WWE Rumor Roundup: Surprise twist in Brock Lesnar's return, Vince McMahon disliked released star's gimmick and more – 18th June 2021

Welcome to today's WWE Rumor Roundup, where we take a look at the top stories of the day. Hell In A Cell is just a few hours away, and we are set for a few last-minute changes.

With Roman Reigns taking on Rey Mysterio tonight on SmackDown, the Tribal Chief will likely have a new opponent at Hell In A Cell on Sunday. We do have some spoilers on the pay-per-view, but that is on the final slide of this article.

Before we get to all that, we have one former WWE star taking a shot at WWE management, Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley ready to face RAW Superstar at SummerSlam, and more.

Let's kick things off with the headliner-makers of the day:

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Vince McMahon disliked released WWE star's gimmick

Former WWE Superstar Wesley Blake has revealed Vince McMahon disliked his cowboy gimmick. The former NXT tag-team champion adds that the WWE Chairman is not a fan of the cowboy gimmick as he thinks it is overdone.

While speaking to John Poz on the Two Man Power Trip Podcast, Blake claims he started with the cowboy gimmick in WWE at some house shows and early on TV. However, he was asked to chuck it straight away and he had to start fresh. He said:

"When I got there, we were of course just trying to get on NXT TV. Once I started doing house shows as the cowboy, I started to get a little bit of TV as the cowboy, but then they told me, 'Listen, you're gonna have to drop the cowboy. Vince doesn't like cowboy gimmicks. He thinks they're overdone, so you're gonna have to start doing something else.'"

The end of the cowboy gimmick did do wonders for Wesley Blake as he went on to team up with Buddy Murphy. The duo won the NXT tag-team championship in 2015 and held the title for 205 days. He added:

"I started trying to think of something else character-wise and it just so happened I was walking through the PC and Matt Bloom was teaching a class and he calls me over," Blake said. "He goes, 'Hey, have you ever thought about tagging?' I was like, 'Of course, I love tag team wrestling. That's kind of my thing.' He goes, 'Have you ever thought about tagging with Buddy Murphy?' I said, 'Yeah, I'd love to.' So he was like, 'Well, I'll just put that out there."

Wesley Blake was released in April this year and is yet to decide on his future.

Brock Lesnar's WWE return delayed?

It was almost a given that Brock Lesnar would be returning at SummerSlam this year. Multiple reports from various outlets have hinted at the former WWE champion making his return with WWE Universe.

However, according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the chances of Brock Lesnar returning at SummerSlam are slim. Instead, the journalist believes the Beast Incarnate could return for the Saudi Arabian pay-per-view later this year. He said:

"While there are a lot of rumors regarding the return of Lesnar, as of 6/15 there was no deal for him to return imminently. Of course it always could happen especially with the Saudi show late in the year and next year's Mania. SummerSlam would also make sense but right now that's still not anything agreed to nor expected at this point."

Brock Lesnar has not been on WWE TV ever since he dropped the title to Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 36.

Reports suggested Brock Lesnar would be going after Bobby Lashley after his return to the ring. While some reports suggest Roman Reigns is also a possible opponent, the Tribal Chief is expected to face another returning WWE legend, John Cena.

Bobby Lashley faces Drew McIntyre at Hell In A Cell while Roman Reigns goes up against Rey Mysterio inside Hell In A Cell on SmackDown.

Wade Barrett takes shot at former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre

Wade Barrett is still angry about WWE's decision not to make him the champion during his stint in the company. The winner of the first-ever NXT season believes he should have become the first British WWE champion.

While speaking with WWE India, Wade Barrett added he felt bad for the WWE fans from Great Britain. He claims he does not feel bad for not winning the championship and believes it is a disgrace that Drew McIntyre is the first-ever WWE Champion from the UK. He said:

"A lot of people got very excited when he became the first-ever British WWE Champion. For me, it is an absolute disgrace. It is an outrage. Everybody on the planet knows it should have been me quite clearly. I had plenty of opportunities that were taken away from me, but ultimately, it's not me I feel bad for. I'm not worried about me. I'm worried about the fans, the Great British fans of WWE."

"It's the fans who were cheated. So clearly there should be protests, there should be riots, there should be bedlam and it's an absolute disgrace that Drew McIntyre will forever be the first ever WWE Champion from The Great Britain."

Wade Barrett is currently the voice of NXT, while Drew McIntyre is set to battle Bobby Lashley at Hell In A Cell on Sunday.

Bobby Lashley ready to squash WWE RAW Superstar at SummerSlam

Bobby Lashley has jokingly claimed he would squash Damian Priest. The WWE Champion was talking to Sportskeeda in an exclusive interview when he made the claim.

The All Mighty was discussing possible SummerSlam opponents with Sportskeeda's own Rick Ucchino when Damian Priest was thrown into the light. The WWE Champion said:

"Oh, you want me to have a squash match at SummerSlam? And I know if he sees this, I'm not saying that. No, he is awesome. I like what he's done so far, and I like his fight style, man. You know, I hate everybody when I get my hands on them when I'm in a feud, but I have to at least appreciate the things that they've done. And since he's been here, he's been on fire and big guy, he has some good stuff. I like his fighting. I know he has a martial arts background, so that's always a fun one to get into. And I know if we did tango, I think it would be fun. We'll see...We'll see!"

Before Bobby Lashley starts thinking of SummerSlam, he has to take care of Drew McIntyre once again. They face each other at Hell In A Cell this Sunday and there is a spoiler for it on the next page!

Spoilers for WWE Hell In A Cell

WWE Hell In A Cell takes place this Sunday, and the card is all but ready. Roman Reigns was supposed to take on Rey Mysterio at the pay-per-view, but that match takes place on SmackDown today.

A new opponent for the WWE Universal Champion at Hell In A Cell could be revealed today, and that will be the final match added to the card.

We already have some spoilers for the pay-per-view coming in from Cageside Seats. Their report suggests WWE is not planning any title changes at Hell In A Cell, and all champions are expected to walk out victorious.

"No titles are expected to change hands this weekend at Hell in a Cell."

The report falls in line with some SummerSlam updates as current champion Roman Reigns is reportedly facing John Cena. Jon Alba of Spectrum Sports reported:

"I can confirm, after speaking with multiple sources, Roman Reigns vs. John Cena is the targeted main event at this moment,"

As mentioned earlier in the article, Bobby Lashley is expected to face Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam, but Dave Meltzer claims that is still not confirmed.