Paul Heyman just made a reference to the recent rape allegations levied against Shannon Sharpe ... all as he was live on the ESPN analyst's network.

The legendary WWE personality -- while chatting Monday on "The Pat McAfee Show" about how he betrayed CM Punk during a match at Night 1 of WrestleMania this weekend -- stated, "CM Punk does as much good to my reputation as Shannon Sharpe does to ESPN's."

When the crowd groaned ... he added, "Don’t 'ohhhh' me. I'm not the one getting sued."

Pat McAfee -- the show's host -- then quickly pivoted away from the conversation.

Sharpe, of course, was just sued on Sunday in Nevada ... by a woman -- ID'ed only as Jane Doe -- who alleged he raped her on multiple occasions after the two had gotten into a relationship in 2023.

Doe claimed after she attempted to break things off with him over infidelity, he forced himself on her -- once in October 2024, and then again in January 2025.

Sharpe has yet to comment on the allegations ... and neither have his bosses at ESPN.

The 56-year-old, though, was seen on the network on Monday -- doing his regular gig on "First Take" as news of the suit was spreading online.