“Biggest Hypocrite Ever” Why Some WWE Fans Are Furious Over CM Punk Vs. John Cena At Night Of Champions

It is official – John Cena and CM Punk will wrestle one final time before Cena hangs up his boots and bows out on his in-ring career later on this year. Their match will have the WWE Championship on the line, like good old times, and fans will get to see these two huge rivals go at it once again. On paper, this seems like a joyous announcement… but not everyone is entirely pleased.

John Cena vs. CM Punk will be taking place at WWE Night Of Champions 2025 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – a sentence that seemed impossible for many reasons just a few short years ago. The setting of this match and the hypocrisy that comes with it is a big reason why some portions of the WWE fanbase are furious.

CM Punk Fans Are Finding It Hard To See Past His Hypocrisy

Some Are Calling CM Punk The “Biggest Hypocrite Ever”

• CM Punk previously blasted WWE’s deal with Saudi Arabia.
• He took jabs at WWE for many years.
• He is now making the trip to Saudi Arabia despite all his talk.

During his absence from WWE, CM Punk was not shy about throwing criticism towards the product, their business decisions, and those in charge – and some of this was pointed towards WWE’s controversial deal with Saudi Arabia. Due to some of the negative press surrounding the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in addition to the ongoing notion of “sportswashing” making its way through pretty much every major sport, WWE’s deal was looked down upon for many reasons – banning women from early shows, a murky situation in which a plane full of WWE stars was unable to leave the country, the belief from some fans that WWE was accepting “blood money”, and more.

CM Punk has always professed himself to be the “Voice of the Voiceless”, emerging as a star of the people during his main event rise in 2011, where he became a major fan favorite in the midst of WWE’s focus on industry-backed names like John Cena and The Rock. In the past, Punk has spoken up for LGBTQ+ rights, abortion rights, recently joined up with Sami Zayn to wear Palestinian flag colors on RAW, and offered his voice to those who perhaps feel oppressed or silenced. This even led to him insulting WWE’s deal with Saudi Arabia in a social media jab towards The Miz, posting the infamous tweet of:

“Go suck a bloody money covered d*ck you f*cking dork.”

CM Punk giving in and agreeing to now wrestle in Saudi Arabia feels like the height of hypocrisy, especially after instances in which he insulted WWE’s multi-day WrestleMania directive, only to then end up crying in happiness about headlining only “night one” of the show. These things have been adding up for Punk, leading to some of his fans (and haters) having a great deal of disappointment with the former world champion.

CM Punk Could Easily Stand His Ground Like Others Did In The Past

Certain Wrestlers Have Refused To Work WWE’s Saudi Arabia Shows

• Kevin Owens, John Cena, and Daniel Bryan have stood up in the past.
• CM Punk wouldn’t be hurt by missing out on a Saudi show.
• He could’ve been written off with an attack and faced Cena at SummerSlam instead.

Overall, fans don’t hold too much resentment to those who take the trip to wrestle in Saudi Arabia, given that they work for a promotion, they’re earning money, and due to the fans in Saudi Arabia also being just as deserving as anyone else to see pro wrestling on the grandest stage. However, there has been respect held towards those who have perhaps stood their ground and decided against competing in Saudi Arabia. For instance, both John Cena and Daniel Bryan refused once upon a time, as did Kevin Owens, who stood up in solidarity with Sami Zayn, who was previously banned from competing at these shows.

CM Punk, having the star power he does and the name value he carries, wouldn’t have been affected whatsoever by refusing the work show, instead getting written off with an attack and delaying any big matches, such as his one with John Cena, for a show such as SummerSlam 2025. Given that Punk spoke so strongly against WWE’s deal with Saudi Arabia, it is a hard pill to swallow for many avid and passionate fans of Punk to see him walk back on many of his words. On an Instagram Live recently, Punk even noted that he didn’t hate Saudi Arabia since he’d never been.

“I’ve never been to Saudi, I don’t hate coming to Saudi.”

Fans Feel Robbed With CM Punk Vs. John Cena Taking Place Overseas

So Many Hardcore Fans Won’t See This Historic Final Match

• CM Punk vs. John Cena should have happened in Boston or Chicago.
• Few WWE fans make the long trip to Saudi Arabia.
• Saudi Arabia shows are uncomfortable and seem all about money.

The Punk situation is an issue for many in itself, but the match with John Cena is another problem. For years, fans have been desperate to see Punk vs. Cena go at it one last time, following on from their classics of the past, so to see this historic final ever encounter happen on a show in a country in which WWE has had a controversial deal, it feels as though much of WWE’s audience is being short-changed. This match won’t take place in front of a wild and raucous audience, it won’t be in either of their hometowns, nor will it take place in front of many of those who follow WWE around the globe to attend events, with these shows often not featuring many overseas fans.

Punk vs. Cena could be a great match, but it will always have an asterisk due to where the match will be held. Ever since WWE’s relationship with Saudi Arabia began, there has always been a strange or uncomfortable feeling whenever a title change or anything substantial happens, and this will be no different. Fans are not happy for several reasons, but hey, at least WWE is making money!