Jim Ross Defends CM Punk Over Saudi Arabia Controversy

CM Punk’s recent apology for his infamous 2020 tweet blasting WWE’s relationship with Saudi Arabia hasn’t exactly calmed the internet. While some fans have praised Punk for finally addressing the situation, plenty of others have slammed him as a hypocrite for wrestling at WWE Night of Champions in Riyadh.

But according to WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross, people need to chill. Speaking on his latest podcast episode, JR made it clear he doesn’t think Punk deserves all the hate for changing his tune on Saudi Arabia.

“It’s overthought… Overthought, and I know that Punk’s heart is in the right place. He’s controversial, that’s why he’s so fun to follow. Phil’s a good friend of mine. I am a full-on supporter of his work, I really am; I still wish he was at AEW, quite frankly. He adds a lot to any presentation that he’s involved in. So, I think we’re overthinking it a little bit quite honestly.”

Punk’s original 2020 tweet—where he told people to “suck a blood money covered dck in Saudi Arabia”*—came back to haunt him after he made a formal apology during the Night of Champions kickoff show. WWE exec Triple H even praised Punk for “being incredibly proud” of the apology.

But for JR, the whole situation is being blown out of proportion. He believes Punk’s personality naturally draws controversy, but that doesn’t mean his actions weren’t sincere.

Punk has yet to directly respond to the backlash, but with fans still divided, it doesn’t look like this debate is cooling off anytime soon.

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