Backstage News On CM Punk Working WWE Night Of Champions Despite Past 'Blood Money' Comments

Despite his past comments about the Gulf state, CM Punk will wrestle in Saudi Arabia when he challenges John Cena for the Undisputed WWE Championship at Night of Champions on June 28. The match was made official on the post-Money in the Bank edition of Monday Night Raw.

Prior to returning to WWE in 2023, Punk was critical of Saudi Arabia, which included the former WWE Champion telling The Miz to "go suck a blood money covered d**k in Saudi Arabia you f*****g dork" during an online spat in January 2020. Punk's public stance appeared to have softened since returning to WWE, however, and he noted in May 2025 that he doesn't hate coming to Saudi Arabia.

According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, CM Punk would have been able to turn down performing at Night of Champions without suffering any backlash in WWE, but the 46-year-old had not voiced any objections about wrestling in Saudi Arabia for months at the very least.

"He could not go if he really wanted to not go. He was going months ago, I had already asked about that, it was a couple of months ago when the show was first talked about. And he was in the original promo package and then he was taken out of the promo package and I asked am I supposed to see when Seth Rollins replaced him in that promo package that he's not going and it's like, 'Nope, he's going.' So it's been known he's going for months, probably all along. I don't know if he ever voiced any issue with going at any point since he signed but he has not in months, I know. So he's going," Meltzer said.

Meltzer added that there is pressure on talents in WWE to work Saudi Arabia events, but that same pressure does not apply to the company's top stars.

"He is big enough he could have said no and it wouldn't have impacted him. If you're a mid-level guy and you said no, you would be able to not go, but it would impact you. I know of instances of people who are told essentially, 'You don't have to go and we're not going to force you to go or anything like this, but if you don't go can we push you in a big spot?' And they still could, but it's said. It's put in your head that you probably ought to go."

Also announced for WWE Night of Champions are the finals of the King of the Ring and Queen of the Ring tournaments. June 28 will be the first singles match between Cena and Punk since February 2013.

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