SummerSlam

Liv Morgan's surprise title win at Money in the Bank may have been setting up one of the SummerSlam main events.

On Wrestling Observer Radio (starts at the 20-second mark), Dave Meltzer noted that currently the plan is for Morgan to defend the SmackDown women's championship against Ronda Rousey on July 30.

Saturday night was the crowning moment of Morgan's career. The 28-year-old defeated Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Becky Lynch, Lacey Evans, Raquel Rodriguez and Shotzi in the women's Money in the Bank match to open the show.

After Rousey defeated Natalya to retain the SmackDown women's title, Morgan shocked everyone by cashing in the briefcase.

It initially appeared Rousey was going to retain when she got Morgan in an ankle lock when the bell rang, but the challenger got out of it and was able to kick the champion in her left knee that had been weakened during the match with Natalya.

Morgan got the pin on Rousey with a roll-up to capture her first championship in WWE. The two women shared a hug after the title change before Morgan celebrated her moment in the spotlight.

WWE is in a tricky position heading into SummerSlam. The money matches for Rousey down the road are with Charlotte Flair and especially Lynch, but Morgan was clearly the crowd favorite in both of her appearances Saturday.

There's the potential for the crowd to turn on Rousey if she beats Morgan to regain the title at SummerSlam.

The WWE Universe will have to wait to see how the build for Morgan-Rousey shakes out leading up to the next big show at the end of the month.

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WWE's decision to bring back Brock Lesnar as Roman Reigns' opponent at SummerSlam was reportedly made three weeks ago.

According to Fightful Select (h/t H Jenkins of Ringside News), a Lesnar vs. Reigns rematch had been in the works for quite some time, and people backstage began talking about Lesnar potentially appearing on Friday night's episode of SmackDown about three hours before the show started.

After Reigns beat Riddle in the main event of the show to retain the undisputed WWE Universal Championship, Lesnar confronted him and hit him with an F-5 to end the episode.

Shortly after SmackDown went off the air, WWE announced that Lesnar vs. Reigns was set for SummerSlam on July 30 in a Last Man Standing match.

The Beast Incarnate had not appeared on WWE programming since dropping the WWE Championship to Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 38 in April.

Lesnar's return and the subsequent announcement of the SummerSlam match came as something of a surprise because of reports of what WWE previously had planned for Reigns at the July 30 event.

Last month, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestlingInc's Sai Mohan) reported that WWE was planning to have Reigns defend against Randy Orton at SummerSlam.

That match would have made plenty of sense because Reigns and The Usos attacked Orton last month following a tag team title unification match that saw The Usos beat RK-Bro.

Fightful Select (h/t WrestlingInc's Dominic DeAngelo) reported earlier this week, however, that there was "fear" within WWE that Orton would require surgery for a back injury, possibly keeping him out for the rest of 2022.

Riddle has mentioned in promos since the loss to The Usos that Orton was dealing with a back injury, but the ailment may be far more legitimate than fans initially thought.

There had also been some speculation regarding WWE bringing Lesnar back for Friday's SmackDown as a means of overshadowing the controversy surrounding WWE chairman Vince McMahon.

McMahon temporarily stepped down as both chairman and CEO this week amid an investigation by WWE's board of directors into allegations that he paid a woman $3 million to not speak publicly about an affair they had while she worked for WWE.

While McMahon's daughter, Stephanie McMahon, is serving as interim chairwoman and CEO, McMahon has retained his role as head of creative, and he cut a short promo at the start of SmackDown.

Given that the allegations against McMahon were only made public this week, it appears as though Lesnar's return was in place far before that given the timeline provided by Fightful.

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WWE Superstar Sasha Banks declined to reveal why she missed SummerSlam in August when asked about the topic Friday.

In an interview with Joseph Staszewski of the New York Post, Banks said the following regarding her SummerSlam absence:

"There's no reason. I'm not telling you anything. (Laughs). You're not Oprah. You're not the WWE Network, you're not getting me the views. I'm not telling you my secrets. You can read my book. You can read my documentary when I want to speak about it. Thank you very much."

Banks was originally scheduled to face Bianca Belair for the SmackDown Women's Championship at SummerSlam in a rematch of their historic bout in the main event of Night 1 of WrestleMania 37 earlier this year.

Just minutes before the match was set to begin, however, it was announced that Banks would not be able to compete. That led to Carmella being revealed as Sasha's replacement.

WWE threw out another curveball, though, when Becky Lynch made her surprise return after more than a year out of action. Lynch took out Carmella, became Belair's new challenger and beat her for the SmackDown Women's title in less than 30 seconds after hitting her with a cheap shot.

Banks remained off WWE programming for the next few weeks until Belair and Lynch squared off in a rematch at Extreme Rules last month.

The Boss made her presence felt, causing a no contest by attacking both Superstars just when it looked like Belair was trending toward regaining the title.

Banks has been on fire since then, beating Belair in a singles match on a recent episode of SmackDown and defeating Lynch on Friday's episode of SmackDown in a non-title match.

Sasha will have an opportunity to win back the SmackDown Women's title next Thursday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, when she faces both Lynch and Belair in a Triple Threat match at Crown Jewel.

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John Cena said he couldn't pass up the opportunity to perform in front of a live audience again when WWE offered him a chance to take on Universal Champion Roman Reigns at SummerSlam last month.

Cena was asked about his WWE return during an appearance Thursday night on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

"Dude, it was great," the 13-time WWE champion told Fallon before joking about his loss to Reigns in the show's main event. "I had a wonderful match, I finished second place."

The 44-year-old Massachusetts native has transitioned into a mostly acting and hosting role in Hollywood over the past handful of years, but he still makes an occasional comeback to the squared circle.

He explained to Fallon the stars aligned perfectly this time around as he had a month off in his schedule, which coincided with SummerSlam and the return of fans to the WWE Universe. The company had only featured fans virtually via the ThunderDome experience for most of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I love live audiences,” Cena said. " ... There is no better feeling than being in front of a live audience, there really isn't."

Cena also discussed his first wrestling gimmick, when he was known as "The Prototype" during stints in Ultimate Pro Wrestling and Ohio Valley Wrestling.

"I was 50 percent man, 50 percent machine and 100 percent awful," he joked before Fallon showed an old promo Cena delivered while working as The Prototype.

After SummerSlam, Cena posted a goodbye message to the WWE Universe but hinted at another return in the future:

Words cannot describe how appreciative I am that the @WWEUniverse allowed me the opportunity to return and perform. Thank you staff, superstars, and most of all FANS for giving me an unforgettable summer at “home” with my “family”. The journey takes me away now but I’ll C U soon.

— John Cena (@JohnCena) August 23, 2021

As he walked out the door, Brock Lesnar walked back in to begin a storyline with Reigns as the WWE attempts to keep plenty of star power atop the SmackDown brand.

WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella said Bianca Belair losing the SmackDown Women's Championship to a returning Becky Lynch in a squash match Saturday soured her view of the entire SummerSlam card.

Lynch returned to replace expected challenger Sasha Banks, who's away from WWE for an undisclosed reason, and defeated Belair in under a minute to become the new champion.

Bella explained at the SummerSlam afterparty (via Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News) the booking decision didn't sit well with her:

I could tell you what wasn't my favorite moment, and it was when she [Belair] lost. It definitely was not my favorite moment, and I don't know if I actually had a favorite moment. Because I always back the women, and I'm always for the women, and you have someone like Bianca who is such an incredible talent, and you can't help but get frustrated when you see moments like that for a championship that meant so much and was lost within seconds. So I have to admit for this SummerSlam, there truly wasn't anything that was my favorite.

Belair won the women's Royal Rumble in January to receive a championship shot at WrestleMania 37 in April, and she earned her proverbial WrestleMania moment with a victory over Banks in the main event of the first night of WWE's biggest event of the year to become the SmackDown women's champion.

Having her lose the belt in such quick, nondescript fashion didn't generate positive reviews from the WWE Universe, but it could be setting the stage for something bigger.

Belair is now in perfect position to generate even more support from the fans, and PWInsider reported (Sai Mohan of Wrestling Inc.) the plan calls for Lynch to serve as SmackDown's "top heel" moving forward. So, at least from a creative standpoint, the squash result makes some sense within that future context.

Meanwhile, Bella's situation is a bit uncertain because she'd teased a SummerSlam appearance in recent weeks but didn't appear during the show.

Hhmmm looking through my closet and deciding what to wear to SummerSlam next week??? Thoughts? N

— Nikki & Brie (@NikkiAndBrie) August 14, 2021

The two-time Divas champion suggested there may be more to the story in a Saturday post on Instagram.

"When you're not allowed to go to SummerSlam in Vegas...lol," she wrote alongside pictures at the Park MGM hotel in Las Vegas.

Bella didn't disclose why she wasn't allowed to attend the show in that post or a subsequent one Sunday as she headed home.

"It's been a fun few days with the WWE and WWE Universe in Las Vegas!" she wrote on Instagram.

Bella retired from in-ring competition in July 2019, but she hinted toward a potential return in March.

Where she'd fit within crowded women's divisions on both Raw and SmackDown is a tough question to answer, though.

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Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

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John Cena Heading Back to Hollywood

Cena's quest to win a 17th world championship, which would break a tie with Ric Flair for the most in WWE history, will have to wait.

After his loss to Roman Reigns in the main event of SummerSlam on Saturday night, Cena will return to his acting commitments in Hollywood. WWE officials are under the impression he "will not be available for them for the foreseeable future," according to PWInsider (via Marc Middleton of Wrestling Inc.).

The report noted Cena is still expected to work the Sept. 10 SmackDown event at Madison Square Garden, but that'll be a one-off appearance, potentially in a dark match, and not part of an active storyline.

He later confirmed his departure, but hinted toward another return in the future:

Words cannot describe how appreciative I am that the @WWEUniverse allowed me the opportunity to return and perform. Thank you staff, superstars, and most of all FANS for giving me an unforgettable summer at “home” with my “family”. The journey takes me away now but I’ll C U soon.

— John Cena (@JohnCena) August 23, 2021

Cena made a surprise comeback to the company at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view in July to set the stage for his SummerSlam feud with Reigns. He provided a significant short-term boost by appearing on Raw, SmackDown and at live events.

While the 44-year-old Massachusetts native once used The Rock's departure for Hollywood as ammo for promos throughout their long-standing feud that covered WrestleManias 28 and 29, he's now mastered the art himself of having a career outside WWE but still coming back to the squared circle on occasion.

Cena forced Reigns to elevate his performances over the past five weeks, especially during their verbal exchanges, and The Head of the Table should benefit from that as his championship run rolls on. Brock Lesnar returned in the final moments of SummerSlam to set the stage for his next marquee feud.

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Becky Lynch Will Be Pushed As SmackDown's No. 1 Heel

Lynch made her long-awaited return at SummerSlam by replacing Sasha Banks in a SmackDown Women's Championship match against Bianca Belair, which she won in under a minute.

The squash nature of the match caught a lot of people off guard because Belair had firmly established herself as one of WWE's top talents since her WrestleMania triumph, but now the reason for the quick match may be coming into focus.

PWInsider reported (via Sai Mohan of Wrestling Inc.) Lynch will operate as the "top heel" on SmackDown following her return.

So, while her comeback was always going to generate a positive reaction from the fans, taking care of Belair in the blink of an eye will provide the foundation for a quick heel turn as she makes her return to weekly television. She's done a terrific job in heel roles in the past, so it's a smart creative move.

The feud between Lynch and Belair should be one of WWE's top attractions in the months ahead, and the women's division as a whole has incredible depth, which creates no shortage of storyline options heading toward the end of the year and into next year's key Royal Rumble and WrestleMania events.

Lynch was away from the company after giving birth to her daughter, Roux, in December with husband and fellow WWE Superstar Seth Rollins.

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Sasha Banks' Availability Remains Uncertain

Lynch's addition to the SummerSlam card came at the expense of Banks, who's been absent from WWE's travel party since the weekend of Aug. 14 for reasons that have not been made public.

Banks was tentatively scheduled to return for Friday's go-home episode of SmackDown but wasn't available, which forced the creative team to rewrite portions of the show, per PWInsider (via Middleton).

Although the reason for her continued absence is unknown, it's "not an injury issue," according to the PWInsider report.

WWE officials are "hopeful that Banks will be back soon," but so far there's been no confirmed date for her next appearance after being removed from the SummerSlam title match with Belair.

In early 2019, Banks took four months off following WrestleMania to focus on her mental health.

"I've been doing this for seven years straight—no breaks," she said upon her return in September 2019. "So you know, people need to step back and re-evaluate their lives, take care of their souls and their minds."

Banks is one of WWE's most well-rounded performers, so her absence is definitely a hit to the SmackDown roster despite the division's aforementioned depth. She should swiftly return to the main event picture once back in action.

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WWE Hall of Fame wrestler Nikki Bella said she wasn't allowed to attend SummerSlam, which took place Saturday night at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Nikki Bella says she wasn't allowed to go to #SummerSlam pic.twitter.com/l9Ohw7AoU4

— Wrestling News (@WrestlingNewsCo) August 22, 2021

Bella didn't provide any further details about the situation in her Instagram post.

The two-time WWE Divas champion was widely expected to return at Saturday's pay-per-view after she dropped several hints in recent weeks.

Hhmmm looking through my closet and deciding what to wear to SummerSlam next week??? Thoughts? N

— Nikki & Brie (@NikkiAndBrie) August 14, 2021

She even made an Instagram post early Saturday saying she'd arrived in Vegas with the hashtag for SummerSlam. So either she was playing mind games with the WWE Universe the entire time or something changed leading up to the show that stopped her from being at one of the company's premier shows.

Bella's name was dropped a couple of times during promos throughout the feud between Roman Reigns and John Cena, her former real-life boyfriend, as they prepared to face off in the main event with the Universal Championship on the line.

It led to speculation the 2020 Hall of Fame inductee may interfere in the match, but Reigns successfully defended his title with no sight of Bella. Brock Lesnar did return to confront Reigns afterward, likely setting up a future feud between the Superstars.

Becky Lynch also returned Saturday to capture the SmackDown Women's Championship with a quick victory over Bianca Belair, another spot on the card that could have hypothetically been filled by Bella.

It's impossible to say for sure until Bella or WWE provide further information, though.

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Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

Lynch Reportedly Scheduled to Attend SummerSlam

Becky Lynch hasn't appeared on WWE programming since announcing her pregnancy in May 2020, but it is possible that could change at SummerSlam.

According to PWInsider (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Marc Middleton), Lynch is slated to be in attendance at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Aug. 21.

That doesn't necessarily mean The Man will actually be part of the show, however, as she has attended some other WWE events over the past several months and remained backstage rather than appearing on camera.

Speculation regarding Becky's return continues to ramp up the further she gets from giving birth, though, and SummerSlam would be a stage fitting for the start of her comeback.

Lynch and fellow WWE Superstar Seth Rollins had their first child together in December, and now that she is eight months removed from giving birth, it isn't outside the realm of possibility that she is ready to get back in the ring.

Prior to the start of her absence, Becky was the reigning Raw Women's champion for over one year, and she beat Shayna Baszler at WrestleMania 36.

When the time does come for Lynch to return, it stands to reason that she will be inserted right back into the title scene.

That could set the stage for Becky to confront the winner of the Triple Threat Match for the Raw Women's Championship between Nikki A.S.H., Rhea Ripley and old rival Charlotte Flair, or perhaps step up to the winner of the SmackDown Women's title match between Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks.

Regardless of the plans, a Lynch return would be major news and generate a massive pop at SummerSlam, plus it would breathe new life into WWE's women's division on either brand.

Wyatt Was Reportedly Scheduled for Monday's Raw Before Release

Bray Wyatt was reportedly supposed to make his return on Monday's episode of Raw prior to getting released by WWE.

According to Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp, Wyatt was "working on adding creative elements to his character" before his shocking release, and those changes were supposed to be showcased Monday night.

WWE cut ties with Wyatt on July 31, marking the end of his 12-year tenure with WWE and sending one of WWE's most popular Superstars of the past decade to free agency.

Wyatt hadn't been seen on WWE programming since the night after WrestleMania 37 in April when he took part in a Firefly Funhouse segment on Raw. That came on the heels of Wyatt somewhat surprisingly losing to Randy Orton at WrestleMania under his Fiend persona.

Bray tweeted the following before Raw on Monday night, further fueling speculation that he had been planning something big before his departure:

You can’t kill it pic.twitter.com/Bi13czn5Zs

— WYATT 6 (@Windham6) August 9, 2021

While Wyatt's character didn't always land with the entirety of WWE's audience, he undoubtedly had a massive fanbase, and he has received no shortage of praise for his creativity.

Wyatt evolved time and time again in WWE, and it can be argued that his split-personality character with Firefly Funhouse Bray on one side and The Fiend on the other was some of the most compelling work of his career.

It seemed unlikely WWE would ever part ways with Wyatt given how deeply entrenched he was, how much television time he received and how much creative leeway he was seemingly given.

WWE has been releasing talent in droves since WrestleMania, however, and it feels like only the very top of the food chain (Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, etc.) of the world are truly safe.

Wyatt figures to thrive regardless of where he lands next, but fans will always be left to wonder what could have been had he been given the opportunity to debut an altered character during Monday's Raw.

Heyman Discusses Possible Reigns vs. Rock Dream Match

Wrestling fans have long discussed the possibility of a match between real-life cousins Roman Reigns and The Rock, and given Reigns' thriving heel persona, that match seems more likely to happen now than ever before.

In June, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Mitch Waddon of Cultaholic) reported that Reigns vs. The Rock is likely to happen at one of the next two WrestleManias, and perhaps as soon as WrestleMania 38 next year if it works with The Rock's busy acting schedule.

With rumors of Reigns vs. The Rock running rampant, it was only a matter of time before Reigns' special counsel, Paul Heyman, commented on the dream match.

In an interview with Inside The Ropes (h/t Nitish Vashishtha of Ringside News), Heyman said:

"Who doesn't want to main event WrestleMania against Roman Reigns? Anybody who says they wouldn't be interested in a WrestleMania main event is lying to you. Anybody who suggests they wouldn't be interested in the WrestleMania main event against Roman Reigns is lying to you.

"Roman Reigns is the most dominant WrestleMania main eventer in history. And Rock is just one of many people who are clamoring to step into the ring with Roman Reigns at any time, especially at WrestleMania."

Heyman also suggested that Reigns will send The Rock into permanent retirement from the ring if the match happens, saying: "If The Rock steps into the ring with Roman Reigns at any time, let alone at WrestleMania, that will be The Rock's farewell, whether The Rock wants it to be or not."

Reigns is approaching one year as Universal champion, and there is no question that he has been doing the best work of his career over the past year in a heel role.

Roman's "Tribal Chief" and "Head of the Table" nicknames have always felt like an indirect shot at The Rock since Reigns has claimed that he is the primary provider for his family.

The Rock may have something to say about that given that he is the biggest movie star in the world, and a wrestling fan can't help but be excited about some of the promo battles between The Rock and Reigns leading up to a match between them.

It seems like a matter of when rather than if Reigns vs. The Rock happens, and when it does, it has a chance to be among the biggest matches in WWE history.

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Damian Priest already has a marquee WrestleMania victory to his name. Now, The Archer of Infamy could be collecting his first singles title since joining WWE's main roster.

During Raw on Monday night, Sheamus accepted Priest's challenge for a United States Championship match at SummerSlam on August 21 in Nevada.

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.@ArcherOfInfamy wants @WWESheamus for the #USTitle at #SummerSlam! #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/qbRXcVTvU4

— WWE (@WWE) August 10, 2021

Things had been trending in this direction since Priest registered a win over Sheamus during the July 26 edition of Raw.

Earlier in the month, he had also come to the aid of Humberto Carrillo after Sheamus continued to attack Carrillo following a successful title defense on Raw.

That WWE partnered Priest with Bad Bunny for WrestleMania 37 was to some extent a vote of confidence in the 38-year-old. That match was bound to garner a lot of attention because of Bad Bunny's mainstream popularity, and the company positioned him to get a lot of the spotlight.

Beating a former world champion such as Sheamus on the second-biggest pay-per-view of the WWE calendar would represent another step up the pecking order.