5 Things WWE Subtly told us on SmackDown: No SummerSlam plans for top champion, former Royal Rumble winner set to return after nearly 3 months?

Welcome to the penultimate edition of things WWE subtly told us on SmackDown before SummerSlam. We're just a week away from the second-biggest show of the year, and a lot has happened.

Of course, the biggest news was Vince McMahon's retirement as well as Brock Lesnar's reported walk-out. There is a lot to cover on that alone, but we will be focusing exclusively on what happened on SmackDown this week and what was subtly told to us:

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#5. Does Shinsuke Nakamura's loss on SmackDown mean no plans for Gunther at SummerSlam?

This week on SmackDown, Ludwig Kaiser faced Shinsuke Nakamura in a rematch. Although the latter had already beaten him before, the match was booked again, and this time, Kaiser won with some help from the Intercontinental Champion.

Gunther has felt like the most important Intercontinental Champion in at least six years, and many hope that he will be the one to bring legitimacy back to the title. One major issue, however, is that the title hasn't been defended on a premium live event since WrestleMania 37 in April 2021.

It's been over a year now, and given that Kaiser won, it could potentially mean that there are no plans for the top champion Gunther at SummerSlam.

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#4. Is WWE still unsure of which direction to go for Liv Morgan vs. Ronda Rousey?

The Liv Morgan-Ronda Rousey feud is an interesting one. It certainly isn't the most intense feud you will see, but it's clear that Liv Morgan is still in the infancy of her championship run.

Her promos and character have been improving, and there is a fire inside of her that is showing every week. However, from how the feud is being booked, WWE still seems indecisive over who will walk out as the SmackDown Women's Champion at SummerSlam.

It's possible that the Grand Slam Champion and former Royal Rumble winner Charlotte Flair could return to interfere and protect Liv Morgan and Ronda Rousey.

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#3. Will Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre finally happen?

While Sheamus made it seem like he would face Drew McIntyre on this SmackDown, he pushed the bout to next week - one day before SummerSlam 2022. We're not sure why the match isn't happening at SummerSlam itself.

Anyway, just for context, Sheamus challenged McIntyre to the first-ever "Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook" match. There are no rules, except one - that swords aren't allowed.

It should be a fun bout, and this will likely be the conclusion of the Sheamus-McIntyre feud as the latter gets ready to challenge Roman Reigns (or Brock Lesnar or Theory) at Clash at The Castle.

This was just WWE telling us that we have to wait another week to get the blow-off match.

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#2. Are the Street Profits closing in on the gold?

The Street Profits were in the second segment and main event of SmackDown this week. More often than not, they have been on the winning end against The Usos - except when it matters the most.

The feud has been filled with controversial finishes and victories. This week, they were in the main event as they teamed up with Madcap Moss against Theory and The Usos - and there has been an increasing indication that they will be the ones to dethrone the undisputed tag team champions.

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#1. What is happening with Brock Lesnar?

There has been a lot of confusion regarding the Brock Lesnar situation, and understandably so. The narrative before SmackDown was that he walked out due to Vince McMahon's retirement announcement, only to shock fans when he appeared after the main event.

While the reactions made it seem as though the reports were wrong, take a look at how the segment and finish were crafted. It's clear that the information about the walk-out isn't entirely false and that WWE likely had to talk him into returning.

The fact that it fitted so nicely in the end, makes us believe that WWE had this planned as a backup if he arrived again.