WWE Spoilers: Hulk Hogan reportedly spotted at Smackdown tapings, plus more potential heat on Ryback

Rumors of Hulk Hogan's return to WWE in time for WrestleMania 30 have swirled almost nonstop for months to the point where reports indicated that his comeback was all but confirmed save for signing on the dotted line. If a recent report is true, the Hulkster's return could be closer than ever.

Wrestlezone.com received word that a source close to the site spotted Hogan backstage at the Friday Night Smackdown tapings on Tuesday night. Reportedly, Hogan said hello to a few people but refused to take any pictures.

It's extremely unlikely that Hogan would appear on Smackdown, as WWE would save his return for a bigger show such as Raw, the Royal Rumble or even WrestleMania 30 itself. But Hogan could have been backstage to meet with Triple H and/or other management to continue working on a deal for WrestleMania.

More Backstage Heat on Ryback?

PWInsider.com reports that Ryback has garnered backstage heat yet again after he injured Dolph Ziggler during the Superstars taping prior to Monday Night Raw in Baltimore earlier this week. Ryback nailed Ziggler with a stiff clothesline and the latter suffered a concussion that will probably force him to take time off again.

Reports in the past few months have conflicted with regard to Ryback's standing backstage. Some said he would actually be off the main roster soon, others said he was buried in a production meeting, while still others insisted that any notion of his being "unsafe" to work with was false.

During Old School Raw this week, Ryback did commentary on the match between Curtis Axel and WWE Intercontinental Champion Big E. Langston and poked fun at Lillian Garcia. Ryback said his voice was hoarse because he had been hanging out with her, which is supposedly a running joke between Triple H and other WWE management that goes back for years. Some have speculated that Ryback made the joke to try to ingratiate himself to management.