CM Punk Removed from WWE’s Upcoming Saudi Arabia PLE Advert After His Recent Stance on the Country 

Things aren't looking good for those hoping to see CM Punk make his WWE in-ring debut in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

CM Punk Removed from WWE’s Upcoming Saudi Arabia PLE Advert After His Recent Stance on the Country 

CM Punk left off Night of Champions 2025? [via- WWE]

On June 28, WWE will stage its first and only PLE of the year in Saudi Arabia. Earlier this week, the company released a promotional ad for the event, which included CM Punk, to everyone’s surprise. In a revised version of the advertisement, The Second City Saint was replaced by Seth Rollins. Other featured stars include John Cena, Jey Uso, and Bianca Belair.

So, in hindsight, has Punk been dropped from the Riyadh-slated WWE event? It seems quite likely given the 46-year-old’s controversial stance on the Middle East country. Back in January 2020, The Best in the World took a dig at The Miz, who mocked Punk’s debut on the FOX-produced WWE Backstage show.

Punk called The A-Lister a dork and asked him to “Go suck a blood money covered d*ck in Saudi Arabia.” From that point on, Punk and Miz were believed to be at loggerheads with each other until they quashed their beef in 2023. It didn’t seem like the ex-AEW star was apologetic for his remarks about Saudi Arabia but for a colleague he’d rubbed the wrong way.

The death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2019, which allegedly came from the order of the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia once brought immense heat to US-Saudi Arabia relationships. WWE was caught in the middle as they chose to host the Crown Jewel PPV in 2019 despite calls for the company to pullout of the event in Saudi Arabia.

To smooth things over, the Middle Eastern nation has heavily invested into sports, resulting in accusations of ‘sport washing.’ This is also why Punk referred to ‘blood money’ during his Fox Sports stint. Quite recently, the Chicago-born wrestler was asked during his live Instagram session why he hates going to Saudi Arabia.

Punk, while working out in a gym, solemnly responded that it’s not like he hates the country. He’s just never been there. All signs point towards the former world champion skipping yet another WWE event from the Land of the Two Holy Mosques.

CM Punk set for a huge match at Saturday Night’s Main Event

On Raw this past Monday, CM Punk kicked off the show with vengeance on his mind. After paying tribute to the late, great Sabu, who passed away recently, Punk cut straight to the chase. He started dumping on Paul Heyman for stabbing him in the back at WrestleMania 41. Once the Wiseman came out, his newest client, Seth Rollins, soon followed suit, alongside Bron Breakker.

CM Punk
CM Punk [via- Cageside Seats]

The Visionary reaffirmed his scorn for The Best in the World and accused the latter of playing the victim card every time he gets a chance to do so. Rollins trashed Punk for making Heyman’s life a living hell on the road to WrestleMania this year. Having gone back and forth for a while, The Architect unleashed Breakker, who made a beeline for Punk.

The Voice of the Voiceless succumbed to a 2-on-1 disadvantage but soon received the backing of Sami Zayn. But it didn’t take long for The Unpredictable Badass to neutralize the Canuck. Jey Uso was the last man to make his presence known in that segment, which gave the babyfaces a much-needed advantage over the duo of Rollins and Breakker. After all the chaos that ensued on Raw, it was announced that Heyman’s clients will take on Punk and Zayn in a tag team match at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

WWE not scurrying up CM Punk’s last match against John Cena

After CM Punk dropped a teaser of taking the Undisputed WWE title away from John Cena, the fans started to believe that they’d be the next to feud. Their singles match is on WWE’s radar later in the year, reported PWInsider.

John Cena and CM Punk
John Cena and CM Punk [via- WWE]

However, Punk vs. Cena isn’t scheduled for Money in the Bank, which is barely a few days to spare. These iconic rivals had a memorable sprint inside the Elimination Chamber match in February. Back then, The Cenation Leader got the last laugh on The Second City Saint, as the latter was screwed by Seth Rollins.

Punk definitely has a chip on his shoulder and would give Cena a run for his money whenever they meet again. Who knows if the former AEW star ends up being the one to dethrone the self-professed Last Real Champion? It could happen as soon as SummerSlam, which is a two-night event this year.

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