The WWE rumor mill has been abuzz as usual, this past week. The brand split era is slowly progressing with positive feedback from the fans and things are expected to go into overdrive as we head closer to SummerSlam. This past week, one of the major topics of discussion was SummerSlam itself. The possible outcomes for the pay-per-view and the path that WWE is planning to choose afterward found a place in the rumor mill.
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The details about Paul Heyman’s contract negotiations and Nikki Bella’s future also featured. There were mentions about WWE’s plans to introduce new championships to SmackDown as well. Here is a complete rundown on all these major rumors and their predictions.
If Nikki Bella returns
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Nikki Bella was recently cleared to train and she is expected to be monitored closely. The results from this phase will be analyzed by WWE to decide whether they could let Nikki wrestle again. And if she gets cleared, Nikki will be placed in SmackDown.
The rumors suggest that Nikki would be the face of Women’s division in SmackDown but she will only be wrestling in a lighter schedule compared to the schedule she had before the injury. With the shallowness of SmackDown’s women’s division exposed recently and WWE looking to bring in a new Women’s championship to the brand, the return of an experienced performer like Nikki would be a big boost for the company.
Strong in, Slater out
Heath Slater’s ‘Hottest free agent’ angle is going to continue for some more months. There were earlier rumors about Slater showing up in Evolve and don’t be surprised if it happens a time or two. It would, however, be WWE’s idea of moving the angle forward rather than releasing him. There is no news on when and how it will happen, but from the looks of it, he is not going to win his match against Rhyno this week.
Meanwhile, Roderick Strong looks all set to join WWE. Last month, Ring of Honor announced that he was leaving the company and a string of rumors suggest that he is indeed heading to WWE.
Update on new championships for SmackDown
WWE has plans of bringing in a new tag team championship belt and a new women’s championship belt to SmackDown. There is no news on what the championships will be called and it is only likely to happen in the post-SummerSlam period. Also, WWE is planning to have the WWE Universal Championship as the top title in the promotion.
They are looking to give it a big time feel at SummerSlam and the WWE championship, currently held by Dean Ambrose is bound to take a backseat as a result. It could be seen as WWE’s attempt to put over a new championship, but at the same time, it is a subtle hint at the importance they give to both brands.
Details on Paul Heyman re-signing
The status of Paul Heyman was something that caught everyone’s attention recently. His contract negotiations were apparently going nowhere and everyone feared the worse as Lesnar’s return was nearing. Fortunately, Heyman did show up alongside Lesnar and according to the rumors, it happened only after he signed a new contract.
There was some heat on Heyman due to the outside projects that he was committing to and both parties were not able to reach an agreement as far as monetary terms were concerned. But Lesnar insisted on re-signing Heyman and as you know, when Lesnar says something, you make it happen.
Plans for and after SummerSlam
The current plan for SummerSlam is to let Finn Balor win the WWE Universal championship and have a strong run. There are, however, no details on how WWE is planning to book the ending. Meanwhile, Randy Orton and AJ Styles are also expected to get wins in their respective matches.
Orton getting one over Lesnar would be a surprising result, but there could be a twist in the tale that lets WWE keep Lesnar strong. Orton and Styles, after their SummerSlam outings, are expected to feud against each other immediately. The immediate future of John Cena after SummerSlam seems to be blank and as rumored, he could miss out Backlash.
