11 Craziest WWE Rumors Heading Into SummerSlam 2019

Rumors run rampant in the world of professional wrestling. It's ironic — that a business renowned for its secrecy and coded language enables a culture dedicated to sussing out its methods.

For the dedicated fan, who learned long ago that wrestling was a work, the meta-discussion about the locker room drama can be just as interesting, if not more interesting than the actual show. Die-hard wrestling fans enjoy the matches on two levels, the ability of the performers to "sell " a match and make us suspend our disbelief, and two, the rationalization of why X wrestler won or lost, based on his or her reputation or standing in the company.

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is the only person who knows with certainty what the results of the upcoming matches will be, but discerning fans can assume a lot, based upon the backstage politics surrounding the performers.

With that said, here are the 11 biggest WWE rumors currently making the rounds. SummerSlam will air live on the WWE Network this Sunday, August 11.

This past May, the Undertaker was scheduled to appear at Starrcast II, a non-WWE wrestling fan convention. For a performer who almost never breaks character and has such loyalty to Vince McMahon, this was an unanticipated, but welcomed surprise. But shortly afterwards, the Undertaker canceled his appearance, reportedly at the behest of Vince McMahon.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Ringside News), the Undertaker has signed a new WWE contract, and it is long enough to be considered a lifetime contract. This both a good and a bad thing; it means we'll be seeing the DeadMan for years to come. But it also means that we're unlikely to get the unedited, no holds barred interview that many of us had been anticipating and hoping for.

For weeks, it was rumored that Goldberg would be appearing at SummerSlam, his first appearance since a mistake-ridden match against the Undertaker in Saudi Arabia. Those rumors were proven true this past Monday on the lastest episode of Raw, when Goldberg showed up to challenge Dolph Ziggler to a match at SummerSlam.

It won't do much to advance or promote the next generation of WWE talent, but it's the sort of marquee, big-name match that draws eyeballs to the product. Expect Goldberg to walk away with the win and begin rehabilitating his image after a major setback.

Vince McMahon has always taken a hands-on approach to his shows. He's long had a tendency to change plot points at the last minute, or change match results hours or even minutes before they air.

According to multiple sources, including Dave Meltzer, Sean Ross Sapp, and Ryan Satin, McMahon was not impressed with Tuesday's planned Smackdown show, and ended up rewriting the whole thing, only hours before it was scheduled to air. It's further evidence that even though Paul Heyman has taken over Raw, Smackdown is still very much under McMahon's thumb. Eric Bischoff, who Vince assigned to lead WWE Creative on Smackdown, has apparently not started his tenure yet.

According to Pro Wrestling Sheet, Finn Balor requested and was granted two months of time off following SummerSlam. That seems to indicate that his match against Bray Wyatt (and Wyatt's new alter-ego, "The Fiend"), will swing in Wyatt's favor. The two-month break will also do a great job of putting Wyatt's character over as a dangerous threat.

According to Wrestling Observer Live (h/t Ringside News), Seth Rollins and Brock Lesnar will be in the main event slot for SummerSlam. And unlike their last confrontation at WrestleMania 35, this match will be longer and show off the extent of both men's abilities. It doesn't tell much about the result, however. This is SummerSlam, after all; unlike with WrestleMania, WWE is under no obligation to send the fans home happy.

According to Pro Wrestling Sheet, Bobby Lashley underwent elbow surgery to remove bone spurs; it's anticipated that he'll be able to return to in-ring competition by November. This unfortunately explains why Braun Strowman has nothing official to do at SummerSlam this year. Hopefully, the Monster Among Men will have something decent to work with following the WWE's marquee summer event.

Becky Lynch is the Man, but she's been less aggressive and less rebellious since she's worn gold around her waist, And WWE is reportedly working on fixing that. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Cageside Seats), Creative wants get Lynch's momentum back to where it was prior to WrestleMania. Lynch always rises to a challenge; assuming she beats Natalya on Sunday, her next opponent needs to be someone who pushes her to a breaking point.

Vince McMahon announced the Wild Card Rule, this past May, which allowed Raw and Smackdown superstars to jump brands from week to week. It was confusing and essentially made the brand split irrelevant. But according to Sportskeeda, this may soon be coming to an end. For the past couple of years, the Survivor Series in November has had Raw vs. Smackdown as its overarching theme. And thus, WWE will begin keeping the two brands separate to prepare for this event, so that it feels significant when they finally clash.

Ember Moon is fighting for the Smackdown Women's Championship on Sunday, but for months prior, she was rarely utilized and was largely limited to backstage skits. According to Brad Shepard (h/t Wrestling Rumors), this is because Vince McMahon dislikes her. Shepard didn't elaborate, but hopefully, this one match at SummerSlam won't be a career stopper for Moon.

It seems that Daniel Bryan is the culprit behind the various backstage attacks on Roman Reigns. Even in a world where steel chairs are a typical weapon, hitting someone with a car seems beyond the pale. It's the reason why Samoa Joe, despite disliking Roman, still helped him and made sure he was okay. This was deliberate; according to According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Cageside Seats) the point is to make Daniel Bryan an ultimate heel, who even other bad guys hate.

BetOnline has released its odds for SummerSlam. Vegas usually has a good sense for how matches will go, so pay close attention to who is favored, because there's a good chanc they'll walk home winners on Sunday.

Bayley (c) vs Ember Moon

Bayley -200

Ember Moon +150

Becky Lynch (c) vs Natalya

Becky Lynch -300

Natalya +200

Brock Lesnar (c) vs Seth Rollins

Brock Lesnar -200

Seth Rollins +150

Ricochet vs. AJ Styles

AJ Styles -200

Ricochet +150

Bray Wyatt vs Finn Balor

Bray Wyatt -1000

Finn Balor +525

Charlotte Flair vs Trish Stratus

Charlotte Flair -250

Trish Stratus +170

Goldberg vs Dolph Ziggler

Goldberg -650

Dolph Ziggler +375

Kofi Kingston (c) vs Randy Orton

Kofi Kingston -200

Randy Orton +150

Shane McMahon vs Kevin Owens

Shane McMahon +250

Kevin Owens +400