WWE Rumors Roundup for Week of June 29 Ahead of Extreme Rules 2018

Injuries, future championship plans and a new contract for a current champ dominate this week's look at gossip in WWE.

There's news from both Raw and SmackDown as the company builds up for its next pay-per-view, which will be Extreme Rules.

Fans already know AJ Styles will be there with the WWE Championship, but will the man holding the other major championship, Brock Lesnar, show up? There's an update on that this week, as well as who his next challenger is likely to be.

Furthermore, there's news on a potential injury scare for one of WWE's most popular stars. Coupled with the news that Shinsuke Nakamura missed SmackDown due to an injury, it's been a busy week for WWE's medical staff.

Here's a look at the latest rumors in WWE.

What's Happened to the Cruiserweights on Raw?

Eagle-eyed WWE fans may have spotted a distinct lack of purple on Raw since WrestleMania 34.

That's because the cruiserweight division has stopped competing on WWE's flagship show, leading to speculation it may not be in good health.

However, PWInsider (h/t WrestlingNewsSource) reported Thursday that the real reason is down to Triple H.

He has taken over the running of the brand according to the report, and he didn't want it to get "overexposed" right now, hence the decision to move it away from Raw.

It appears Triple H is in the process of revamping the show, and the report also details that there are plans to get 205 Live back on the road "once there is more momentum" behind it.

So it appears all is not lost for the cruiserweight division just yet. 

Jeff Hardy Dealing with More Injuries

Jeff Hardy's proposed United States Championship match with Shinsuke Nakamura this past Tuesday was shelved due to an injury to the latter, but it appears Nakamura isn't the only one dealing with a problem.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Marc Middleton at WrestlingInc) reported this week that WWE has been deliberately protecting Hardy at live events, where he has been seen to be "limping a lot."

Hardy, of course, defended his title against Eric Young this past Tuesday, but the match ended up being turned into a multi-man tag bout between Hardy, The Usos and SAnitY.

It wouldn't be the first time Hardy has dealt with injuries, and the report mentions the nerve injury Hardy has been dealing with for a while, as well as the fact that he injured his leg at a taping of SmackDown in May.

So could Hardy be taking time off soon?

What's the Latest with Dolph Ziggler's Contract?

Dolph Ziggler's victory over Seth Rollins earlier this month to claim the Intercontinental Championship was one of the biggest shocks in recent months in WWE.

It once again underlined that WWE does have long-term plans for one of the most popular, yet underused, characters on the roster, but all is not clear about his own future.

A report has emerged this week from PWInsider (h/t Randall Ortman at Cageside Seats) detailing that Ziggler is yet to sign a new deal with WWE.

Furthermore, it's been reported his current contract expires this summer. 

If true, it throws doubt over not only the future of Ziggler, but how Drew McIntyre's push up to the main roster will play out from here.

There's still every possibility Ziggler will sign again, and the fact that he currently holds a title suggests he will. But nothing is certain yet, it seems.

Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar Still Slated to Happen.. but When?

The only thing certain about the Universal Championship scene at the minute? Nobody really knows what's next.

Brock Lesnar is going to have to come back and defend the title at some point. He's also, in all likelihood, going to lose it the next time he wrestles too.

But when will that be? And whom will it be against?

Well, one of those questions appears to have been answered, courtesy of a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Ortman): Roman Reigns.

Reigns has already had enough shots at the title over the past year, but it looks like he's scheduled to get one more, although it isn't completely clear when.

According to the report: "Vince McMahon is sticking with the original story idea from WrestleMania. That's the point behind all the Lesnar stuff, to get fans hating him and babyface Reigns for his title win."

The report continues: "It's unclear if that will be taking place at SummerSlam, however, and there seem to be a lot of ideas up in the air right now."

How WWE will make Reigns the challenger remains to be seen. Right now, it looks like a match with Bobby Lashley could catapult him into the No. 1 contender's spot, but anything is a possibility at this stage.