WWE: CM Punk Re-Enacts Chael Sonnen’s Botched Spinning Backfist

Despite the fact that CM Punk and Daniel Bryan have wrestled in several matches on television over the last few months, I refuse to complain about it. They always give us different moves, different spots and different finishes. Essentially, they never …

Despite the fact that CM Punk and Daniel Bryan have wrestled in several matches on television over the last few months, I refuse to complain about it.

They always give us different moves, different spots and different finishes. Essentially, they never give us the same match twice.

And last Monday was no exception.

During the mixed tag team Match on Monday Night Raw, CM Punk attempted to deliver a spinning backfist to Bryan, but Punk missed and tumbled to the mat. Bryan immediately followed up with a running knee.

On the surface, this is not a big deal.

However, several MMA enthusiasts, including J. Jones of CagePotato.com, have noticed that the sequence was nearly identical to the spinning backfist that Chael Sonnen unsuccessfully used against Anderson Silva at UFC 148.  Sonnen missed, tumbled to the mat and received a big knee from Silva. Sonnen went on to lose the match by TKO.

A comparison between the two matches can be seen here.

CM Punk has spoken publicly about his love for MMA and having a friendship with a few MMA fighters, including Chael Sonnen.

So it is very likely that the spot was no mere coincidence and it was intentionally planned, perhaps as both a spoof and a compliment to his MMA buddy.

Of course, Punk has already used MMA-based techniques in the past, such as the Anaconda Vise, a choke submission from the pages of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Sonnen was an NCAA Division I All-American when he competed in amateur wrestling for the University of Oregon. Also, his interviews are very similar to full-blown wrestling promos. Therefore, many are beseeching for a WWE appearance by the UFC star. However, he has recently expressed his loyalty to Dana White and his promotion.

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