Buying or Selling Drew McIntyre Return, LA Knight MITB Plans and Latest WWE Rumors

What is normally a rather quiet stretch of summer for the pro wrestling landscape has been anything but this year.

While CM Punk's return hovers over AEW after Double or Nothing, WWE has been going through all sorts of major events and changes at the same time.

Two big events followed WrestleMania 39 and now Money in the Bank is one of the biggest landmarks before SummerSlam. Meanwhile, the company has overhauled the look and feel of its top men and women's titles, as a bonus.

Hot on the menu right now? The fate of the SummerSlam card, the status of a missing top star, those rebrandings and so much more.

Here's a look at the latest buzz, plus whether fans should buy or sell on the topics.

Reason Behind Drew McIntyre's Absence

Drew McIntyre has been absent from WWE programming in official matches since WrestleMania 39.

He came up short in the triple-threat for the intercontinental title, but that was a predictable outcome for him given the fan speculation he would end up missing time due to injuries.

It turns out that's only part of it, as according to PW Insider Elite (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats), McIntyre also won't be back until he and WWE creative can come up with something worthwhile for him to do.

McIntyre's contract and creative usage sort of go hand-in-hand at this point and his position certainly makes sense. He's the guy the company hand-picked to take down Brock Lesnar in convincing fashion before extended runs with top titles and he made the most of the audience-less era in the process.

McIntyre coming back to merely have one-off feuds in the mid-card isn't ideal for himself or fans and it sounds like all involved know it.

Verdict: Buying

NXT Titles to be Featured at SummerSlam

WWE might want fans to view NXT as the viable third brand alongside SmackDown and Raw someday, but that day has yet to arrive.

Still, that won't stop WWE from potentially trying to push it as such, though.

According to BWE (h/t Ortman), WWE has kicked around the idea of featuring two NXT titles on the SummerSlam card.

But that's a tough sell for a few reasons. For one, event booking has been much tighter during the Triple H era of creative. What used to feel like very bloated events have been trimmed down. WrestleMania 39 didn't feature an NXT title (so why would SummerSlam?), had little celebrity involvement and Night 1 had just eight matches, while Night 2 had seven.

SummerSlam isn't going to be bloated either, and it feels like we're getting closer to WWE calling up some of NXT's biggest names to the main roster. If the big names aren't on NXT, their title matches with lesser-known names won't eat up time on the SummerSlam card, either.

Verdict: Selling

Reason for Rebranding Women's Titles

The new title for Rollins and the rebranding of the title around the waist of Reigns isn't the only makeover WWE has dished out.

Rhea Ripley is in line to get a rebranded women's title on Raw and Asuka just got one on SmackDown, too—one that looks quite similar to the new one Reigns holds.

According to Fightful Select (h/t Ortman), this is very much by design, as the goal is to make the women's SmackDown title feel just as prestigious as its men's counterpart.

It's an easy buy, too. WWE felt like things were a bit stale with the main-event scene titles from a presentation standpoint and used the refresher to bring things in line on the women's side.

Verdict: Buying

Men's Money in the Bank Favorites

If nothing else, WWE has done a good job of keeping the winner of the men's Money in the Bank ladder match a major mystery.

That's the sort of thing that happens when the contestants are Ricochet, Shinsuke Nakamura, LA Knight, Santos Escobar, Butch and Damian Priest.

And that's not to knock any of the Superstars, either—unpredictability is a great thing. According to BWE (h/t Ortman), Knight and Priest are currently the favorites, though a decision hasn't been made.

But that's a tough sell, as WWE has been very on-off with Knight and Priest has already flirted with the main-event scene as is after a recent match with Seth Rollins.

Richochet might be the most believable winner with the most upside, while Nakamura is a former main-eventer and international star who feels due for a major push under WWE creative.

Verdict: Selling