While CM Punk appears to have earned the respect of the MMA world for actually getting into the octagon and fighting an opponent trained in MMA, that respect was never likely to be replicated in Phil Brooks' former area of employment.
Having not left on the best of terms, it was apparent that many at the WWE wanted to see CM Punk fall flat on his face as he made his UFC debut with the eyes of the world watching at UFC 203, but it appears as though the wounds were still fresh when the writers, or perhaps the wrestlers themselves, decided to rub salt into them.
It seems as though The Miz vs Dolph Ziggler, a fight for the WWE Intercontinental championship at Backlash (Backlash 2001 was one of the best PPVs of all time!), drew an uncanny resemblance to the fight between CM Punk and Mickey Gall.
@mickeygall they reenacted your fight with CM Punk in WWE tonight pic.twitter.com/iVCx8cHgEg
— Kevin Thang (@Skip2MyJays) September 12, 2016
Rush in, double leg takedown, rear naked choke. Was this a subtle nod to the Punk fight last night? #WWEBacklash pic.twitter.com/jGy9i65hto
— Ryan Satin (@ryansatin) September 12, 2016
Not only is it a bit sneaky, but it's rather ironic that The Miz was involved, considering he became a WWE Superstar with no wrestling background after entering the 'Tough Enough' reality TV show.
Still, it was very subtle, so subtle in fact that many people who watched both events actually missed it. The entire thing could have been a coincidence, of course, but that seems highly unlikely.
