Details On CM Punk Working Saudi Arabia Shows (WWE News)
CM Punk is set for Night of Champions. Why?
As was built and announced on Monday's edition of WWE Raw, CM Punk will in fact wrestle in Saudi Arabia. He will challenge John Cena for the Undisputed WWE title at the upcoming Night of Champions Premium Live Event, which emanates from Riyadh on June 28.
This decision has sparked much discourse online. This is because, back in January 2020, CM Punk verbally buried The Miz when his old rival mocked Punk's (rather ambitious) intention to "change the culture" in his capacity as an analyst for the short-lived WWE Backstage show on FS1. Punk, on Twitter, infamously insulted Miz, accusing him of taking "blood money".
Now, since Punk is performing at a Saudi show himself, he has been accused by many fans of hypocrisy. Some thought the day may never come, given Punk's principled, anti-establishment pro wrestling persona. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, however, this doesn't seem as though it was ever a tricky appearance to negotiate. Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer said "It's been known that he's going for months, and probably all along". Meltzer also added that Punk didn't have to agree to the date if he didn't want to compromise his values. Meltzer contends that Punk is a big enough star to refuse it without reprimand.
Opinion - Professional Wrestlers Lie For A Living
Not to be too cynical about things - WWE's continuing relationship with the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia, and the insidious motive behind it, remains abhorrent - this isn't much of a surprise. Punk plays a disruptive, anti-establishment character on a TV show. Or at least, he did during his most memorable run.
The other issue is that Punk is very vocal about his value system on social media outlets, and endorsed various progressive causes in AEW before making the jump to WWE. The dissonance is impossible to ignore, and equally as difficult for Punk's reputation to overcome. As challenging as it is for some fans to take Punk's character seriously in 2025 - and he did himself no favours by criticising billionaires in the exact same promo in which he accepted Cena's challenge - you could argue that the online reaction underscores his brilliance as an old-fashioned worker. If the goal is make the fans believe in you, when they don't believe in the medium, was there anyone better at this than Punk throughout the 21st century?
This is a highly intelligent man with a vast knowledge of and insight into the game. He knew how rancid WWE was when he first signed with the outfit in 2005, and he still worked for them.
The Pipebomb remains the most effective worked shoot promo in modern wrestling history.