Almost as soon as CM Punk returned to WWE, fans began bringing up his now-deleted tweet directed towards The Miz, where he told him to suck a “blood money-covered d*ck in Saudi Arabia.” This was a topic of conversation because many wondered whether Punk would stand by his principles or instead be a hypocrite and take the huge money on offer by working a Saudi show himself.
And while Punk has missed all Saudi shows since his return, he has now appeared in the promotional video for next month’s Night of Champions at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, resulting in the Voice of the Voiceless being called out by many fans on social media. Still, it should be noted that he hasn’t officially been announced, and it’s possible he was included accidentally, although as of writing, the video remains unedited on YouTube.
WWE began running house shows in Saudi Arabia in 2014 and signed a colossal money deal to hold annual pay-per-view quality events there. Yet over the years, a significant number of WWE’s critics have voiced concern over the company’s acceptance of “blood money” from a country that doesn’t permit LGBT equality, commits human rights abuses, and suppresses women. Still, defenders of the arrangement argue that WWE’s presence is helping to bring about a positive change, and the Saudi wrestling fans who attend the shows are not to blame for their government’s actions.
