8 Things To Expect From CM Punk In 2020

5. Turn Down Saudi Arabia

Given how the money pits of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman were enough to draw Shawn Michaels out of retirement, get Bill Goldberg to compete once more, have The Undertaker dust of his hat and trench coat, bring in crossover stars Cain Velasquez and Tyson Fury, and even manage to get Brock Lesnar to turn up to work, it’s sure that a whole bucketload of blood money will be dangled in front of CM Punk to work one of WWE’s biannual Saudi Arabia shows.

Unlike those other names, expect Punk to politely decline any such offer.

Sure, CM Punk has spent the past six months or so quite openly discussing how he’s now at a stage where he’s open to anything should the payday be right, but the Second City Saint is also somebody who has spent years championing inclusivity.

Even if CM Punk has returned to in-ring action by the time either of WWE’s 2020 Saudi Arabia PPVs roll around, this Chicago native would likely take a similar stance to Daniel Bryan, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn in steering clear of competing in Saudi Arabia.

Andrew Pollard

Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.

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