A powerful moment of mutual admiration recently unfolded on The Ariel Helwani Show, as CM Punk and Bret "Hitman" Hart exchanged heartfelt praise that solidified Hart’s legacy as a generational benchmark in professional wrestling. The conversation served as a poignant reminder of the technical excellence that Hart brought to the industry, and how deeply it continues to resonate today.

During the segment, Helwani brought up previous remarks CM Punk had made in a discussion with Roots of Fight, where Punk held nothing back in his admiration for the WWE Hall of Famer. Drawing comparisons to elite athletes across major sports, Punk stated, “Gretzky, Michael Jordan, Bret Hart. Bret Hart is the Wayne Gretzky of professional wrestling, and it’s an empirical fact. It’s not just an opinion… Obviously we know Bret Hart as the best WWE champion of all time.”

Punk expanded on why Hart had such a lasting influence, especially for performers who could not rely on sheer size or muscle to stand out. “He was a guy who like Piper, I looked at and I said, I can’t look like the Ultimate Warrior. Nor do I want to, but this guy’s legit, and that’s achievable to somebody like me,” Punk explained. He went on to underline Hart’s value as a role model for up-and-coming wrestlers, adding, “Bret is the measuring stick. I believe that all professional wrestlers should hold themselves to. Nobody better ever.”

Bret Hart, moved by Punk’s words, offered a genuine response when shown the clip. “I really appreciate that,” Hart said sincerely. He then recalled an old comment from Hulk Hogan that seemed to echo the sentiment. “You know, I heard like something a few months ago where Hulk Hogan was talking about me, and he said, ‘The problem with Bret Hart is that he really does think he was the greatest wrestler of all time.’ And I remember thinking about that and going, yeah, maybe. That’s might be the most truthful thing he’s ever said.”

Reflecting further, Hart pointed to how the current generation of wrestlers carries his legacy through the ring work they present today. “When you watched a lot of the wrestlers today, you don’t see anybody imitating Hulk Hogan or the Ultimate Warrior,” he observed. “You see a lot of the wrestlers today really trying their best to capture my style, or some of the guys that I worked with, like Dynamite Kid, or Curt Henning and my brother Owen… yeah, they’re wrestling my style, and that’s the biggest compliment they can get from today’s generation.”