Just like when he was suspended by AEW for his All Out tirade and alleged brawl backstage afterward, CM Punk has remained in wrestling headlines after getting fired. The two-time AEW Champion has been minding his own business since having his contract terminated, but chatter suggesting he may well be trying to do the impossible and re-sign with WWE has been keeping his name relevant. WWE dropping Punk references on live TV and then claiming it's doing no such thing has helped that.

The Undertaker's Mic Sleeve

Most of the Punk references in recent weeks have happened during Seth Rollins segments. Whether it's Corey Graves quoting Punk on commentary or Shinsuke Nakamura using the GTS on Raw, I don't care what anyone says, WWE knows exactly what it's doing and I love it. Fans are now on the lookout for more Punk references in WWE, and some fans thought they'd found a big one during the closing moments of NXT this week.

RELATED: WWE Fans Think Seth Rollins Segments Are Teasing A CM Punk Return

After suffering defeat to Carmelo Hayes in the main event, Bron Breakker's night got worse when The Undertaker made his NXT debut, chokeslamming the second-generation star straight to hell. Before that, The Deadman had a few words to say to Breakker, grabbing a mic and removing the sleeve, tossing it behind him. Some fans clocked that detail, wondering whether it was a subtle Punk reference. It's the same thing Punk did to his mic when he returned to AEW and debuted on Collision.

No Punk Reference Here

Nice try, but no, The Undertaker almost definitely wasn't trying to signal Punk might be returning to WWE. As has been pointed out by a lot of fans since the clip was posted, The Phenom made a habit of using a mic without a sleeve, allowing him to properly grip the handle. There have even been occasions where he has been handed a mic with a sleeve on it on TV and he's needed to remove it and throw it away, just like he did on NXT.

Although Undertaker probably likes Punk having wrestled an underrated match with him at WrestleMania 29, I don't think The Deadman would be interested in getting mixed up with the wrestling rumor mill surrounding him right now. As for whether Punk will return to WWE, I'm still in the camp of people who believe WWE would be silly not to make it happen if that's a possibility. Keep Punk part-time, and the first hint of backstage friction, send him away.