Former WWE Champion Bret 'The Hitman' Hart thinks CM Punk "took a bullet for every wrestler" and that the criticism levelled at the Straight Edge Superstar for the way he left the business is unfair. Punk left WWE after last year's Royal Rumble event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania citing numerous injuries, illness, and general discontent with the way he was being used in the company. He didn't hold back either in a now infamous appearance on his long-time friend Colt Cabana's podcast, calling out Vince McMahon, Triple H, Ryback and, most notably, the WWE doctors. So much so that Christopher M. Amann filed a lawsuit against the pair in a case that rumbles on to this day. Speaking during a Q&A with Off The Records Periscope account, Hart was asked if he had any thoughts on the matter and was full of praise for the current UFC fighter: "I love CM Punk's stuff, I sorely miss him," said Bret. "Wrestling's never been the same without him." "He was the best of the last generation, he really raised the bar, he was a great innovator and had a great sense of psychology and he stood up for all the right things." The Hitman, who himself had his own controversial departure from the then WWF back in 1997, was also quick to defend Punk who he sees as a man with great integrity. He said: "I know a lot here on the independent circuit and wrestlers that are starting out resent him today for walking off, but I think that if they really look closely at what happened he stood up for all the right reasons and said what needed to be said, and did what needed to be done. "I got nothing but respect for him, I think he took a bullet for every wrestler."