WWE Rumors: Possible ‘SummerSlam’ Plans For Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar & Other Superstars

With WrestleMania now in the rearview mirror, the next major event that fantasy-bookers will gravitate towards would be SummerSlam. The “biggest party of the summer” tends to center around one major summer angle the WWE doles out. And while some recent reports suggest that big angle could focus on a brand split with Shane McMahon leading one show and The Authority running the other, we may now have some light being shed on some of the marquee matches as well.

According to DailyWrestling News, preliminary plans seem to be in place for two major matches that could help sell SummerSlam. Keep in mind that there are still four other pay-per-views (Payback, Extreme Rules, Money In The Bank, Battleground) between now and SummerSlam‘s date of August 21, so this is certainly subject to change.

Current discussions regarding SummerSlam‘s main event center around Roman Reigns and John Cena for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. This would obviously insinuate that Reigns is still the champion by then, meaning Reigns’ reign would be deep into its fourth month by then. And if that’s the case, you’d almost have to imagine that he would have officially turned heel somewhere along the way. He may already be just that by default if WWE continues to book him against other babyfaces like AJ Styles. The feeling within WWE is that Cena will be deserving of another title opportunity by then, and sliding a match that was originally discussed for WrestleMania to SummerSlam could transition easy enough. Trouble is, who would fans cheer for?

The other top match currently being discussed for SummerSlam would pit Brock Lesnar against either Bray Wyatt or Braun Strowman. We know that Vince McMahon pulled the plug on a Strowman-Undertaker match at WrestleMania due to online backlash, so it will be interesting to follow along if and when Strowman receives this rumored push into the upper echelon of the card. Lesnar and Wyatt were also originally slotted for ‘Mania but those plans changed with Dean Ambrose replacing Wyatt, and the Eater of Worlds booked into a segment with The Rock and a surprise return from John Cena.

There are many wild cards that could throw these SummerSlam plans for a loop, but the one big one at present would be the presence of AJ Styles. Styles is already booked in the main event against Roman Reigns at Payback for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. If Styles’ popularity continues to climb, he may force WWE officials to break out their erasers and draft up new ideas for the near future, including SummerSlam. Not to mention, the arrival of Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson throws an added dimension into the mix where they could potentially reunite with Styles in a reformation of The Bullet Club.

Other factors WWE must consider when booking SummerSlam would be the returns of some of their injured superstars. This rumor indicates they’re confident Cena will be back by then, and he suggests he’ll have returned well before then. But what about Randy Orton and Seth Rollins? Whenever Rollins returns to the ring, he’ll certainly lay a justified claim to the title by virtue of the fact that he was never beaten for it, rather he was stripped of the championship due to his injury. Plus, would WWE seriously consider passing over a potential Bray Wyatt-Brock Lesnar match again? And this time, in favor of the much-greener Braun Strowman? Will Wyatt-Lesnar still be an option for SummerSlam if the rumored Wyatt face-turn comes to fruition?

We are still more than four months away from SummerSlam, but it’s certainly interesting to get a glimpse of what WWE officials are thinking for their biggest party of the summer already.

[Image via WWE]