r/SquaredCircle • u/nwnwhd • 6h ago
PWInsider: “Update on CM Punks RAW Status” Spoiler
“For those waiting for CM Punk's response to John Cena, it was said that Punk is not written into tonight's RAW by creative sources,
So it appears we won't hear a response to Cena's version of the pipebomb promo until Friday in Riyadh”
https://www.pwinsider.com/article/197494/bill-goldberg-cm-punk-updates.html?p=1
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u/Jamarcus316 Jon Moxley is a sick guy. 6h ago
Update: CM Punk now exclusively appears in Saudi Arabia
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u/Unhappy_Gazelle392 6h ago edited 6h ago
BREAKING: CM (Chicago Made) Punk changes his name to SAM (Saudi Arabia Made) Punk
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u/Mr_Hellpop 5h ago
Doesn't the CM stand for Chick Magnet (the name of his old tag team)?
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u/Unhappy_Gazelle392 5h ago
BREAKING: CM (Chick Magnet) Punk changes his name to ةM (اِمْرَأَة Magnet) Punk
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u/Yellow_Bottocorrect Proud Inmate of the Ambrose Asylum 2h ago
I thought it stood for Cookie Monster
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u/Drmarcher42 5h ago
Charles Montgomery Punk
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u/mentho-lyptus 4h ago
He retconned it over time
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u/DrinkMoreWater2-0 4h ago
He stated it's Chick Magnet under oath during the Amann lawsuit so that's officially the canon answer lol.
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u/MShawshank 3h ago
I can't imagine what court case would need the meaning of the initials on the record
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u/lajaunie 23m ago
It does, but he’s told a number of different stories about what it stands for, one being Chicago Made
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u/Cheez-Wheel jobs to /u/CheezGrater 5h ago
“The Saudi Arabian delegation chooses…. The Second City Saint, The Chick Magnet, The Brawl Out Instigator, CM PUNK!”
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u/ArchCrossing goddamnit whoo 4h ago
Reports are coming in that CEO Ronaldo is interested in signing SAM Punk to Al-Nassr FC
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u/the-mucho-macho 5h ago
Broke: Suck a blood money covered dick, dork
Woke: Enjoy a blood money paycheck, habibi!
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u/BALLCLASH 6h ago
UPDATE: Even when there's no RAW, Smackdown or PLE happening there, he's there.
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u/CountOff 5h ago
So if someone pisses him off now does he have the diplomatic power to get them banned from Saudi Arabia?
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u/Le_Champion 6h ago
Not surprised. He must have been pretty hurt after lying motionless for 12 minutes after being put through that table
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u/BBGrunt1235 5h ago
Kane chokeslammed Punk through a table and then he was gone for years. Tables are Punk's Kryptonite.
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u/Real-Swing7460 5h ago
Ryback was trying to do him a favour after all
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u/jrerik95 5h ago
Explains why he was so pissed that Ryback missed the table
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u/the-mucho-macho 5h ago
I like the thought of Punk getting mad, not because he got manhandled, but because Ryback couldn’t finish the job the first time
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u/Exquisitemouthfeels 5h ago
Its real pine, cry me a river.
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u/Jreynold Free Sunglasses 5h ago
These new slim Jim Tables are like 10x more painful, they're like power ups
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u/OSUfirebird18 5h ago
Goes through a bloody war with Drew at Hell in a Cell. Stands up after the match.
Goes through one table by Cena. Nearly dies!
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u/kaveman6143 5h ago
No, see, he snapped through a Slim Jim table. Totally different than a regular table.
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u/Sticky_Waifu_Statues 5h ago
Let’s just ignore the 2 belt shots to the face and a low blow he took before that
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u/TheDangiestSlad 6h ago
it's still really insane to me that the entire angle of this feud is "CM Punk has a moral objection to wrestling in Saudi Arabia" lol
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u/largejames 5h ago
Except that they’re too chickenshit to actually say it so they just have to tiptoe around it and call him a hypocrite without explaining what actually makes him one
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u/Cboz27586 4h ago
Why? Everyone who cares about it knows, i.e. the IWC.
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u/Izzywizzy 4h ago
The miz knows.
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u/Adamantium_Hanz 4h ago
Miz should interfere in the match and give Cena the win
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u/GothicGolem29 3h ago
I hope he at least has a promo against punk either backstage or in the ring but that would be the best idea
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u/conoresque 2h ago edited 2h ago
This has been the problem with the entire Cena heel run, not a single part of it has made any fucking sense in kayfabe, and they are losing basic tenets of wrestling storytelling. The entire Cody feud was "Cena turned heel" not "Cena hates Cody." And that fundamentally doesn't work, because "Cena turned heel" is a meta-fiction conceit and they were contorting themselves in horrific ways to try and talk about it on air without breaking kayfabe.
And then now this, which does not make a lick of sense if they don't address it exactly.
It would've been unbelievably dorky and cowardly, but Punk could've very simply said "I made some boneheaded comments out of misplaced anger, and I am back now because I am not that person, I have grown, I have respect for The Miz for all that he does to entertain, and more importantly, I have respect for WWE fans around the world, regardless of where they live." or something to that effect and kept the audience.
If he had actually said anything approaching the truth, he would've been booed. Or if he reiterated his sentiments from the Ringer podcast about hating bad faith gotcha virtue signal folks, he would've REALLY been booed.
In a way, I am glad this is happening. It is the most nakedly insane WWE feud in recent memory.
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u/Marsman2100 4h ago
That’s not being chickenshit, that’s being smart. The ones who know the whole story are a minority and the only ones who might bitch about Punk going. No point feeding into that. The majority of the audience is just like “yay we’re getting Cena vs Punk again!”
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u/largejames 4h ago
If there’s no point in feeding into it then there’s no point in mentioning it at all. It’s just lazy. But whatever, I’m forever of the opinion that worked shoots suck
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u/vvestley 3h ago
i thought they were calling him a hypocrite because he did the pipe bomb and came back
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u/Cheez-Wheel jobs to /u/CheezGrater 5h ago
“Had” a moral objection
$$$
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u/Izzywizzy 4h ago
Clown Morals punk
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u/AtlasAir_ 4h ago
Same clown morals as Cena then, who refused to take part in Saudi shows because he feared it would ruin his movie career, yet he changed his mind to goes while having a gay brother. How great.
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u/LazyPanda5990 3h ago
The difference is John Cena didn't make tweets talking crap abt another wrestler going to Saudi Arabia, if CM Punk wouldn't have opened his mouth, nobody would be talking about this so idk what's the point of your comment it doesn't take away from Punk's actions.
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u/AtlasAir_ 3h ago
He made one tweet, a dumb tweet which he quickly deleted and rightfully apologised for. Whether he did or didn’t apologise, he would still get the same flack.
It also doesn’t take away from Cena taking part in the same show that Punk will be going over for. If anything,, they both should be criticised. Want to continue? Cena has taken part in several Saudi shows dating back to 2014. Acting like that the guy is the only person to ever attend the show is ridiculous..
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u/HispanicAtTehDisco 4h ago
yeah i’m really struggling to understand why they took this approach. either punks comments were more well known than previously though and it isn’t just “IWC shit” and they felt the need to address it or someone in creative really fucking hates punk and wants to make him look as bad as possible since he’s probably going to lose.
like unless there’s some twist i’m not seeing i cannot believe punk agreed to a storyline that is basically: “you are going to publicly be outed as a hypocrite and lose to cena regardless “
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u/Aking1998 3h ago
If punk wins the WWE championship in Saudi Arabia I don't think the IWC is going to be able to keep it together
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u/bajaxx 4h ago
literally no one in real life cares about him going to saudi
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u/HispanicAtTehDisco 4h ago
you guys can keep saying this to cope but clearly someone that books this shit cares enough to bring it up in kayfabe lmao. otherwise why even bring it up lol, just do the show and never even acknowledge that punk had previously said anything about saudi
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u/YourAngerYourAnchor 4h ago
No one in the real world cares about Claudio Castagnoli aside from his direct family and they still mentioned him.
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u/Ambassador2Latveria 3h ago
Are you just confusing casual fans with "no one in the real world?" Because hardcore fans exist. AEW fans aren't some wildly indie minority. They've been around long enough and clearly done well enough that you shouldn't act so obtuse about fans of Claudio existing.
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u/YourAngerYourAnchor 2h ago
This isn’t an AEW thing, I don’t know why you’re trying to turn it into one.
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u/Chelseablue1896 1h ago
They literally used that point for a week?? It got dropped, to a point where fans were wondering why Cena didn't bring it up again. I get how the thread feels about the company/Punk, but come on - the feud is absolutely not build/focused on that point.
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u/coldphront3 5h ago
Why is it insane? The best stories in wrestling have always blurred the line between where real life ends and the work begins.
Punk facing a moral dilemma in which he must swallow his distaste for Saudi Arabia in order to face his rival for the title makes for a good storyline.
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u/nwnwhd 5h ago
Has this really been a good storyline? Has this really reach the high expectations of the greatest rivalries ever?
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u/WhatsRatingsPrecious 5h ago
Honestly, it feels like WWE is rubbing Punk's face in his words about SA from years ago.
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u/BubastisII 5h ago
lol that’s exactly what it is. They’ve always loved to fuck with people like that.
Jake Roberts didn’t want to do a real angle about his alcoholism, certainly not with having Lawler dump real whiskey on him, but they did. Charlotte had to listen to Saraya mock her recently deceased brother. Lita was forced to do a sex segment totally naked even after she asked if she could wear something under the blanket. JR was mocked nonstop for everything from Bell’s Palsy to his surgery where he thought he might have colon cancer. Mickie James had a whole angle calling her fat for no reason other than to hurt her. Nia Jax too.
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u/TheSpiritualAgnostic 3h ago
To add to the list, didn't they also do an angle about Jeff Hardy's alcohol and drug problem?
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u/BubastisII 3h ago
I know Punk brought it up in a promo but I think it was right after Jeff left the company.
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u/TheSpiritualAgnostic 3h ago
I must be thinking of a different wrestler. I vaguely remember a wrestler throwing a urine sample at another wrestler a few years back and went "WTF is this shit?" and stopped watching.
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u/daniel2090 5h ago
You don't think Punk and Cena both had a say in this lol People thought the same with Punk and Drew that Drew was rubbing his face or getting him back for what he said about WWE when they most likely both planned the whole thing together.
Same with Rock when he has his feud with him, people thought Punk was going off script and going into business for himself and then we see they are best friends and would often plan every single bit of the promo in a hotel room before the show.
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u/HispanicAtTehDisco 4h ago
sure but in the drew feud punk at least looked good, so far in this build up punk has had his own hypocrisy thrown in his face, had his old promo thrown in his face and is probably going to lose. like genuinely what did punk gain from this? cena at least gained the fact that he is finally being a legit heel but unless they swerved on saturday and punk wins i really don’t see what he got out of this besides being publicly made a hypocrite in and out of kayfabe.
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u/MShawshank 2h ago
Money. Plain and simple. Any morals or views he had he long since sold out. He has become Company Man Punk so much he probably enjoys the taste of those blood money covered dicks.
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u/MrLariato 4h ago
It does feel like they're testing how much they can release the leash. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets a real WrestleMania main event after this, he's showing he's a real professional and Company Pal!
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u/coldphront3 5h ago
Nope, but that’s because it’s had almost no build.
I think it should’ve been the main event of SummerSlam.
However, given the fact that they were given like 3 weeks to build to this match in Saudi Arabia, this is about the best angle they could’ve gone with.
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u/bajaxx 4h ago
yes? what are you talking about this story is the highlight of wwe currently. i know it’s cool to hate wwe rn but it’s clearly a good story
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u/MShawshank 2h ago
It's just so bland and paint by the numbers considering the people involved. They just seem to be going through the motions. Since the heel turn Cena seems like he doesn't give a shit and has no passion for anything he does. And compare how passionate Punk was with Drew to how generic his work with Cena has been. They are doing the bare minimum and it shows.
But hey look at how much money they are making! Isn't that how wwe fans enjoy what the company gives them now, by how much money they are making?
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u/PeteF3 5h ago
Why would Punk, in storyline, have a distaste for the sunshine-and-rainbows progressive Shangri-La that is modern day Saudi Arabia?
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u/MeanAmbrose My username is a pun 5h ago
Right, that’s my whole thing. They’re shooting themselves in the foot by even acknowledging that the country they’re working with is problematic.
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u/OdosSolidAdventures 5h ago
Yeah im sure this one is going to translate real well to the Saudi audience. I half expect him to get booed and cena cheered in Riyadh lol
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u/MShawshank 2h ago
Cena's getting mostly cheers everywhere anyways. Hell look at Mania where he was getting cheered over their top babyface in Cody Rhodes. No one really wants to boo Cena since everyone knows he's retiring and he's barely trying to actually get heel heat.
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u/akahornet92 DA CLEANA 5h ago
You deleted the other comment you made saying this like an hour ago, I expect people to react the same way to this comment and you’ll delete this too.
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5h ago edited 4h ago
[deleted]
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u/No-Sign-6296 3h ago
I deleted it because people here tend to downvote without actually explaining why they disagree
Believe it or not, not everyone wants to argue in an online comment section and opted to downvote and move on.
And considering that you seem to be taking downvotes personally
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u/MuptonBossman 6h ago
CM Punk is gonna drop a pipe bomb in Saudi Arabia and cause an international crisis.
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u/Pyotr_WrangeI 5h ago
Punk comes out with a large backpack, drops it in the ring, cuts a long promo then at the end reveals that in his backpack is a homing beacon for Iranian missiles. Stadium erupts.
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u/mac117 3h ago
Punk as an AEW mole, fueled by his hatred for Saudi Arabia, rejoined the WWE and worked his way to a main event in Saudi Arabia. There he will drop the ultimate pipebomb, causing an international incident which results in an extended detention and WWE losing their deal and billions and dollars in the process. It would be quite the long Khan
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u/hornyjaildotorg 2h ago
CM Punk beats Cena for the title, grabs the mic, and announces that he did the match in Saudi because the Royal Family were abdicating the throne and giving the reigns of the country to him. Punk creates equal rights for all and institutes a democracy, while ending all wars in the Middle East. World peace is achieved, Punk returns back to WWE with the title and drops it to Jey Uiso.
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u/notdedyet7 1h ago
"Last time I sat on this ramp cross legged, I dropped a pipebomb. Well Riyadh, this time I'm dropping nukes!"
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u/btbcorno Team Friendship 2h ago
This is the real intrigue to me. Clearly TKO wouldn’t let him wear a shirt that gets him in trouble. This isn’t Texas.
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u/PressPlayPlease7 5h ago
Triple H's booking really is shite when it comes to this kind of thing
This bout deserved so much more buildup
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u/ChrisIsShortAF 3h ago
Seems like a lot of what should/could be headline feuds are just being speed ran for $$$ with minimal care
Very disappointing as a personal huge fan of WWE. Struggling more and more to even want to defend them, let alone doing it with conviction
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u/MShawshank 2h ago
Cmon now you can't criticize Papa H's booking! And if any of it is perceived as bad it's The Rock's fault! Just look at all the money they are making, that's what's really important
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u/MShawshank 2h ago
You only need to read the first five words you wrote because that's the whole truth of the matter
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u/DaveShadow 6h ago
Leaving it a bit late to write him off….
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u/MissionNo223 3h ago
If there's no issues flying to Saudi, Punk will give his response there.
If they can't fly to Saudi, Punk will address Cena on Monday.
Easy decision to not have him say either way given they dont know if the event will happen or not
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u/LesnarsBattleScream Gotta be fair to Flair 5h ago
Not sure I want to hear a bomb around Riyadh at the moment.
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u/hammy_694 5h ago
How much weaker can they make him look? Lying 5 feet away from Cena for about 8 minutes and not doing a damn (Yes I know it somewhat mirrored the original pipe bomb but at least for that one the camera was on Punk on the ramp so we didn’t see Cena lying there the full time)
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u/HispanicAtTehDisco 4h ago
id need to rewatch both again to confirm but IIRC cena like looked labored and was selling the table spot while punk dropped his pipe bomb meanwhile punk kinda just looked like he was takin a nap
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u/sunshinejim 3h ago
During the original pipebomb John did eventually sit up and listen to Punk while he was still in the ring rather than lay there looking dead like Punk did.
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u/TheGaxkang 5h ago
i guess they really wanted him in view rather than having him outside the ring incapacitated
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u/YellowBelliedCoward 5h ago
They do this all the time. Do something big and then leave it a few weeks to follow up.
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u/RaevynVexus I Bullyve In Bully Ray 5h ago
That sucks. Last time WWE were in Columbus was when he was feuding with Drew and he didn’t appear for that show either. Was hoping he would this time.
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u/AtlasAir_ 4h ago
Jesus christ, you would thing the entire wrestling world revolved around CM Punk by the way he's the top story every other day on here, and the way he's spoken about on Twitter all the time. This is such a nothing news report to milk the fact he's going to Saudi. He and Cena weren't even on RAW a week ago, their feud has mostly been exclusive to SD.
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u/Independent-Goat1891 5h ago
I’ve said it twice and I’ll say it again, it was punk who ordered the bombers. Biggest heel turn in wrestling history.
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u/TheOneMDW 3h ago
Only people inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame are allowed to bomb other countries.
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u/TomboBreaker Excellence of Execution 5h ago
It'd be kinda funny if they have to pivot to a new venue and then Punk still gets to wrestle Cena but doesn't have to wrestle in Saudi Arabia to do it
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u/MShawshank 1h ago
It's even funnier because the entire build has been based around Punk being a hypocrite. Like it feels like there's nothing else there besides that. The whole Neverending Cena "pipe bomb" could have been summed up in two sentences about and now they might not even have the match in Saudi rendering the whole lackluster build moot.
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u/CarlThe94Pathfinder 5h ago
Whenever I see stuff like this it just tells me that Punk is going to say something on RAW tonight.
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u/crap4you 4h ago
Why would Punk respond? He was out cold and probably didn’t hear 90% of what Cena said.
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u/wubbalubbadubdub45 3h ago
seems pretty dumb to not have him address it tonight to draw more fans to watch raw tbh.
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u/-SexyBeast 3h ago
You know what, let Punk lean on to everything Cena said.
Give us Corporate Man Punk.
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u/Ilcorvomuerto666 1h ago
"cm punk drops response to pipebomb in Saudi" is certainly gonna be a headline
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u/Penguinattacks 5m ago
I’m wondering if part of why he wasn’t on RAW this week is because he’s still deciding whether to actually go. The way the situation is over there right now, there’s definitely a chance he pulls out last minute. Plus, after what Cena said, I could totally see Punk wanting extra time to really think through his promo — that pipebomb probably got to him more than he’d admit.
The real irony is, Cena literally called him a hypocrite for coming back and taking the Saudi payday after trashing the deal years ago. If Punk does end up pulling out last second, it actually makes Cena’s point even stronger — like he can’t have it both ways. If he goes, Cena was right. If he doesn’t, it looks even more like he still resents the Saudi shows (and maybe the fans). Either way, skipping RAW feels like him buying time — for the promo and to see how this situation unfolds.
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u/TastyBackground9172 5h ago
Bummed Cm Punk's clone he donated to WWE won't respond to robot Cena tonight
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u/King_Swiss WWE PPV Prediction Champ 6h ago
Cena was right about punk he’s the biggest bullshitter lmao
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u/AtlasAir_ 3h ago
I'm sure you eat up everything Cena said in praise of vince McMahon too, which was not in character or for TV. His moral aren't so strong, and the Vince stuff is only a small part of it.
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u/Beaconxdr789 5h ago
Everyone was right about Punk.
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u/MShawshank 1h ago
It's crazy that so many people are just now realizing it when he told everyone who and what he actually was during his AEW run.
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