Was CM Punk actually referenced on WWE SmackDown? 39-year-old star clears the air

The return of CM Punk to WWE is now highly anticipated by fans, especially after various potential hints and teases that reference Punk. Moreover, on a recent edition of SmackDown, WWE seemed to make a reference to the Best in the World while hyping the Fastlane clash between Seth Rollins and Shinsuke Nakamura.

During this segment, Corey Graves, who was doing commentary, used a line that was previously used by CM Punk in his Ring of Honor promos.

Fans on the internet have sharp eyes, and they instantly caught Graves' reference to CM Punk. This drove fans crazy on social media, as they now believe that Punk is almost back in the Stamford-based Promotion. However, recently, Corey Graves took to his Twitter account to clear the air about using the quote during his commentary and whether it was a reference to Punk or not.

The WWE commentator suggested that fans should watch 'The Usual Suspects,' which is a mystery action film. This suggests that Corey Graves used the quote from this movie rather than picking it up from CM Punk's previous promos.

However, it's interesting to note that this is not the first time WWE has used Punk's ROH promos to drop potential hints. In the latest edition of Monday Night RAW, Michael Cole also made a significant reference to the old Ring of Honor promos of the 'Best in the World' when he was in a segment with the Visionary.

The common theme among all these hints is that they are usually dropped with some sort of connection to Rollins. It will be interesting to see how things unfold and whether Punk will make his return to WWE or not.

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Cody Rhodes made the first reference to CM Punk amid returning rumors

Cody Rhodes was the one who initially made a reference to the 'Best in the World' catchphrase on the Red brand amid rumors of CM Punk's potential WWE return. The American Nightmare used the catchphrase 'Best in the World' during his promo while referring to Jey Uso as one of the Best in the World. This happened when Rhodes and Sami Zayn were trying to convince Kevin Owens of Jey Uso's loyalty to them.

Since then, the company has dropped hints during Seth Rollins' segments. All these sudden references and hints seem to be intentional on the part of the Stamford-based Promotion.

If Punk is indeed returning to WWE, then Survivor Series this year, being held in Chicago, could be the ideal location.

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