Rob Van Dam Weighs Alleged 'Hypocrisy' Of WWE's CM Punk

CM Punk's decision to travel to Saudi Arabia to wrestle at WWE Night of Champions has drawn criticism from fans who remember Punk's explicit tweet to The Miz from many years back. While some consider Punk a hypocrite for his participation, WWE Hall of Famer Rob Van Dam thinks that's not a very fair definition of the term.

"I don't consider it hypocrisy unless it was done at the same time," Van Dam said on "One of a Kind" recently. "People can grow. Their perspective can change. If he said something 5 years ago, and then now he feels different about it. That's not what a hypocrite is. We all grow, feel different. Let's say you're a kid in school and you think this kid's a jerk, and then you start talking to him, and then you find out he's really cool, and he becomes your friend. Are you a hypocrite? No. You just have more information now than you had before, and so your view has changed."

Punk apologized to the people of Saudi Arabia ahead of the event, after a fan asked him about the tweet at a kickoff show. WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque shared Van Dam's perspective, lauding Punk for the personal growth he's undergone since returning to WWE in 2023. Levesque also praised Punk's match against the retiring Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena, which saw the two rivals face off for the last time. Punk was unsuccessful in the match, losing thanks to interference from Seth Rollins and The Vision.