CM Punk Changes Course – To Appear At WWE-Saudi Arabia Event?, Steve Austin Loves John Cena’s Heel Turn, Aleister Black Hated NXT Debut

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin is enjoying John Cena’s recent heel turn.

In a recent appearance on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” Austin reflected on Cena’s new villainous persona, saying that “The Last Real Champion” will ultimately be proud of the legacy he’s building through this bold shift.

You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:

On John Cena’s heel turn: “I love what Cena’s doing, I love the way that guy talks, his promos, where he’s going with it… I think he’s gonna look back and love what he’s doing.”

On his own heel turn at WrestleMania 17: “That really kind of reinvigorated me, and we were both in there, the No. 1 and 2 babyfaces, the No. 1 and 2 talents in the world — going head-to-head. But I’d have called that audible and I’d have told Vince, after it’s all said and done, watch the Stunner. I’d have dropped him on that stack of dimes he called a neck, and I’d would have stayed a babyface.”

During Saturday night’s WWE Backlash: St. Louis pay-per-view event, a promotional video aired for WWE’s upcoming pay-per-view, Night of Champions, set to take place in Saudi Arabia.

Keen-eyed viewers noticed CM Punk appearing in the video, sparking speculation about whether he might make his in-ring debut in Saudi Arabia at next month’s event.

On Sunday’s edition of of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer weighed in on the possibility of Punk competing at the show. He said,

“Wrestlers technically have the option not to go, but there’s a lot of pressure to participate. Punk once said he’d never go, but people say a lot of things.”

Back in 2020, Punk made headlines for criticizing The Miz, telling him to “go suck a blood money-covered dk in Saudi Arabia, you f*ing dork,” in response to a remark Punk believed was directed at him.

This year’s Night of Champions will mark WWE’s second time hosting the event in Saudi Arabia. As of now, no matches have been officially announced.

During a recent appearance on the “Wrestling the Rap Game” podcast, Aleister Black reflected on his WWE NXT in-ring debut against Andrade at NXT TakeOver: Orlando.

Black returned to WWE last month on SmackDown.

You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:

On why he didn’t like his NXT in-ring debut: “First and foremost, I did not like that match. The production of how we went into it was wrong and because of that, the match didn’t come out the way it should have come out. I was physically ill at the time, that’s also why when I look back, I’m just not in shape.”

On feeling terrified at the time: “Anxiety is the word, I was terrified, absolutely petrified and it’s crazy because I’ve already wrestled at this point in front of 5,000 people, 6,000 people, 8,000 people in France … but because it was WWE I was like, ‘Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God’ … that was one of those things that I always kind of look back and was like, man I wish it would have been better. It was nerve-wracking, it was an incredible experience, it was humbling.”