Undertaker Talks CM Punk; WWE Hall of Fame Rumors; Mercedes Moné Wants Bayley Match

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

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Undertaker Says He Enjoyed Working with CM Punk

CM Punk is among the most controversial figures in professional wrestling, but The Undertaker indicated this week that he never had any issues with the former WWE and AEW world champion.

Appearing on Inside The Ropes, The Undertaker discussed his relationship with Punk and what it was like working with him at WrestleMania 29:

"He was great to work with," Taker said. "I'm very proud of that match. We sat down and we thought about ideas and everything, it was great. I had no beef with Punk. He was always business with me and hopefully I was with him."

The Deadman acknowledged hearing rumors about him having problems with Punk, but he shot them down definitively, noting that he liked Punk and always did good business with him.

Shortly after Punk's 434-day reign as WWE champion came to an end at the 2013 Royal Rumble, he was booked into a rivalry with The Undertaker leading up to WrestleMania 29.

At the time, Taker's WrestleMania undefeated streak was still intact, and Punk was looking to become the first person to hand him a loss on the Grandest Stage of Them All.

Punk scored several near-falls in what was one of the best WrestleMania matches of The Undertaker's career, but The Phenom ultimately prevailed.

That would prove to be Punk's final WrestleMania match, as he left WWE after the 2014 Royal Rumble and didn't return to wrestling until signing with AEW in 2021.

As for Taker, he worked several more years on a part-time basis before retiring and then getting inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame last year.

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WWE Reportedly Considering Referee for HOF Induction

For the first time ever, WWE reportedly may be set to induct a referee into its Hall of Fame.

According to PWInsider.com (h/t WrestlingInc's Matthew Wilkinson), there has been some discussion about a referee being part of the 2023 Hall of Fame class, although it isn't clear who the inductee would be.

The only hint given is that the ref is "widely beloved" by people within the wrestling business.

If WWE decides to go with an active referee, Charles Robinson would likely be the best choice. Robinson is WWE's senior official, having been with the company since 2001. He also officiated in WCW from 1997 to 2001 previously.

There are also a couple of semi-retired referees who would make sense in Earl Hebner and Mike Chioda.

Hebner is arguably the most famous pro wrestling referee of all time because of his longevity and his role in the Montreal Screwjob involving Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series 1997.

Hebner officiated in WWE from 1988 to 2005 and then had a lengthy run with Impact Wrestling as well from 2006 to 2017.

Chioda spent over 30 years as a WWE referee from 1989 until his release from the company in 2020, making him the longest-tenured ref ever in WWE.

While WWE typically doesn't give referees much attention from an on-screen perspective, they are paramount in the success of the company and undoubtedly deserve some representation in the Hall of Fame.

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Moné Wants to Wrestle Bayley Again

Mercedes Moné is the reigning IWGP women's champion for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, but she still has a desire to get back in the ring with one of her longtime friends from WWE.

During a Q&A session at Planet Comicon (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), Mercedes named Bayley as the person she most wants to wrestle again, saying: "Of course my girl Bayley, I'm not done with her yet. I love her, I think she's amazing."

The former Sasha Banks officially left WWE at the start of 2023 and signed a deal with NJPW, leading to her debut at Wrestle Kingdom.

In her first NJPW match, Mercedes beat Kairi for the IWGP women's title at Battle in the Valley last month.

Although she is champion, Moné's New Japan run could be brief, as she has no dates left on her contract beyond the Yokohama Arena show on April 23, per Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News).

Meltzer speculated that Mercedes may drop the title to Mayu Iwatani at that show, although she could retain if she signs an extension.

If the contract does expire next month, however, it would open the door for Mercedes to sign with another promotion like AEW or perhaps even return to WWE.

Under the Banks moniker, Moné established herself as one of the greatest female Superstars in WWE history, becoming a five-time Raw women's champion, one-time SmackDown women's champion, one-time NXT women's champion and three-time WWE women's tag team champion.

Mercedes had no shortage of classic moments both as an opponent and ally to Bayley, and there is a large portion of the pro wrestling fan base that would unquestionably love to see them link up again.

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