A professional wrestler is facing a brutal backlash from his fans after posting a pro-Palestine message on his Instagram.
CM Punk shared a series of images on the social media platform on Sunday that included a photo of a white wall with the words “Free Palestine” spray-painted on it in red.
Among the responses were a number of scathing reactions from some of his supporters who were furious at his support for Palestine.
One angry fan took to the comments section to say the 45-year-old athlete had “ruined my month.”
“I wanted to reach out to you because for years you were one of my biggest inspirations. I’ve looked up to you for so long and you were a role model to me. But after seeing your ‘Free Palestine’ post, I was deeply disappointed,” he wrote to the WWE star.
CM Punk, pictured in August 2024, received a mix of backlash and support when he posted a photo of a wall spray-painted with the words ‘Free Palestine.’
This was the image that provoked condemnation and adoration in equal measure.
“Israel has many fans who love you, but it seems that perhaps you believe it is more valuable to take the other side’s side,” he wrote.
He added: “In short, Punk, you have disappointed me. You have ruined my month.”
Someone else said that he “missed the human side of the story.”
Another viewer simply told CM Punk: “You lost me in the last picture.”
One outspoken fan pointed out that CM Punk shared his pro-Palestine sentiments just a day after Israeli forces discovered the bodies of six hostages in the Gaza Strip.
The captives identified as Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Staff Sergeant Ori Danino were among more than 200 captured by Hamas militants on October 7.
The IDF said they were all “brutally” killed “shortly” before troops were able to locate them.
“You see this news and you say, ‘Good job, better support Hamas.’ Get out of wrestling, grandpa,” the person wrote.
Vladimir Ropot, a native of the city of Hadera in Israel, wrote a lengthy comment criticizing CM Punk, whose real name is Phillip Jack Brooks, for his stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
The six hostages (clockwise from top left): Alex Lobanov, Eden Yerushalmi, Almog Sarusi, Staff Sergeant Ori Danino, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Carmel Gat
Another wrestling fan referenced another popular wrestler, Jungle Boy, in his criticism of CM Punk.
“The jungle boy was right,” the person wrote. “Cry to the sea because Israel will always be free.”
The phrase “Cry a river” comes from A video where Jungle Boy, real name Jack Perry, indicates that the windshield of a car in the ring is made of real glass.
Later, Jungle Boy is thrown by his opponent into the glass, which breaks on his back.
CM Punk’s post also garnered several supportive comments.
“That last photo made me smile. One day we will have liberation. Free Palestine,” one person wrote.
Pictured: Jungle Boy, whose real name is Jack Perry. He is another WWE wrestler.
Many others called him the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) and a legend for taking this political stance.
This comes as CM Punk picked up his first WWE win in over a decade, beating Drew McIntyre in Berlin.
He left WWE in early 2014 due to disagreements with management, but returned to the organization in 2023.
