There's no love lost between CM Punk and former WWE Superstar Ryback. During the last year of the Second City Saint's WWE run in the early 2010s, Paul Heyman betrayed his longtime friend and made Ryback a "Paul Heyman Guy."
He and Punk repeatedly clashed, and when the Best in the World left WWE, he labelled the Big Guy a dangerous, reckless performer and accused Ryback of injuring him.
CM Punk was also a vocal critic of WWE's relationship with Saudi Arabia before returning to the company. Despite that, he travelled to the country for this past weekend's Night of Champions PLE, where he faced John Cena for the Undisputed WWE Championship.
Punk apologised to fans in Saudi Arabia for his past comments, but some have dug up old interview clips and labelled him a hypocrite. Now, though, the future WWE Hall of Famer has found an unexpected defender in his real-life foe.
It started when Brandon Thurston mocked Punk on X. He wrote, "An inspiring moment of self-realization in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as CM Punk courageously aligns himself with a visionary government that criminalizes being gay and occasionally kills its critics."
Ryback responded directly to Thurston, stating: "I’ve had my issues with Punk, but I don’t see him as a sellout. He returned to do what he loves and to make money — much like you’re doing by writing critical think pieces about others for clicks."
"WWE is a global business, and working at that level means navigating complex deals, personal beliefs, and public perception," he continued. "His apology wasn’t about abandoning values — it was about how he expressed them publicly in ways that hurt professional relationships."
That...actually makes a lot of sense.
While there are undeniable issues in Saudi Arabia, Punk has a job to do and arguably did the right thing by apologising to fans (after all, you can't paint an entire country with the same brush for decisions made by those in charge). Alas, there will always be those eager to tear down the fan-favourite wrestler.
You can see this exchange in its entirety below.