WWE Rumors on White House Event, Chad Gable's Push and Rhea Ripley Injury Ripple Effects

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

WWE's Reported Stance on Potential White House Event

Following the UFC Freedom 250 event on the White House lawn in Washington, D.C., last week, WWE is reportedly not expected to follow suit in the near future.

According to WrestleVotes on Fightful Select (h/t Cain A. Knight of Cageside Seats), WWE is unlikely to hold a White House show "any time soon."

However, WWE is reportedly open to the idea of doing so in the future provided it makes sense financially.

Like UFC, WWE is under the TKO umbrella, which is why there was naturally a great deal of speculation regarding WWE following in UFC's footsteps with a White House show.

The novelty of an event on the White House lawn resulted in strong viewership numbers of UFC, as the Freedom 250 show drew an average of 8.2 million viewers in the United States and Latin America, per Rick Porter of The Hollywood Reporter.

That made UFC Freedom 250 the most-watched live event in the history of the Paramount+ streaming service.

While that type of viewership could be attractive to WWE's decision-makers, there is no guarantee that a second White House event will generate the same level of interest among potential viewers.

Gable Reportedly Has Support for Big SummerSlam Presence

Coming off his critically acclaimed mask vs. mask match against El Grande Americano at AAA Noches de Los Grandes last month, Chad Gable could be in line for a significant push leading up to SummerSlam.

According to WrestleVotes on Fightful Select (h/t Knight), some in WWE are pushing internally for Gable to be featured heavily as part of SummerSlam on Aug. 1 and 2 in his hometown of Minneapolis.

While Gable was a heel during his run as El Grande Americano, he has undergone a character change since then.

Over the past few weeks, Gable has made amends with luchadores such as Rey Mysterio, Penta and Rey Fenix, resulting in hugely positive responses from the live crowd.

Gable recently saved Mysterio, Penta and Dragon Lee from an attack at the hands of Ethan Page and Rusev, and he followed that up by beating Rusev in a match this week on Raw.

The WWE Universe is firmly behind Gable right now, so it makes all the sense in the world to feature him heavily, give him a meaningful push and potentially even reward him with a title.

Given their history, an Intercontinental Championship match between Gable and Penta would be the most obvious way to utilize Gable at SummerSlam, and having him win would create perhaps the most feel-good moment of the entire event.

How Ripley's Injury Is Reportedly Impacting WWE's Plans

As WWE women's champion Rhea Ripley nurses a knee injury, her status is reportedly impacting plans behind the scenes.

According to Fightful Select (h/t Knight), there has been a "significant shuffling" of WWE's creative plans regarding the SmackDown women's division "in the event that Ripley will be sidelined for a significant period of time."

It was announced during last week's episode of SmackDown that Ripley was absent due to a knee ailment. No specifics were given regarding a potential timeline for her return.

The injury comes at a less-than-ideal time for WWE with SummerSlam on the horizon.

Ripley is likely planned for a major match at the show, potentially even against the winner of the Queen of the Ring tournament, which will be determined next weekend at Night of Champions.

Since beating her at WrestleMania 42, Ripley has been embroiled in a rivalry with Jade Cargill. Several others have interacted with Ripley since then either as allies or foes, including Charlotte Flair and Jacy Jayne.

If Ripley is not cleared to wrestle at SummerSlam on Aug. 1 and 2, WWE may have no choice other than to strip her of the title and put it up for grabs in a separate match.

Given their recent interactions and the fact that Jade was the champion before Ripley, a clash between Cargill and Flair would make sense in that scenario.