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With the arrival of Monday comes a new week in wrestling. There are seven hours of normal programming, but this will be a bigger week than most, with the build to SummerSlam picking up steam and a certain highly anticipated tournament set to begin.
Several big names have their futures up in the air, and this week will be decisive in seeing if they get a prominent role in one of the company's biggest shows and beyond that, how the company feels about them and their role in general.
So without further ado let's take a look at five big stars whose short and/or long-term futures this week will be decisive toward shaping.
#1 Asuka
Asuka's dreadful feud with Carmella and James Ellsworth has made for a dismal summer, both for her and women's wrestling in general. As a result, she might be left off the SummerSlam card altogether.
However, Charlotte Flair's addition to the SmackDown Women's title match last week opened the door as it's now a multi-woman affair and WWE loves getting as many big names on the cards of its big pay per views as possible.
Asuka is currently advertised to be facing Carmella on this week's SmackDown, leading to chatter that she'll be added to the SummerSlam match in the same way Becky and Charlotte were. The house show circuit, likewise, is advertising fatal 4 ways between Carmella, Becky, Charlotte, and Asuka.
It would be uncreative but would show some faith in her despite the atrocious angle.
Tuesday should give us some answers about Asuka's short and long-term future. She wouldn't win at SummerSlam (unfortunately, Carmella's abysmal reign will probably continue) but being put in the match would be a sign that there are still plans for her.
#2 Aleister Black
Though he'll probably appear on NXT this week the show is pre-taped. Aleister Black subsequently suffered an injury at an NXT house show. It couldn't have happened at a worse time, because he's scheduled to compete in the main event of NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, as part of a triple threat match with Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano for the NXT Championship.
The triple threat should be the best match of the summer, but Black's injury might derail those plans. It's too soon for Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano to have another singles match. So the entire angle, which has undoubtedly been the year's best, is in serious jeopardy.
Fortunately, the injury is supposedly minor and a reported three-week recovery time would give Black the green light right at show time.
We'd all be waiting with our fingers crossed for any updates this week.
#3 Drew McIntyre
Drew McIntyre has been tearing Raw up since his return to Monday nights this April, but he's yet to have a major pay per view match. Slowly but surely, he's establishing himself as a man apart from his alliance with Dolph Ziggler, but he's still been kept in reserve for the most part.
Might this be the week where we see bigger steps in his rise to the main event? Will Drew McIntyre somehow be added to the Intercontinental Championship match at SummerSlam, or will he get another match altogether?
With only two weeks left, we'll have to get some answers soon. If McIntyre is to be a major player in the company, leaving him off the SummerSlam card would be a bad sign.
#4 Io Shirai
Though SummerSlam will dominate the chatter, the second Mae Young Classic tournament will also tape this week. All rounds up to the finals, which will be held later at WWE Evolution, will take place between Wednesday and Thursday. As we've seen in the NXT women's division this year, the tournament has proven decisive in shaping the near-term programming on NXT and the long-term future of the women's division in WWE.
One of WWE's newest superstars, Io Shirai, has the most buzz heading into the tournament. If she's to make the most of it, she needs to get to the final and punch her ticket to Evolution on October 28th. If Io fails to do so this week, all the buzz about her arrival for the last year will have been wasted.
#5 Paul Heyman
Brock Lesnar turned on Paul Heyman last week. He's been spotted at promo classes in the Performance Center.
Though he's unlikely to appear on Raw tonight, all eyes will still be on him. What role will he play, if any, at SummerSlam? Will he get a new client? Might some kind of alliance with Roman Reigns happen? Will Roman Reigns give us a few clues tonight?
Paul Heyman will be a crucial ingredient in shaping Brock Lesnar's future and the future of the main event picture on Monday nights. We eagerly await answers.
