CM Punk pays tribute to WWE Legend ahead of RAW return

CM Punk paid tribute to a WWE Hall of Famer today, following the 10-year anniversary of their segment on RAW.

The show on January 6, 2014, was the special Old School RAW episode featuring "Rowdy" Roddy Piper hosting a Piper's Pit segment with The Shield. This ended with Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Seth Rollins backing the WWE Hall of Famer into a corner until Punk and The New Age Outlaws made the save.

Saturday marked 10 years since the Piper's Pit segment on RAW. Punk, who is known to be a big fan of Hot Rod, took to his Instagram Stories this afternoon to pay tribute to Piper, who passed away on July 31, 2015 at the age of 61. The Straight Edge Superstar simply posted a post-segment photo of himself and Piper.

Screenshot of CM Punk's Instagram Stories post

The Piper's Pit segment took place just weeks before Punk left WWE. He just returned at the Survivor Series PLE in late November.

Piper had strong ties to Portland and other areas in Oregon, and Punk honored the wrestling legend when promoting his appearance on Monday's RAW in Rose City.

CM Punk's love for WWE Legend Roddy Piper

CM Punk has never shied away from his love for Roddy Piper as he's praised the WWE Hall of Famer in promos and media interviews.

The 2022 AEW Revolution pay-per-view saw The Best In The World defeat MJF in a Dog Collar match, which was the stipulation that Piper famously defeated Greg Valentine under at NWA Starrcade 1983.

Speaking at the post-Revolution media scrum, Punk talked about how the match was a nod to Piper:

"Why am I creating these moments? It's a love letter to Roddy Piper. During my career, I had a couple of good Dog Collar Matches with some good people. It just kinda made sense to tell the story...I love Roddy Piper, I don't think that's a secret. MJF loves Roddy Piper, too. I think it's important that while telling stories, you can always go back to the bedrock of pro wrestling," he said.

Piper also had major praise for Punk at times, including in 2013 when he called him "fantastic" and "a great kid." The former AEW World Champion recently signed a deal with Roots of Fight, which also works with Piper's estate.

What are your favorite Roddy Piper memories? Do you think Piper and CM Punk are alike when it comes to pro wrestling? Sound off in the comments below!