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With only a couple of days left for WWE's next big pay-per-view SummerSlam, the excitement in the air is almost palpable amongst the WWE Universe! Reports, betting odds, rumours regarding who will win this Sunday, what is in store next for some Superstars and what direction the storylines will take after SummerSlam are making the rounds amongst the pro wrestling community.
With a total of 13 matches set to take place - 3 on the preshow and 10 on the main show - the pay-per-view is set be one of the longest ones this year and will definitely set the tone for the months to follow. Every major Championship is on the line, and by the look of things, fans might witness numerous title changes at the event.
This past week, Raw made for an exciting watch - the biggest talking point of the show being the long-awaited return of Dean Ambrose, while SmackDown Live was quite disappointing in spite of being the last stop before the 'Biggest party of the Summer'.
With all that in mind, let us round up the biggest rumours of the week in the world of WWE. Needless to say, spoilers ahead. Watch this space every Friday for this feature.
#5 Top star possibly injured at Live Event
SmackDown Live Superstar - the Perfect 10 - Tye Dillinger reportedly suffered an injury a few days ago while working a match against Shelton Benjamin at a house show in Florence, South Carolina. Dillinger reportedly was on the top rope, ready to execute an aerial manoeuvre, when Benjamin hit him with a Flying knee. Dillinger immediately fell to the floor and the referee was reportedly spotted signalling backstage about the injury with the infamous 'X' sign.
The SmackDown Live Superstar was replaced on subsequent house shows and has not been seen in action since. While all these signs point to a pretty serious injury, the nature or extent of it is currently unknown.
Dillinger has been one of the more talented Superstars on blue brand for whom creative seem to have no storyline or direction in mind whatsoever. Hopefully he'll be able to make a comeback soon and in a significant way.
#4 Continued speculation regarding the contract status of Daniel Bryan and Rey Mysterio
Amongst the most common topics of speculation that have been doing the rounds since a few months, the contract status of Rey Mysterio and Daniel Bryan with the WWE, have always made the list and it looks like we still do not have a solid answer to these questions.
According to the latest report by Wrestling Observer, Bryan and WWE have reached an agreement on most key issues but the former World Champion is yet to officially sign the dotted lines. Bryan himself has come out to say that it is indeed very likely that he will stay on in the WWE, and by the looks of it, fans can rest assured that he isn't going anywhere.
In other news, Mysterio's full time return to the WWE has been the topic of discussion ever since he made a one-off return earlier this year at the Royal Rumble. However, as we reported just yesterday, Northeast Wrestling have put out a statement on their Facebook page saying that the Luchador will not be appearing for their promotion in spite of being announced earlier, due to a 'contractual situation' with WWE. Does this mean Mysterio could return as early as SummerSlam? Maybe!
#3 Future plans for Dean Ambrose
Ever since reports emerged that the Lunatic Fringe was ready to get back in the ring, an additional detail regarding his return that has emerged is that he would be making his long-awaited return as a heel. However, last week on Raw, Ambrose returned to action more or less as a babyface, in order to help his former Shield brother Seth Rollins.
If he is indeed set to turn heel in the near future, fans can expect to see Ambrose turn his back on Rollins this Sunday. However, a conflicting report regarding what is next for Ambrose has emerged as well.
An advertisement for WWE's next PPV - Hell in a Cell - has emerged, which shows the Lunatic Fringe teaming up with Seth Rollins to take on Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre. Perhaps HIAC is where Ambrose is set to turn into a full fledged heel? Fans just have to wait and watch!
#2 Staying or leaving?
One of biggest questions among the WWE Universe, heading into SummerSlam, is what is next for the Beast Incarnate after the pay-per-view. It was initially believed that Lesnar would lose his title at WrestleMania 34 and leave for the UFC; when that did not happen, fans were almost sure that the Greatest Royal RUmble would be Reigns' crowning moment, but WWE surprised the fans yet again at Saudi Arabia.
Once again heading into SummerSlam, the winner of the match is almost unpredictable. However a recent report emerged about how the Universal Champion is slated to have a backstage meeting mere hours before his SummerSlam match and it is obvious that this meeting would finalize the outcome of the match.
Will Reigns finally have his moment? Is this the last time we will see the Beast Incarnate inside a WWE ring? Will we see Lesnar win again, and indeed show up in UFC with it? Nobody can say! However, there is one more possibility..
#1 Huge spoiler for SummerSlam
As mentioned earlier an advertisement for Hell in a Cell is being circulated online, which supposedly shows Kevin Owens taking on Roman Reigns in a Singles match. Though the ad does not mention the Universal Title, at this point it seems like a huge possibility.
This is mostly due to the fact that Kevin Owens has a chance to win the MITB briefcase from Braun Strowman and SummerSlam, and if he does end up winning it, WWE might have him cash in on the same night. Currently, the only logical storyline possible between Owens and Reigns is if he is able to cash in on The Big Dog after Reigns wins the Title from Brock Lesnar.
This is not set in stone, however, as WWE has a lot of time going ahead to change any current plans for the Universal Title.
Kevin Owens winning the Universal Title does seem like an exciting prospect! Do you agree? Let us know in the comments below.
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