Brock Lesnar and his return to UFC is what the entire sports world is talking about. Lesnar went on to give a very insightful interview on ESPN last week and made it clear that he has some unfinished business in the octagon. While this dominated the major part of the headlines in both the wrestling and MMA circuits, there were some other headlines that made us wonder a thing or two.
WWE will be apparently cashing in on the Brock Lesnar situation to get in a UFC star for SummerSlam and they have their eyes on one as well. There were rumors about new recruits for NXT as well and much more. Here is a look at all the top rumors and their implications on the WWE landscape.
WWE possibly signing two big Indy names
The NXT roster is expected to be raided big time due to the brand split and WWE is apparently signing up many wrestlers to compensate for the same. Names like Eric Young and Bobby Roode are expected to feature regularly for NXT after the brand split and apart from this, WWE is looking into major independent stars as well.
One among that is Moose, whose contract with Ring of Honor recently came to an end. Tommy End, a Dutch superstar is also in WWE’s radar alongside Roderick Strong. End has apparently penned the signature already and could feature from September onwards.
Plans for AJ Styles – John Cena
The AJ Styles vs. John Cena feud is hands down the most talked about feud in the current WWE roster. Things elevated due to the promo that Cena and AJ pulled off this past week on Raw and now that AJ has made it clear that ‘Cena buries guys like AJ’, the fans are eager to see WWE crossing the limits and making AJ the next CM Punk.
The current plan is to let the AJ Styles vs. John Cena feud to run through two more pay-per-view and it might also get featured at SummerSlam. If it does stretch all the way to SummerSlam, then it would be the blow off match between these two with some huge stipulation in place.
Teddy Long, Daniel Bryan and CM Punk
This is actually the combination of three rumors as all three felt important but at the same time, didn’t have much information to have their own slide. First of all, Teddy Long made a surprise return to action this week and though it was a feel good moment, he is not expected to stay around any longer. There is no plans going forward for him.
Daniel Bryan, meanwhile, was at backstage during the NXT tapings recently and it is rumored that he will still be working with WWE in some capacity. Last but not the least, CM Punk is expected to make his UFC debut sometime in August and UFC is apparently coming up with a documentary for the same. It would be interesting to see whether WWE gets a mention in the documentary.
WWE and UFC to cooperate
Brock Lesnar appearing at UFC 200 is going to make the relationship between UFC and WWE quite interesting. Lesnar, who is still contracted with WWE is expected to return for SummerSlam after UFC 200 and as a result, UFC could promote SummerSlam at their UFC 202 show, which is just a night before SummerSlam. Also, UFC 202 will be headlined by Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz, so it’s going to be great for WWE.
Apart from this, expect WWE to promote Lesnar’s appearance at UFC as well. They might not go on to make a lot of mentions on Monday Night Raw, but expect a few just so that WWE doesn’t look like they were grounded by the star power of Lesnar.
Paige Van Zant targeted for SummerSlam
Now that Brock Lesnar will be performing for UFC while being under a WWE contract, the latter is expected to get an UFC contracted fighter anytime in the future. Ronda Rousey is one name that’s being discussed for WrestleMania 33, but apparently, WWE is also interested in bringing in Paige Van Zant for SummerSlam as she recently rose into mainstream attention due to her appearance in the Dancing with the Stars reality show.
While this is one theory that exists, some even suggests that Lesnar appearing at UFC 200 is a direct result of Rousey’s appearance at WrestleMania 31 which means that we cannot expect anymore UFC stars in WWE once this is over.
