WWE made several post-production edits to the main event segment of Friday Night SmackDown, which aired live from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on June 27.

The broadcast experienced power issues early on, but the technical problems were resolved before the main event. Still, WWE made changes to the final segment featuring CM Punk and John Cena before it aired on tape delay in the U.S.

A WWE source confirmed what many viewers had already suspected — there were key differences between the international and U.S. versions of the show. The American broadcast featured enhanced crowd noise, and several line flubs by Punk were edited out.

Fightful Select is reporting that one WWE production team member described the day as “unusually hectic,” citing the technical setbacks and the added pressure of editing the show’s high-profile closing segment. They also noted optimism about next week’s shift to a new two-hour SmackDown format.

During the segment, CM Punk made his first on-air remarks following Cena’s recreation of the iconic “pipe bomb” promo from last week. Dressed as the “Doctor of Punkanomics,” Punk used a hip-hop metaphor to describe their rivalry, calling himself Kendrick Lamar and Cena Drake.

Punk is set to challenge Cena for the Undisputed WWE Championship in the main event of WWE Night of Champions 2025, taking place today in Riyadh.

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