The decision by CM Punk to compete in Saudi Arabia has sparked debate regarding his past criticisms of the country, with fellow veteran Matt Hardy offering his perspective on the matter. Hardy addressed the “hypocrisy” claims made by some fans after Punk, who had previously made derogatory comments, participated in the WWE Night of Champions event on June 28.
The controversy stems from a 2020 tweet where Punk used a vulgar, Saudi-related insult against The Miz. Ahead of his main event match against John Cena in Riyadh, Punk issued a public apology during the event’s kickoff show. He clarified the remark was aimed solely at The Miz and had no connection to the country itself.
During a recent episode of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, Hardy weighed in on Punk’s choice.
“Punk has a history of being very vocal about things he has been against, or things he is not for, I guess. There were so many people that were so disappointed he ended up going to Saudi Arabia.”
Hardy suggested that Punk’s current tenure in WWE requires a different approach than his time elsewhere, indicating a need for professional conformity.
“I truly believe that at WWE he is grateful for this opportunity, and he knows it isn’t AEW, he can’t do whatever the f**k he wants to do. He has to play by the rules and be a good employee, and toe the company line. And I think he was okay with that, and he was accepting of that – ‘Okay, they want me to do this match with John Cena in Saudi Arabia, and do SmackDown in Saudi Arabia, fine, I’ll do it.’”
The match itself saw Punk unsuccessfully challenge John Cena for the WWE Undisputed Championship, continuing Cena’s farewell tour. While Hardy speculated that WWE likely had a hand in the public apology, he gave Punk credit for the action.
“I think it took balls for him to say that apology. I would imagine WWE had a bit of a hand in it, it probably wasn’t just Punk freestyling out there. But when it was all was said and done, he did what he was asked to do, or whatever he thought was gonna make things right.”
Since the event in Saudi Arabia, Punk’s on-screen presence has remained intense. On a recent episode of WWE RAW, he ignited a new rivalry by confronting and shoving World Heavyweight Champion Gunther, signaling a new direction for his character following the program with Cena.