WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff has praised CM Punk for apologizing to the crowd in Saudi Arabiafor a controversial post he made about the country years ago.
Punk, years ago, had shot out a tweet to The Miz, which lambasted the WWE star and the Middle Eastern country. Ahead of the Night of Champions PLE, Punk was booed by the crowd, which led to him offering an apology to the audience, as well as an angry young fan. Eric Bischoff, on a recent edition of his "83 Weeks" podcast, applauded Punk for owning up and apologizing.
"[I] Respect him for doing it [the apology]," Bischoff began. "That takes a lot. Good for him."
In his apology speech, Punk stated that he is grateful to be performing in the country, admitted that he isn't perfect, and said he has learned his lesson. His apology has received mixed reactions from a few WWE Hall of Famers, with Kevin Nash seemingly brushing it off by saying, "Who cares," while Rob Van Dam supported "The Second City Saint" and dismissed suggestions that Punk is a hypocrite for going back on his past comments.
While the apology by Punk seemed heartfelt, some reports have alleged that the whole thing was staged, claiming that someone wanted Punk to apologize and he was forced to do it.
Punk's critics may support the staged claims, but the WWE star has previously owned up to his mistakes, reportedly apologizing to AEW CEO Tony Khan and Adam Page during his time in AEW. However, neither apology was made public, unlike Punk's at Night of Champions.It was a tough weekend for Punk in Saudi Arabia not only was he booed by fans, but he also lost his world title match to John Cena.
