Buying or Selling Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar III Plans and Latest WWE, AEW Rumors

The usual lull in the pro wrestling rumor mill simply hasn't existed this year thanks to big happenings in WWE and AEW.

WWE quickly transitioned from WrestleMania season into SummerSlam prep, creating a new men's heavyweight title and gearing up for big plans, highlighted by names like Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar.

AEW, coming out of Double or Nothing, has an entirely new show planned with high-profile feuds, with nothing more notable than the impending return of CM Punk.

Based on the current trajectories and some eyebrow-raising buzz, pro wrestling fans head into what could be one of the biggest summers for the sport in recent memory.

Here's a look at the most notable rumors and whether fans should buy or sell them.

Cody Rhodes-Brock Lesnar III Set

Fans had to know Lesnar and Rhodes weren't done.

Rhodes beat Lesnar at Backlash, then the opposite happened at Night of Champions, leaving the series tied at 1-1. That positions the two for an end-of-feud tiebreaker, which WWE would likely want at one of the most high-profile events of the year.

Case in point, according to Wrestling Observer Radio's Dave Meltzer (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats), the third installment of the series will happen at SummerSlam.

That's almost out of necessity more than anything, too. Roman Reigns and The Bloodline remain engulfed in family drama unfit for outside interference right now. Rhodes has boxed himself into not competing for Seth Rollins' title though, given that he wants the one around the waist of Reigns.

It's a holding-pattern situation of sorts for Rhodes, who also still needs to remain in a top spot. That's against Lesnar, meaning a continuation of this feud at the summer's biggest event, even if it doesn't main event.

Verdict: Buying

Rhodes-Lesnar Strange Stipulation

So how do Rhodes and Lesnar settle the tied-up beef with some memorable finality that signals things are really over?

Ideas abound, but one that apparently got nixed was Rhodes asking for a dog-collar match, according to BWE (h/t Ortman). Another more notable rumor was Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live (h/t Ortman) saying buzz suggested an uncommon match type, potentially Hell in a Cell.

Frankly, both fall into the sell column. It's hard to imagine a dog-collar match was actually raised as a possibility given a wide range of reasons, one of them simply being it's possible for it to come off as cheesy and flop.

Hell in a Cell isn't that far off, either. WWE has done away with gimmick events and used the matches sparingly, but that one feels more fitting for a character like Bray Wyatt at this point. This doesn't have to be complicated—the right feel for the finale between Rhodes and Lesnar is something like an I Quit match at best.

Verdict: Selling

WWE Booked NXT into Loss vs. Double or Nothing

WWE and AEW teamed up to make the month of May shockingly busy despite it sitting right after 'Mania.

WWE had two premium live events, while AEW had one pay-per-view. WWE also had NXT Battleground, which is now the focal point of some interesting buzz.

According to Meltzer (h/t Ortman), WWE chose to book Battleground against AEW's Double or Nothing and it backfired massively, with him saying that "NXT viewership was significantly down from the previous two NXT specials."

That's a brutal, yet unsurprising blow for WWE. The company would probably like NXT to be as prominent as Raw or SmackDown, but it's never come that close and has been in a rut. Like even letting NXT's show challenge AEW Dynamite weekly, it was foolish to position an event against one of AEW's only big events of the year.

This doesn't mean Battleground was bad, of course. But the outcome of this was easy to see coming, which makes the decision a baffling one.

Verdict: Buying

NXT as Third Brand?

Speaking of NXT, WWE apparently still wants to pump up the third program as much as possible.

According to WRKD Wrestling (h/t Ortman), WWE still views NXT as capable of being the third promotion on par with Raw and SmackDown and that current crossovers are merely the beginning.

The most notable, of course, is Bron Breakker going after Seth Rollins' world title in a program that should certainly be a lot of fun for fans.

Unfortunately, fans have been down this road plenty of times. Roster-mixing in an effort to prop up NXT has never worked to the point of getting it on par with the other weekly programming. Call it a combination of the show just not appealing to as many fans and a rough mid-week timeslot on a product pushing an over-saturation point as it is.

These are the sorts of things WWE needs to put out there to make things sound good for television negotiations and otherwise, but it's a hard sell.

Verdict: Selling