Also, since we are officially on the road to one of the ‘Big 4’ pay-per-view - SummerSlam - the rumour mill has been working overtime speculating regarding the matches set to take place at the Biggest Party of the Summer.

So, let us delve right into the top rumours this week in the world of pro wrestling. Watch this space every Friday for this weekly feature.

Honourable mentions:

It was Kevin Dunn who made the call to remove the clock from the Titantron at Extreme Rules, to stop the crowd from counting down like at the Royal Rumble.

The Intercontinental Title match main-evented Extreme Rules due to wide support backstage to end the show with it, instead of Styles vs Rusev.

#5 WWE signing a few indie stars?

The Mae Young Classic has been announced for 8th and 9th August this year and the show is sure to feature many upcoming talents from all over the world. With the tournament closing in, there has been talk about WWE signing on a couple of independent wrestlers this past week.

Last month, former Impact Wrestling Robbie E and Chelsea Green were spotted at the Performance Centre during a WWE tryout. Green is a former Tough Enough contestant, having been a part of the show back in 2015, and later a star in Impact Wrestling. Currently, she is making quite a mark on the independent scene.

Yesterday, Green stirred up the internet when she canceled a few future dates, with fans speculating that the reason behind this was that she was returning to WWE. However, that might not have been the case, at least not according to Green herself. But, even if she has not signed with WWE as of yet, it is certainly a possibility in the near future.

In other news, indie star and current Women’s Champion of The Crash Lucha Libre Lucey Lane has supposedly signed a developmental contract with the WWE. However, neither party is yet to confirm the same.

#4 Jeff Hardy being written off television?

There has been word going around since quite some time that Jeff Hardy has been wrestling through multiple nagging injuries. He is said to be suffering from a nerve injuring, which has supposedly caused his arm to go numb. Additionally, Hardy has reportedly been avoiding the Swanton Bomb due to a nagging back injury as well.

In a shocking twist at Extreme Rules, Shinsuke Nakamura won the US Title from Hardy within a few seconds, after which Randy Orton made a surprise return and attacked the Charismatic Enigma.

On the next episode of SmackDown Live, Orton gave Hardy one of the most brutal beatdowns in recent times and apparently, the reason behind this might be to write Jeff off television for a while to give him time to rehabilitate from his injuries. If the former US Champion fails to appear on the blue brand the next few weeks, it might just confirm this rumour.

#3 Who ran Extreme Rules?

It is a widely known fact that even at his age, Vince McMahon is present for all major WWE shows and is at the centre of the action backstage in deciding how exactly the show should proceed. However, Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer reports that McMahon was not in the Gorilla position at Extreme Rules.

Instead, however, it was reportedly Triple H and former Superstar Billy Kidman who were running things last Sunday. Kidman has been a producer and backstage personnel with WWE for quite a while now, while Triple H is usually present alongside McMahon in the Gorilla position as second-in-command.

Is this perhaps a sign of things to come? Will the Chairman finally take some time away from the business, giving Triple H a bigger role backstage? We can only wait and watch.

#2 Next challenger for AJ Styles

Though the current WWE Champion has been putting on clinic after clinic no matter who he faces, Styles’ Championship has not been given the same status as the top titles on Raw. In fact, fans were unhappy that the WWE Championship match did not main-event last Sunday. Even on SmackDown, the placement of Styles’ match against Andrade Almas was not appropriate.

However, things might be about to change as WWE is set to book a blockbuster feud for the blue brand’s top Championship next - Samoa Joe vs AJ Styles at SummerSlam. Joe has been pretty directionless on SmackDown as of late, and this feud will certainly do well to put both Superstars right back on top of the pecking order when they truly belong.

#1 Lashley or Reigns? Or both?

It is now official - Brock Lesnar will defend his Universal Championship at SummerSlam next month, but what is not yet official is who will challenge the Beast Incarnate. It has been long rumoured that Lashley and Reigns are the two front-runners going into the PPV.

After Lashley surprisingly beat The Big Dog clean at Extreme Rules, this past week on Raw, GM Kurt Angle announced two triple threat matches to determine the next challenger for the Universal Title. To nobody’s surprise, Lashley and Reigns won their respective bouts and the two will face off next week to determine the number one contender.

However, the latest word doing the rounds is that the Universal Title bout at SummerSlam might be turned into a Triple Threat match, with both these Superstars facing Lesnar for the title. Well, we will find out for sure on this week’s episode of Raw when the two face off.

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title: “Top 5 Wwe Rumors Of The Week” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-23” author: “Adam Washington”

Raw and SmackDown this past week saw a number of feuds advancing, with new stipulations and new matches added to the event. Also, the rumour mill has been on overdrive lately, with speculations regarding the return of certain Superstars missing from actions, spoilers about who might win on July 15th, possible real-life heat between Superstars and much more.

Sportskeeda is the one-stop destination for latest WWE rumors and wrestling news.

With that in mind, let us have a look at the topmost rumours of the week. Watch this space every Friday to stay up to date on the top rumours of the week.

Honourable mentions:

Rey Mysterio has supposedly signed a two-year contract with WWE.

Contrary to rumours, Michael Cole is not set to step down from his role as commentator any time soon.

#5 Possible candidate for Hall of Fame 2019

Pro wrestler and winner of the third edition of Tough Enough, Matt Cappotelli passed away recently after losing his battle against cancer. Cappotelli had announced in 2017 that he had been diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme - an extremely aggressive form of cancer.

He was the co-winner of Tough Enough III which earned him a WWE contract. He was sent to the then developmental brand of WWE - Ohio Valley Wrestling - where he won the OVW Heavyweight Championship. However, due to issues with his failing health, he was let go from his contract in 2009.

After he passed away on June 29th, word has been going around that Cappotelli is being considered for next year’s Hall of Fame class, possibly as the recipient of the Warrior Award. This will be a great move if WWE goes ahead with it, as it would raise more awareness.

#4 Possible return dates of missing Superstars

It has been a rocky few weeks for WWE Superstars with multiple unexpected injuries and accidents. Bray Wyatt was involved in a serious car crash on June 29th, but fortunately, Wyatt escaped with only minor injuries. Though he was missing from Raw this past week, he is expected to return to action as soon as this Monday night on Raw.

Shinsuke Nakamura was involved in another freak accident, as he was bitten by a police dog and sustained quite an injury. Due to this he had to miss out on WWE’s tour of his home country of Japan. Again, fortunately, he is expected to be ready to return in time for Extreme Rules.

Finally, Ruby Riott sustained a sprained MCL recently on a house show and is expected to be out of action for a few weeks. However, as of now, it is being reported that she does not need surgery for the injury.

#3 WWE looking to sign top indie stars

Quite a few popular indie stars have supposedly been on WWE’s radar for a while now, but according to Wrestling Observer, the company is planning to approach Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks with a contract in the near future.

Fans feel that Rhodes was wasted in WWE in his last run, with his Stardust character not really going over very well. Ever since his release though, The American Nightmare has dominated the indie scene.

Omega also expressed interest in signing with WWE in an interview with Jim Ross recently, stating that it would be a missed opportunity if he didn’t jump ship to WWE at some point in his career. If both parties are able to work out a deal, we could soon be seeing the most popular indie stars on Raw and SmackDown soon!

#2 Spoilers for Extreme Rules

After the multi-man match to decide the number one contender for the Universal Title was called off, WWE decided to go ahead with a singles match between Roman Reigns and Bobby Lashley. While at first thought it seems likely that Reigns will come out on top, the rumour mill has it that the opposite could happen as Lashley is supposedly set to win at the PPV.

Also two more contradictory reports have emerged, one of which says that no title is expected to change hands at Extreme Rules, while the other states that Seth Rollins will possibly regain his Intercontinental Title at the event. However, fans need not read too much into these two rumours as WWE can always change the result at the last minute.

#1 Possible real life heat between Nia Jax and Alexa Bliss

Per speculations by Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer as well as Cageside Seats, there might be some real-life heat between former best friends Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax. Apparently, followers of Nia Jax on social media have noticed her supporting a lot of posts which show Bliss in a negative light, and has also unfollowed her former real-life best friends.

While fans may think that this is a work by the two stars to build some heat for their rivalry, Meltzer has reported otherwise. In fact, Jax has supposedly faced heat from WWE officials as well for her acts. It will be unfortunate for Jax if this translates into a demotion to the mid card.

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