WWE Rumor Roundup - 25-time champion returning to the ring at SummerSlam, Rhea Ripley's future after brain injury, Major star's backstage power

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Welcome back to Sportskeeda Wrestling's daily WWE Rumor Roundup, where we compile all the top stories from the dirt sheets.

With SummerSlam just around the corner, it seems like one of the greatest superstars of this generation is all set to make his in-ring return at the premium live event. We also have updates on his reported opponent.

Rhea Ripley has been in the news ever since she was pulled from Money in the Bank due to a brain injury. The WWE Rumor Roundup has all the backstage notes regarding her status and future. We wrapped up today's lineup of rumors with a promising update on Triple H's new role in the company.

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#1. John Cena's SummerSlam opponent revealed

The upcoming episode of Monday Night RAW will mark the return of John Cena to celebrate his 20th anniversary in the promotion.

As revealed by Dave Meltzer, John Cena will make his in-ring comeback at SummerSlam. The 16-time world champion is reportedly slated to face Theory, and WWE expects Cena's match to boost ticket sales for the biggest event of the summer.

It was noted that WWE would only begin "heavily promoting" John Cena's next match after July 2nd, and the current plan is for him to go up against the reigning United States Champion.

Here's what was reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

"What will be more notable is after the announcement of the expected John Cena vs. Theory will Cena provide the extra box office magic for this show that he did for Raw this week in Laredo, TX for his return. In addition, the heavy promotion doesn't start until after 7/2," said Dave Meltzer

John Cena's last televised match happened at last year's SummerSlam, where he lost to Roman Reigns in a match for the Universal Championship. The leader of Cenation is one of the biggest draws in WWE history, and his feud with Theory will receive a lot of attention heading into SummerSlam.

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#2. Update on Rhea Ripley's brain injury

Rhea Ripley was removed from the Money in the Bank card as reports surfaced that she'd suffered a "brain injury."

Dave Meltzer recently provided some clarity on her status and revealed that the former RAW Women's Champion is expected to be back fairly soon. It's well-known that talents have been told not to go public if they get a concussion or test positive for COVID-19.

It was stated that Ripley is most likely suffering from a concussion, which explains why WWE has been secretive about her injury.

"The brain injury, likely a concussion, must be significant because people often come back in a week, but apparently it was significant enough that they knew that wasn't going to happen," revealed Meltzer.

Rhea Ripley was originally scheduled to face Bianca Belair at MITB before the injury setback forced the creative team to bring Carmella into the title picture instead. Ripley has been quite active on social media during her time off and should ideally be wrestling sooner rather than later.

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#3. Triple H reportedly has more power backstage in WWE after getting a more significant role

Triple H took a much-needed hiatus last year to undergo treatment for his serious heart condition. The latest news on his backstage standing within the promotion is incredibly positive as Triple H seems to have more power since his return.

Meltzer revealed on Wrestling Observer Radio that the retired superstar has received a bigger role but didn't disclose what it meant for the company moving forward.

Triple H's return to prominence behind the scenes has nothing to do with the investigation against Vince McMahon, and the timing seems to be a coincidence. As we had reported earlier, Triple H addressed the talent at the Performance Center, and there is a sense of optimism as he is pretty well-liked across the board.

"There had been talk before any of this went down with Vince McMahon that Levesque was going to back in a bigger role shortly so this is likely not related to the investigation, although the timing would indicate the time of this move could be related in some form," wrote the Wrestling Observer journalist.

Stephanie McMahon is presently the interim CEO and has already had a positive impact on the company's operations. Triple H taking up a more important role could potentially hint towards the beginning of a new regime, but we'll have to wait and see whether it affects the creative direction.