The deeply personal match between Drew McIntyre & CM Punk at WWE SummerSlam 2024 paid tribute to a match at the same event from 1997. For the match, McIntyre arrived wearing a dark, spiked attire while Punk wore a pink and black get-up that fans may have found familiar.
The pair’s choice of wardrobe was a nod to the SummerSlam 1997 main event between Bret Hart & The Undertaker. For that match, the Phenom arrived in a dark, spiked attire while the Hitman wore his signature pink and black. While it was Bret who won on that night (winning his fifth WWF World Championship in the process), Punk would not have the same luck as his role model and he’d come up short against the Scottish Warrior.
The attires worn for the Punk-McIntyre showdown wasn’t the only nod to 1997. Both matches featured a charismatic guest referee with Shawn Michaels officiating in 1997 and Seth Rollins in charge this week. During the Punk-McIntyre match, Rollins took a chair from McIntyre and swung for the Scotsman who ducked and Seth nearly hit Punk. This spot was also a tribute to the previous match, as Shawn would swing for Bret’s head but would accidentally hit The Undertaker.
McIntyre emerged victorious at SummerSlam and said after the show that he is ready to move on from CM Punk, who shared a similar sentiment before SummerSlam. Stay tuned to SE Scoops for all the latest coming out of an explosive WWE SummerSlam.