to debut for AEW during next week's Rampage.
These promos certainly made a splash, and while they were likely scripted, it feels a lot like things between Cena and Reigns are that little bit more personal heading into SummerSlam now.
Check out some highlights below: