what did cm punk say about saudi arabia

CM Punk has gone from harshly criticizing WWE’s Saudi shows in the late 2010s to recently telling fans he does not hate going to Saudi Arabia and publicly apologizing to Saudi fans for an old insult-laced tweet.

Key things he said

• In a now-infamous 2019 exchange with The Miz, Punk tweeted that Miz should “go suck a blood money covered d*** in Saudi Arabia,” clearly framing Saudi show money as “blood money” and using the country as the punchline to an insult.

• Years later, appearing on WWE programming tied to Saudi events, he walked that back and said the tweet was just a “mean” message fired off in a bad mood and that it “legitimately had nothing to do with Saudi Arabia” as a country.

• On a live kickoff show in Riyadh, after a fan pressed him, Punk said he had apologized to The Miz and then added that he “sincerely apologize[s] to all of Saudi Arabia,” calling it a lesson learned and admitting he sometimes “screw[s] up.”

• In a separate fan Q&A on Instagram Live, when asked if he hates going to Saudi Arabia, he answered that he does not hate going there, pushing back on the idea that he despises the country or its people.

How this contrasts with his past stance

• Earlier in his career, Punk was widely cited as saying he would never work the Saudi shows and he openly mocked others for doing them, which helped create the perception that he was firmly against WWE’s Saudi partnership.

• His recent apology and his “I don’t hate coming to Saudi” line mark a major shift from calling the money “blood money” to headlining a Saudi stadium show and speaking warmly enough that WWE executives publicly praised his “growth” and “apology to the people of Saudi.”

How fans and media are reacting

• Some wrestling outlets and commentators frame this as Punk “selling out” or contradicting his old moral stance now that he is back in WWE and benefiting from the lucrative Saudi deal.

• Others focus more on the idea of personal growth, saying that acknowledging a bad tweet, apologizing to both the person targeted and the country mentioned, and facing a hostile crowd in Riyadh to say sorry is at least a step toward accountability, even if it also serves business interests.

TL;DR:
He once called Saudi show money “blood money” in a vulgar tweet aimed at The Miz, but in 2025 he appeared at a Saudi event, told fans he doesn’t hate going to Saudi Arabia, and publicly apologized “to all of Saudi Arabia,” saying the tweet was just him being mean and crabby.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.