"HHH wants to play with Tony" - Eagle-eyed fans seemingly spot another AEW reference with CM Punk on SmackDown

Former AEW Champion CM Punk's promos in WWE have been the talking point for fans. In his recent promo, Punk was trying to go over to the lineup of The Bloodline, the current stable that's more or less ruling the WWE, with The Tribal Chief Roman Reigns, The Wiseman Paul Heyman, The Enforcer Solo Sikoa, and Jimmy Uso causing mayhem.

Backstage on SmackDown, WWE even teased CM Punk's "Brawl Out" incident. In a backstage segment, the camera followed Punk as he was crossing The Bloodline's locker room. For a second, he stoped and maybe thought about barging in for another locker room brawl.

The promo Punk cut on the blue brand last night has amused several social media users. The popular fan theory is that WWE is trying to get back at Tony Khan for all the internal issues that caused Punk's ouster from the Jacksonville-based company.

"Did yall catch this AEW reference? He thought about barging in to someone's locker room and decided against it LMFAO. WWE making more material out of this than AEW is hilarious. #SmackDown," one fan wrote.

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For those unaware, Punk was involved in a real-life feud with The Elite, and both parties got into a backstage altercation after AEW All Out Pay-Per-View last year.

CM Punk incidents have become one of the most talked about news stories in the world of wrestling. After he was sacked following All In this year, he shocked the wrestling audience by signing up with WWE and making his debut on the Survivor Series: WarGames 2023 Premium Live Event.

Since Punk's return to WWE, his promos have been brutal discussions about his time away and how he is a changed man, looking for another run in the world's biggest wrestling promotion.

WWE has skirted around referencing AEW several times

WWE doesn't directly reference the Jacksonville-based promotion. Everyone involved with the Stamford-based company is careful not to do so. For example, Triple H once referred to the Tony Khan-owned company with a harsh two-word descriptor.

Michael Cole, who has been a WWE commentator for decades now, also usually stops himself from comparing the runs of the wrestlers on both wrestling promotions. With Cody Rhodes already back and Jade Cargill in WWE, CM Punk completes the trilogy of wrestlers who were with Tony Khan and are now with WWE.

What do you think? Which wrestling promotion will do more justice to CM Punk's run? Sound off in the comments section below.