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Welcome to our daily edition of the rumor round up where we put together all the biggest stories from the dirt sheets in one convenient location. The Undertaker was the most talked-about name today as speculation regarding his new contract with the WWE has been the biggest highlight.
That, and many more exciting details from the rumor mills regarding SummerSlam, the brand split and CM Punk's status have been included in today's round-up.
So let's get down to business.
#1. Fresh SummerSlam feuds, the identity of Roman Reigns' attacked
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Goldberg vs. Dolph Ziggler has already been discussed extensively for SummerSlam, but that is not the only surprising contest that could make the biggest card of the summer.
WWE has planned a few other matches for the show that would certainly catch the fans off guard.
The most newsworthy bout that has been doing the rounds is Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE plans on introducing Daniel Bryan as The Big Dog's mystery attacker.
Aleister Black vs. Sami Zayn is another match that is being touted to feature on the SummerSlam card. Drew Gulak is expected to put the Cruiserweight title on the line against Oney Lorcan. Drew McIntyre and Cedric Alexander could also be involved in a singles match.
The Women's Tag Team titles could be an 8-woman tag team match featuring the champions, The IIconics, against Nikki Cross & Alexa Bliss, The Kabuki Warriors and Sonya Deville & Mandy Rose. As expected, WWE has also lined up a few segments and angles featuring the 24/7 Championship.
Meanwhile, some rumours suggest Reigns will be taking on Samoa Joe at SummerSlam and the feud with Daniel Bryan will begin after the SummerSlam pay-per-view is done.
#2. Matt Riddle spoils major SummerSlam return
The King of Bros is legitimately obsessed with Goldberg. Matt Riddle never misses out on the opportunity to take a shot at the former Universal Champion and has consistently criticised Goldberg for not being the brightest of in-ring workers.
Riddle's latest mention of Goldberg, though, could be a proper spoiler. As we had reported earlier via the Wrestling Observer, Goldberg is all set to return and face Dolph Ziggler at SummerSlam. However, Ziggler is currently scheduled to face The Miz at the PPV, which has been termed as a red herring.
Riddle took Twitter and demanded that he be added to the Goldberg vs. Ziggler match, which would turn it to a Triple Threat bout.
We're not sure how the WWE Management may have reacted to Riddle's tweet but the NXT Superstar could have at least waited for the WWE to confirm the same.
#3. AEW talents upset with CM Punk's comments
CM Punk was recently interviewed by ESPN's Marc Raimondi and there were a few quotes from the Former WWE Superstar that didn't go down well with some of the AEW employees.
Punk spilt the beans regarding a text message offer he received to join AEW around a month ago. The former WWE Champion made it clear that he has no intention to get back to wrestling and that he was prepared for the AEW speculation that would arise as soon as he accepted the offer to headline Starrcast.
On the August 5th edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer stated that some people in AEW are not happy with the situation as they were under the impression that the company were 'dealing up-front' in business with Punk.
Meltzer noted on the Newsletter:
"Some in AEW were upset about the quotes, nothing that they felt they were dealing up-front in business with him and felt that when people in the company have asked about Punk coming, they’ve always been honest, nothing they were interested but that Punk had expressed no interest, but that Matt Jackson and he were in contact. Khan and Cody have also been in contact at times and there was a feeling this interview implied when Khan would say he has a great relationship with Punk but it’s up to Punk whether he comes, that he’s exaggerating things. The reality is that Punk hasn’t responded to the idea of opening up talks, and that’s as far as it had gone at the time of the interview."
#4. WWE to revert to a proper brand split from October
It's a universally popular opinion that the Wildcard Rule has complicated the entire Brand Split scenario. With Superstars freely moving from brand to brand every week, it did feel like WWE was slowly bringing an end to the split. However, that may not be the case.
As reported by Sportskeeda's Tom Colohue on July 30th, WWE intends on quietly wrapping up the Wildcard rule. The report has been given another boost as Dave Meltzer confirmed on the latest edition of the Newsletter that the company plans on going back to split rosters in October.
Meltzer added that both rosters will have separate storylines and barring a few minor shifts and changes, both brands will have dedicated lineups that pretty much look the same as they are right now.
Paul Heyman's Raw and Eric Bischoff's SmackDown Live will have fresh angles and will most likely not overlap each other. Promising!
#5. The Undertaker's new contract
Get used to seeing The Undertaker in the WWE for as long as he's breathing as The Deadman may have just signed a lifelong contract with Vince McMahon's company.
As revealed by on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the Phenom just signed a new deal that could prevent him from ever appearing for any other promotion apart from the WWE.
The new deal Undertaker signed, while not exactly a lifetime contract, is so long that for all intents and purposes it is.
After a botched outing against Goldberg at WWE Super ShowDown, Undertaker returned for a redeeming performance at Extreme Rules in which he teamed up with Roman Reigns to defeat Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre.
It's odd that WWE chose to have Undertaker for Extreme Rules but have not yet hinted at his involvement or the biggest show of the summer - SummerSlam. Undertaker was initially advertised to take on Drew McIntyre at the show but that does not seem to be the case anymore.
Whether he wrestles at SummerSlam or not, The Undertaker is set to be in the WWE in some capacity for a very long time.
