WWE Rumors on Stephanie Vaquer's Injury, House Show Schedule, John Cena Talks Criticism of New Event

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

Stephanie Vaquer Injury Update

Former WWE Women's World Champion Stephanie Vaquer has been out with a shoulder injury, but it sounds like she's made a speedy recovery.

According to a report from PWInsider (h/t Rosanne Raphael of Wrestling Observer), Vaquer is expected to make a comeback on next week's episode of Monday Night Raw, and there have been "internal creative discussions already in motion for her return."

Vaquer was attacked by the Judgment Day during the April 27 episode of Raw, and it was later announced that she suffered a second-degree AC sprain in her shoulder that would keep her out of the ring. A report on Fightful Select said at the time that there was "no clear timetable for a return, but there is optimism that she could return for WWE SummerSlam."

It now sounds like Vaquer will be back sooner than expected, and she will surely be targeting Liv Morgan, who defeated her for the Women's World Championship at WrestleMania 42 last month.

Vaquer had held the title for 210 days after defeating Iyo Sky at WrestlePalooza to win the belt, which was vacated by Naomi. "La Primera" now has a score to settle with Morgan, and her quick recovery from her injury will reignite their rivalry next week.

Reason for WWE's House Show Schedule for the Summer Revealed

WWE's recent announcement that it will be running 10 main-roster house shows in the United States this summer marks the first significant domestic tour in the post-pandemic era.

The shows will be held in July and August at stops including New Mexico, Pennsylvania, California, Illinois, Virginia, New Hampshire, Georgia and South Carolina. Dave Meltzer explained in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE decided to add the house shows to its Summer 2026 Tour to help younger talent get experience on the road at non-televised events.

"What we were told is that with more younger wrestlers on the roster than before, they felt it was good for them to get more experience away from television so this was the time to expand the schedule," Meltzer wrote. "Plus, unlike a few years ago when the company wasn't as popular, there will almost surely be a nice profit margin doing the house shows."

WWE recently called up NXT stars such as Sol Ruca, Ricky Saints and Fatal Attraction, so they would surely benefit from more opportunities to get acclimated to the main roster. As aging stars are starting to take a backseat, it's important for WWE to get its future Superstars prepared to take the reins.

"The idea in the past was less shows created more of a demand for shows and that was one of the reasons for cutting back, and the belief that the older roster could use less dates and wear and tear and they had enough experience," Meltzer added. "The attempt is to get a younger roster now and they could use more reps before a crowd."

John Cena Addresses Criticism of Upcoming 'John Cena Classic'

WWE legend John Cena's appearance at the Backlash premium live event earlier this month didn't go over well after he announced the "John Cena Classic," which will pit main-roster Superstars against NXT stars for a newly-created championship.

Cena's announcement added that a Superstar who loses a match can still win the title if fans reward their hustle by voting for them. The concept left some fans dissatisfied, and Cena addressed the criticisms while speaking to CBS Sports and SHAK Wrestling (2:29 mark).

"In a business where everybody says every story's been told before, I want to swing for something new. Of course, I believe in sports entertainment meritocracy, and I believe that WWE is an excellent meritocracy," Cena said (h/t Shounak Chakrabarti of Wrestling Observer). "Now, every statement I say, there's gonna be multiple sides to that. People will have an opinion that agrees, people will have an opinion that disagrees, there might be apathy, and there might be some in the middle."

Cena added that he wanted to recreate the buildup to his retirement match in December, in which Superstars faced off in a tournament for the right to be his final opponent.

"So when I come up with an event that I'm like, 'Okay, I wanna do what we did on Saturday Night's Main Event,' because I loved the environment around my retirement match," Cena continued. "I was a small piece of that night. The larger scope, and in the media, going into it, was, 'Oh man, this is kind of a cool thing. Yes, the night could be all about John, but in essence, we're getting to see John do his thing, but somebody's gotta earn the right to face John, so that's cool, you've gotta earn the respect to do it. And at the same time, we're gonna get to see some new faces go against our familiar Superstars."

Cena also indicated that the fan voting system could be revamped after many voiced their displeasure over the concept.

"Now, I've heard the perspective of, 'Wins and losses don't matter.' That's a very valid point," he said. "I love listening to feedback. We've gotta figure out the fan votes; there's still a lot to be done. But you can vote for the winners. You just can also vote for everybody. And that's a first-time."

Cena said he's hoping that mixing main-roster Superstars and NXT stars will create "a version of WWE's All-Star game," so it will be fun to see how it all plays out when the John Cena Classic begins later this year.