CM Punk to be punished by WWE for referencing Nikki Bella during his Punkanomics promo? Exploring the possibility

WWE Friday Night SmackDown took place yesterday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The show was the last stop before Night of Champions, and it featured CM Punk shocking the world by coming out and cutting a rap on John Cena, calling it Punkanomics.

There was one particular line that caught a lot of attention from fans. Punk mocked John Cena's impending retirement from WWE and implied that the retirement was due to the company rehiring Cena's ex-fiancée. This was a reference to Nikki Bella. Now, some are wondering if he'll be punished for something that seemingly crossed the line, but Punk will almost certainly not be.

While the line certainly cut deep, it was also most likely approved by management. Not only that, but with John being the one who has rapping experience, the world champion could have even fed CM Punk the line to begin with.

Ultimately, WWE, and pro wrestling, is all about blurring the lines of kayfabe and reality. While Cena and Nikki Bella were once a couple and public with their relationship, both have long since moved on with their lives.

Everybody involved is an adult and professional, so there is very little chance that any issues will arise from the line. This is especially true when it comes to potential punishment from Triple H and TKO brass.

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John Cena once proposed to Nikki Bella on WWE television

While CM Punk got the world talking with his Punkanomics promo, it was done to riff on John Cena as payback for last week. John was the talk of the wrestling world due to ripping off Punk's infamous pipebomb promo during last Friday's edition of WWE SmackDown.

This is far from the only time Cena has been the talk of the wrestling world, however. In fact, he and Nikki Bella both were, almost a decade ago, at WrestleMania 33. At that event, Cena popped the question.

Nikki Bella and John Cena, known as a power couple in WWE and on reality television, battled and defeated The Miz and Maryse in a Mixed Tag Team Match. After the bout, John asked for Nikki's hand in marriage, and she accepted. This made for an incredible TV moment.

Obviously, Nikki and John's relationship ultimately didn't last, and the proposal has been largely ignored as part of history. That is what made Punk's dagger of a line all the more painful.

Still, it was almost certainly approved of, even if the line cut deep.