CM Punk Appears To Dedicate Upcoming AEW Return To Bret Hart

CM Punk's return to AEW programming, and his first professional wrestling match in nearly a year, is just over a week away.

It appears Punk is working hard as he prepares for his return match, and thinking about a legendary wrestler to whom he's paid homage on a number of occasions. In a video clip posted on his Instagram Stories, Punk showed himself apparently dripping in sweat. The caption over the clip reads, "For Bret."

Punk is presumably referring to Bret Hart, the Hall of Famer who has a mutual appreciation for Punk. It's one that Hart voiced after Punk and Dax Harwood paid homage to him during their one-on-one match on "Dynamite" in March 2022.

"It means a lot to me for them to be big fans of mine," Hart said in an interview the following month. "I try to cheer them on as much as possible. I wish I could see them more often and be more of an input to helping them with their careers. I just want them to know I'll always be in their corner cheering them on."

Punk will team with Harwood and the other half of the AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR, Cash Wheeler, in a trios tag team match against Jay White, Juice Robinson, and Ring of Honor World Television Champion Samoa Joe on the premiere episode of "AEW Collision" on Saturday, June 17. The show will broadcast live from the United Center in Punk's hometown of Chicago, Illinois.