CM Punk has been a controversial figure throughout most of his career, but many fans felt his appearance in Saudi Arabia in 2025 as the worst thing he’s done yet.
The WWE legend heavily criticised the WWE’s affiliation with Saudi Arabia in the past, using some rather choice language to describe their business relationship.
His striking attack on wrestlers like The Miz, telling him to “s*** a blood money d***” and other comments gave fans an impression that CM Punk was morally against wrestling in the oil state.
That made his 2025 match with John Cena in Riyadh more controversial and turned many fans against him, although many others saw nothing wrong with his change of attitude.
We’ve endeavoured to tell the true story about CM Punk’s comments about Saudi Arabia and tell the truth about whether he truly is a hypocrite, here on Verify Wrestling.
What did CM Punk say about Saudi Arabia?
Prior to returning to wrestling in 2021 with AEW, Punk was very vocal about his opposition to WWE working with Saudi Arabia.
The nation’s human rights record has been criticised heavily since their partnership with the wrestling promotion began in 2018, although they began running house shows there in 2014.
The Saudi Ministry of Sport agreed a ten year, $1 billion deal with WWE to air run pay-per-view events in the country, starting with The Greatest Royal Rumble.
Punk had walked out on the WWE four years prior, missing the first house show in Saudi in April 2014 and all subsequent events.
During this time, he had no problem speaking out about Saudi, which had been embroiled in scandals regarding human rights issues, such as women being banned from driving, labour exploitation and the killing of Jamal Khashoggi in a Turkish hotel.
While the former WWE Champion didn’t speak about these issues directly, he directed his ire towards another former champion in WWE Superstar The Miz.
The pair were known to have issues with one another in the past, and Punk did not take kindly to The Miz referencing him on an episode of WWE Backstage.
On January 8, 2020, he replied to a Tweet from WWEonFox, telling The Miz to “go s*** a blood money covered d*** in Saudi Arabia you f****** dork”, in relation to The Miz appearing at WWE’s events.
The “blood money” descriptor was in reference to the Saudi’s using their oil fortune to cover up for violence, such as state executions and the aforementioned journalist assassination.
This is the most famous instance of Punk on Saudi Arabia, but it was not the first; he outright refused to go to the country in a 2019 interview.
In an episode of Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take, Punk admitted, “I’m not doing a single one of those [Saudi shows].”
These comments made Punk’s position on Saudi Arabia crystal clear.
Opinions can change though.
Did CM Punk wrestle in Saudi Arabia?
Despite calling out The Miz and refusing to ever wrestle in Saudi Arabia, CM Punk returned to the WWE in 2023.
After being fired from AEW for attacking Jack Perry backstage at Wembley Stadium at AEW All In 2023, Punk signed with WWE and re-debuted at Survivor Series 2023 in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois.
He initially did not work the Saudi shows, as he missed Crown Jewel 2023 and Elimination Chamber 2024.
Whether he refused to travel or WWE simply did not book him is unknown.
However, 2025 saw him finally make his debut in Saudi Arabia, taking on John Cena at Night of Champions 2025, as part of Cena’s retirement tour and final WWE Championship reign.
The former AEW and WWE Champion was asked to apologise for his previous Tweet on the event’s kick-off show, apparently by a fan in the crowd.
Punk immediately apologised, claiming he did not have any ill-will towards Saudi Arabia and that he was simply “crabby” and annoyed at The Miz five years prior.
“This guy wants me to apologise for a mean Tweet I wrote six years ago,” Punk said
“Listen. Legitimately had nothing to do with Saudi Arabia. I woke up and I was crabby and I wrote a mean Tweet to The Miz.”
“I apologised to The Miz. Mohammed? I sincerely apologise to you and to Saudi Arabia.”
After that speech, he was beaten by Cena in a world title match.
Do CM Punk’s actions make him a hypocrite?
The admission that he apologised to The Miz was admirable, but the sudden change in opinion and shift to approving of the Saudi regime was a disappointing move for fans who supported his more progressive opinions.
Punk had previously been a champion of human rights, including draping a trans rights flag on himself in AEW, so apologising to a country where being gay is illegal was disappointing for many.
It was a hypocritical take from the wrestling legend. Criticising others before going to Saudi himself, and apologising for past criticisms, shows that either his stance in the past wasn’t correct, or that he now finds the Saudi regime acceptable.
Opinions can change, and do, and we shouldn’t get angry at people who try and change themselves for the better.
But did CM Punk change for the better? Either he now views the country that kills journalists, kills people for being gay and enacted a genocide in Yemen as perfectly fine, or he is simply lying to keep his job in WWE.
If he were a regularly employee working to make ends meet, then that is a different story. But he is a millionaire who could retire tomorrow and not feel the pinch.
He made millions in WWE and AEW before walking out and being fired, respectively, so the monetary factor does not cut it, I’m afraid.
