Internal Reaction to CM Punk Being Booed by Saudi Arabia Fans at WWE Night of Champions Kickoff

CM Punk’s past with Saudi Arabia has been hanging over him for years — and WWE knew the boos were coming today.

According to Fightful Select, WWE officials weren’t caught off guard by the crowd reaction Punk received during the Night of Champions Kickoff show in Riyadh. In fact, the report states the company “prepared accordingly” for the situation.

The boos followed Punk’s on-air apology for his infamous 2020 tweet where he made a crude remark about The Miz, which many Saudi fans took personally. Punk used today’s kickoff show to clear the air, explaining the tweet was never about Saudi Arabia — just a bad mood and a cheap shot at The Miz. Punk told the live crowd:

“This guy wants me to apologize for a mean tweet I wrote six years ago. Hey, listen—legitimately, it had nothing to do with Saudi Arabia. I woke up and I was crabby, and I wrote a mean tweet to The Miz. I apologized to The Miz, and sir, Muhammad, I sincerely apologize to you and all of Saudi Arabia.”

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Despite the apology, the crowd still made their feelings known — but WWE apparently expected nothing less.

Now, all eyes are on Punk’s Undisputed WWE Championship match against John Cena at Night of Champions, where the drama in and out of the ring is guaranteed to continue.

What do you think — was Punk’s apology enough, or are the boos going to stick with him? Sound off in the comments.