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Welcome to another edition of the WWE Rumor Roundup, where we try and bring the biggest rumors and backstage stories from the world of WWE. In today's edition, we will take a detailed look at the ongoing feud between John Cena and Roman Reigns.
The two men are set to face each other at SummerSlam. The two men verbally tore each other apart on SmackDown this past week. Cena showed once again why he is one of the best on the microphone and The Big Dog also managed to hold his own against the 16-time World Champion.
So without any further ado, let us dive in and take a look at some of the most interesting rumors related to WWE:
#5 WWE wants to 'refine' Keith Lee
Keith Lee returned to WWE a few weeks back after being absent for months. Lee had revealed that he battled COVID-19 and heart problems, before he was cleared to make his in-ring return to WWE RAW.
Lee has received a mixed booking ever since he returned. The Limitless One was last seen on RAW when he beat Karrion Kross on the 8/2 episode of RAW. However, as of late Lee has been doing dark matches before RAW and SmackDown. He has defeated Austin Theory, Chico Adams, Niles Plonk and Casey Blackrose so far.
PWInsider has revealed that management wants to 'refine' and repackage Keith Lee and see what works for the former NXT Champion:
PWInsider reports that the short squash matches were booked because WWE management wants to “refine” Lee and decide what works best for him going forward.
Before Lee's hiatus from WWE, it was reported that he was in contention to become the US Champion. It will be interesting to see how WWE book Keith Lee. It is possible that WWE wants Keith Lee to work the 'monster' style given that he is being put in squash matches recently.
#4 AJ Styles wants a run in WWE NXT?
NXT Superstar Samoa Joe has insinuated that former WWE Champion AJ Styles is keen on having a run in NXT. Speaking to SportsMattersTV, Samoa Joe alleged that Styles has told people backstage that he wants to have a stint in NXT.
''And he’s always expressed to people that he’d love to do a little stint in NXT, come over and have some fun so, like I said, in this chaotic world, no one knows what the future holds," said Joe.
AJ Styles bypassed the NXT route when he joined WWE by making his debut in the Royal Rumble match and heading straight to the main roster. Styles is a former 2-time WWE Champion and currently holds the RAW Tag Team Championships along with Omos.
With Finn Balor back on SmackDown, NXT would certainly benefit from someone like AJ Styles having a stint in the black and gold brand. Although it is being rumored that NXT will focus more on young talent going forward, a program with AJ Styles would help boost the careers of any NXT superstar.
#3 NXT to go back to being a taped show?
There are reports claiming NXT will tape three weeks of episodes after TakeOver 36. Dave Meltzer, of the Wrestling Observer, has said there has been talk of permanently moving NXT to be a taped show in order to cut costs.
Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer said there’s been lots of talk at WWE about permanently moving NXT back to a taped format as a cost-saving measure
However, Andrew Zarian of Mat Men has said that USA Network is not on board with the idea and they want NXT to remain a live show.
#2 WWE's plans for John Cena and Roman Reigns' SummerSlam feud
The Universal Champion Roman Reigns and his challenger John Cena verbally bashed each other this week on WWE SmackDown. WrestleVotes has reported that the plan behind the segment was to build more hype for the SummerSlam match between the two former WWE Champions.
Source in creative said an objective for tonight’s SmackDown was to really amp up the rivalry between Reigns & Cena. The match will sell itself on names alone, but some feel the build has been lackluster.
The segment saw both men taking some personal digs at each other. Though Cena outshined The Tribal Chief during their promo battle, Reigns played the role of an arrogant heel with great panache.
#1 Who was responsible for the promo battle between Cena and Reigns?
Dave Meltzer revealed that Roman Reigns and John Cena were given considerable freedom by WWE to build their promos, and there was no script given to the iconic superstars.
Fightful reported that Jamie Noble was the producer for the iconic promo battle between Cena and Reigns on SmackDown. It was also revealed that Paul Heyman also had a big role to play.
"Jamie Noble produced the opening segment that featured John Cena and Roman Reigns or at least was listed as such. It’s worth noting that Paul Heyman has also had heavy influence over Reigns’ stories, and Reigns and Cena have a significant more amount of freedom over their segments than most."
John Cena will challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at SummerSlam on August 21 2021.
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