WWE News: Reviews, Analysis and Rumors for Week of Aug. 19
Although SummerSlam may not have been as impactful as many fans were hoping, plenty took place on Sunday night as well as on Monday during the aftermath. It appears as though several major storylines have been set in motion and they figure to play out in the weeks and months ahead.
There was a lot of movement on the CM Punk vs. John Cena front, as well as the rivalry between Triple H and Brock Lesnar. I wouldn't say that anything shocking happened with regards to either situation at SummerSlam, but both of them are far from over.
In addition to that, a popular superstar suffered an injury that will keep him out of action for an undetermined amount of time, a low-card wrestler requested and was granted his release from the company, and there are rumors that a WWE legend could be set to return to the ring at WrestleMania XXX.
All of that and more will be discussed in this week's slideshow highlighting the biggest news pieces and rumors from the WWE for the week beginning on Aug. 19.
CM Punk Cements Heel Turn by Attacking Jerry Lawler
1 of 5CM Punk used a heel-like tactic at SummerSlam in order to retain his WWE Championship as he threw John Cena out of the ring after Cena hit Big Show with an Attitude Adjustment. Punk then stole the pinfall and picked up the victory. With that said, Punk didn't officially become heel like many fans expected he would.
That changed the next night on RAW, however, as Punk berated both Cena and Jerry "The King" Lawler. Punk offered to make Cena the No. 1 contender if he agreed that Punk was the best wrestler in the world, but Cena declined. Punk demanded the same from Lawler who also refused, prompting Punk to kick the veteran announcer in the head.
My Take
There have been plenty of arguments with regards to whether or not Punk attacking Lawler officially sealed his heel turn, but I'm not sure how anyone can maintain that it didn't. Whether you like Lawler or not (I certainly don't), you have to admit that he is somewhat of an icon and a guy who the fans get behind.
If Punk had attacked Cena it wouldn't have meant much since Punk and Cena have fought many times before, but cheap-shotting a defenseless announcer meant that Punk had taken the low road.
My best guess is that Punk will continue to deny that he turned his back on the WWE Universe and turned heel, but everyone will be able to see that he is clearly in denial. Even though Punk isn't likely to accept the turn in his own mind, it will be very apparent to everyone else that he isn't a face any longer. Whatever the case, Punk is certain to be very entertaining moving forward.
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Brock Lesnar Quits WWE Again
2 of 5After losing to John Cena at Extreme Rules and his fat contract and breaking Triple H's arm, Brock Lesnar kayfabe quit the WWE.
Triple H predictably goaded Lesnar out of retirement for a match at SummerSlam, which Lesnar ultimately won. Lesnar defeated Triple H with the Kimura Lock, kayfabe breaking Triple H's arm again and perhaps pushing The Game to the brink of retirement.
Lesnar posted a Tout on Monday saying that he was quitting the WWE once again as he has already accomplished everything possible in the company. Besides the fact that such a statement isn't really true, I'm quite sure everyone realizes that this is just a work to get Lesnar off television for a couple months.
My Take
Even though it's obvious that Lesnar will be back at some point, I'm fine with the way WWE is writing him off. It's better to do this than for him to disappear for months without explanation. No complaints here. The only questions that remain now, however, are when will Lesnar make his return and who will his next feud be with?
Neither question is easy to answer since there isn't any glaring program for Lesnar to enter into prior to WrestleMania.
Many believe that he will have a match at Survivor Series, but unless it's a rematch with Triple H, I'm not sure who he would face in said match. My prediction remains that he will stay out of the picture until the Royal Rumble where he will be a surprise entrant and ultimately be eliminated by a returning Undertaker.
Lesnar said that he has done everything in the WWE but he hasn't ended Taker's WrestleMania streak—nor has anyone—so he'll be willing to come back in an effort to do just that.
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Stone Cold Steve Austin to Wrestle at WrestleMania XXX?
3 of 5Fans have been clamoring for "Stone Cold" Steve Austin to have one final WWE match, particularly after the returns of The Rock and Brock Lesnar over the past year-and-a-half, and it looks like it may happen.
According to PWInsider, sources are reporting that Austin is likely to have one more match with the WWE, but it wouldn't take place until WrestleMania XXX in 2014.
The next WrestleMania is WrestleMania XXIX in New Jersey, but PWInsider is reporting that Austin wants his match to be the main event and he won't be mentally and physically ready to compete until 2014 anyway. Whether he wrestles at WrestleMania XXIX, WrestleMania XXX or WrestleMania M, I'm quite sure that fans just want to see the Texas Rattlesnake back in action.
My Take
Austin has since refuted these rumors, but they certainly seem logical to me. I'm willing to believe we'll see Stone Cold at WrestleMania XXX. It's quite possible that PWInsider simply pieced together some information in order to create a logical hypothesis as dirt sheets and wrestling news sites so often do, but all of it definitely makes sense.
If Austin wrestles at WrestleMania XXIX, then there is no guarantee that he'll be the featured player since The Rock and Brock Lesnar almost certainly being on the card as well.
The WWE can make sure that Austin is the headliner for WrestleMania XXX if given enough time, however. Also, Austin recently had knee surgery, so there is no guarantee that his body would even be ready to go through the rigors of a match.
Whatever the case, I do believe that he will wrestle one final WrestleMania match, it's just a matter of when.
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Rey Mysterio Suffers Concussion
4 of 5Rey Mysterio challenged The Miz for his Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam, and although Mysterio ultimately lost the match, it may very well have been the most entertaining contest on the card. Mysterio left Los Angeles with a little bit more than a good match on his resume, as WWE.com is reporting that he suffered a concussion during the bout.
The WWE claims that the concussion occurred when The Miz hit Mysterio with a beautiful sit-out powerbomb, although it's impossible to tell whether that is simply part of the storyline. Mysterio could very well have suffered the concussion in a previous match, but the WWE likes to integrate legitimate injuries into angles at times, so this may be another case of that.
My Take
One thing that has irked me with regards to Mysterio's concussion is that many fans are saying that he should retire because of it. I don't want to speculate on how serious the injury is, but it's a ridiculous suggestion.
Mysterio battled through severe knee injuries to make it back, so I doubt that a concussion is going to be the thing that forces him to hang the boots up. Concussions can obviously be dangerous if ignored but they certainly aren't uncommon in wrestling.
I also hate that Miz is being blamed for a botch when we aren't even sure if the concussion was actually suffered in that match. If it happened on the sit-out powerbomb as WWE.com claims, there is nothing Miz could have done.
Your head is going to hit the mat on a sit-out powerbomb; all you can do is put your hands behind your head. As far as Mysterio goes, I'm sure he'll be just fine and I anxiously await his return as he continues to put on great matches with everyone he faces.
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Tyler Reks Granted Release from WWE
5 of 5In a somewhat surprising piece of news, Tyler Reks was released from his WWE contract, according to ProWrestling.net.
Reks actually asked for his release in order to spend more time with his family, so the WWE certainly did him a favor. As much as I respect Reks for making that type of decision, many fans are bummed out over his departure since he and Curt Hawkins did combine to form a pretty entertaining team.
With Reks now out of the picture, it is uncertain what will happen with Hawkins. Perhaps he will be given an opportunity to shine on his own, but I doubt he'll receive much more than Superstars matches and squash-match losses to the likes of Ryback and Brodus Clay.
Hawkins is a good talent, though, so hopefully the writers figure out a way to utilize him.
My Take
I was never a big Reks fan, but I never like to see someone lose their job. I understand that it was Reks' decision, but it's unfortunate since he did have a pretty good look and some potential to boot.
Reks and Hawkins most definitely weren't the greatest team ever, but they had chemistry and could have been Tag Team Champions in the current landscape. The tag division is an absolute mess right now, I would have liked to see what they could have done with the straps.
It looks like we'll never know the answer to that, though.
As far as Hawkins goes, I would like to see him feud with former tag team partner Zack Ryder and then eventually reform a team with him. They were very successful together when they became Tag Team Champions, and since Ryder is on the back burner right now, it would be advantageous for both guys. There is no guarantee that it would work, but at least it would be a way to use two underutilized talents.
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