Why did CM Punk and fellow WWE RAW star reference Kendrick Lamar and Drake in their promos?

WWE Monday Night RAW has been around for decades now. One of the primary focuses early on in the show's run was pop culture references made by talent and commentary to make the program exciting and up to date.

This continues to be a theme even in 2024. For example, during Monday Night RAW this week, two top WWE stars and former world champions referenced an ongoing rap beef that has been taking over hip-hop. These two men are CM Punk and Kofi Kingston.

Punk was the first to do so. In reference to Drew McIntyre, The Straight Edge Superstar said, "He's a hater. He hates the way I look, he hates the way I walk, he hates the way I talk." This is paraphrasing what Kendrick Lamar said about Drake in his recently released "Euphoria" diss track.

The beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar has lit up social media recently, especially in the past few days. CM Punk is smart and knows that level of animosity works well for WWE promos, so he used it to make Drew McIntyre sound like a complete hater.

Of course, Punk is making himself out to be Drake in this particular instance. Meanwhile, Drew, in this situation, would be Kendrick Lamar. Regardless of the roles, the comment was topical and created social media buzz.

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Kofi Kingston used a reference to the Kendrick Lamar and Drake feud on WWE RAW too

CM Punk wasn't the only former WWE Champion who had referenced the feud between two famous rappers. Kofi Kingston did the same thing in a promo he cut backstage ahead of an upcoming match with Rey Mysterio.

Kofi didn't dish out any lines from one of the diss tracks, as he has a lot of respect for the WWE Hall of Famer. Instead, Kingston said he'd have to "put him down unapologetically" as if his name was Drake or Kendrick Lamar.

This was another pop culture reference, but it made sense in the context of the match. Kofi has always looked up to Rey, and he sees him as a legend like Kendrick and Drake, but ultimately, he will take Mysterio out to become the King of the Ring.

Kofi's match with Rey Mysterio will be at a non-televised live event this weekend. The winner will move on to the next round of the 2024 King of the Ring Tournament. Regardless of who wins, Kingston and Punk are clearly tapped into the ongoings of pop culture.