At WWE Backlash, the Intercontinental Title match between The Miz and Dolph Ziggler began in a… familiar fashion. Basically, the two WWE Superstars started off the match in a not-so-subtle nod to CM Punk’s doomed UFC debut in which newcomer Mickey Gall absolutely thrashed the former champion. Just about everyone picked up on it, because just about everyone watched CM Punk get his ass handed to him live on PPV. Despite Punk’s unworthiness, he still showed his worth as a draw. This helped make the inside joke resonate, and word got back to a shirtless Mickey Gall, Punk Killer, who let TMZ know how he felt about the spoof.
“That’s cool, man,” Gall said … “It’s an honor.”
But Mickey also realized that he himself wasn’t personally being honored by WWE, it was more like they had a bit of schadenfreude towards their old champ. (He just wanted to headline Wrestlemania after all!)
“I think it’s not so much me but their feelings against him … so, I guess that’s kinda crappy. But you know, hey, I loved it. It’s cool, man. Whatever.”
Mickey is walking the line between being a respectful martial artist and one that piles on after a lopsided win. A nice combination of both of those personality traits could lead him to big paydays in the future. For now, he may have the win, but CM Punk made a lot more money.
