A top WWE babyface got booed in Saudi Arabia before Night of Champions.
CM Punk is one of the most divisive stars in the wrestling business. The Second City Saint is currently set to take on 17-time World Champion John Cena for the WWE Undisputed Championship.
However, leading up to the event, the 46-year-old star got into a bit of controversy when backstage footage of him pushing a child who was asking for a picture surfaced.
The video went viral, and fans were furious at the former champion’s actions.
CM Punk Gets Hostile Fan Reactions At WWE Night Of Champions Kick-Off Show
It seems, however, that the wrath of fans wasn’t only restricted to the internet.
At the PLE’s kick-off show, Michael Cole announced the arrival of the WWE star to the venue, which received a very hostile reaction from the crowd.
CM PUNK IS GETTING BOOED IN SAUDI ARABIA 🤯
THIS IS CRAZY 😭#WWENOC
— EliteRockerz 𝕏 (@EliteClubS0B) June 27, 2025
The reactions to Punk were so bad that any mention of his name would incite boos from the crowd present.
Hear that boos? Yeah you going down Punk.
— #WWENOC Kick Off Show pic.twitter.com/sUuHPu4utP
— 𝐂𝐂. ( 𝐔 🚫 𝐒𝐄𝐄 𝐌𝐄 ) (@CenationCentral) June 27, 2025
Though shocking, the crowd’s reaction to Punk is possibly because of what he said about their country. Back when The Voice of the Voiceless was in AEW, he had taken a shot at The Miz.
The Awesome One retorted via a promo where he took a dig at the Second City Saint when he said, “Oh, sorry, I didn’t change the culture.”
Not one to take things lying down, the former ECW champion fired back in a vitriolic tweet where he implied that the company was dealing with blood money by associating with Saudi Arabia.
Memories of this, along with today’s incident, seemed to have created the perfect storm, which has led Punk to be booed by the fans.
Stay tuned to ITR Wrestling for the latest updates from the Night of Champions Kick-Off show.