CM Punk paid tribute to Bret Hart at AEW All Out

CM Punk was victorious, pinning Darby Allin for the 1-2-3 with the GTS after a hard-fought match. Punk was magnanimous in his victory as he shook Darby's hand after the match was over.

Punk, a student of wrestling history, seemed to have put touches on Bret Hart in his match with Darby Allin, with a takedown reminiscent of the Hitman's famous match with the 1-2-3 Kid aka X-Pac.

Did anyone catch @CMPunk’s homage to @BretHart???!!!1-2-3 kid vs Bret Hart/Cm Punk vs Farby Allin #sidebyside #CMPunkisAllElite #cmpunk #darbyallin @DarbyAllin @TheRealXPac #AEW pic.twitter.com/CtzPBZQGPU

— PINNLAND EMPIRE (@PINNLAND_EMPIRE) September 6, 2021

The little surprise that Punk shows on his face as Darby takes him down is almost a copy of Bret's reaction from that match. For those unfamiliar, Bret Hart took on the 1-2-3 Kid back in 1994 on an episode of WWE RAW and, to this day, is considered one of the more significant matches on WWE TV.

CM Punk exudes the Bret Hart dynamic taking on the role of the veteran, going up against a young up-and-comer eager to prove himself and possibly shock the world. Punk seemed to be going for that in this match and despite Darby losing, he was elevated by the confrontation itself.

While it's up to the fans to debate whether CM Punk was even in the same league as Bret Hart, there's no doubt that it did deliver an emotional punch by the end of it.

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CM Punk provides Eddie Guerrero as an example of who wants to be in AEW

Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk (IWA-MS 03/01/02) may be indie wrestling's all time wildest booking. https://t.co/OOt7RzAMmn pic.twitter.com/IYoZd8c0Ru

— 𝕯𝖆𝖇𝖇𝖆𝖙𝖍 (@dabbath_) September 4, 2021

In an interview with Jim Ross, CM Punk responded emotionally when asked who wanted to be in AEW. Like Eddie Guerrero, he wanted to give back to the business and elevate younger talent as Eddie had done for him at an independent show.

Punk cited Harley Race and Tracey Smothers, who have also helped him along the way.

With Darby out of the way, it'll be interesting to see who will be next on Punk's list.