WWE Rumors: Examining Latest Buzz Around Sheamus, Kane and More

On Monday's Raw, WWE fans saw Sheamus return to action and end up only a failed cash-in away from becoming world champ, but Kane has still not shown his sneering face in weeks.

The latest look into the WWE rumor mill provides an update on Sheamus' reported injury and when we might see The Director of Operations back in the ring. The Celtic Warrior's fanbase is concerned amid recent rumblings that he suffered a concussion.

One backstage report suggests there's no need to worry.

As for Kane, his storyline injury is going to keep him away from WWE programming for a significant chunk of time. In other stories, a women's match on SmackDown reportedly went awry at the end, while early word on some SummerSlam matches has emerged. 

There aren't any shockers here. The evidence the audience has seen on TV of late suggests that this latest round of rumors requires very little skepticism. 

Kane Return Rumor

Get used to Kane not being around. The veteran big man is rumored to be gone for at least a few weeks.

PWInsider's Mike Johnson reported, "Kane is not expected back until after SummerSlam."

Kane and Dolph Ziggler have been away filming WWE Studios' 6:42. The Showoff, though, won't be gone for much longer. As Dave Meltzer noted on F4WOnline's Monday update, Ziggler is scheduled to appear at next week's Raw.

With Ziggler in the middle of a feud with Rusev, that timing would line up. It would give Ziggler plenty of time to sell his storyline neck injury and allow WWE to bolster the pay-per-view's midcard.

It makes sense to have those two fight it out at SummerSlam, especially considering that the event is four hours. On the other hand, there's little rush to bring Kane back. There is no clear SummerSlam bout for him.

SmackDown Finish

On Thursday's SmackDown, a promising match turned odd. Charlotte and Becky Lynch took on Naomi and Sasha Banks in a bout that ended with a series of roll-up attempts and Naomi getting the pin. 

If things looked off, that's because they were reportedly not supposed to unfold like they did.

On Wrestler Observer Radio (h/t Wrestling Inc), Meltzer mentioned that the match was supposed to go on longer than it did and that the finish wasn't the one WWE had planned.

That would explain how awkward the ending looked. It also explains why Naomi looked so upset after the finish. 

Some of that had to be just her playing a heel, but she looked frustrated right after the three-count as well.

The rumored botch apparently hasn't stalled the "Divas Revolution" storyline, though. WWE announced on Monday's Raw that Team B.A.D., the Bellas and PCB will all be colliding in an Elimination match at SummerSlam. It looks like there is no trip to the doghouse for whoever might have screwed things up on SmackDown.

Backstage Word on SummerSlam

The majority of fans won't have much of a reaction to a pair of rumors about WWE's plans for SummerSlam, as most folks would have seen them coming.

F4WOnline reported (h/t Wrestling Inc) that Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker is expected to close the show. The report also noted that the current plan is for Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose to win their tag match at the event. 

That first item is a no-brainer. WWE has been promoting Lesnar vs. Undertaker as the centerpiece of SummerSlam. It's the only match that garnered its own WWE Network special, and it has been all over the event's promos.

Besides, it's not clear whether John Cena will be ready to compete, which makes the expected title-versus-title match against Seth Rollins far from a safe bet for now.

And if Reigns and Ambrose win on Aug. 23, there will be no Ellis Mbeh moment from the crowd. Wyatt has failed to win a number of times on pay-per-views. WWE clearly has no trouble asking him to take a loss.

It would mark his first SummerSlam loss, though. He's currently 2-0 at the PPV.

Injury Updates

After being pulled from the Australian tour over the weekend, reports of Sheamus' suffering a possible concussion popped up. Meltzer wrote on F4WOnline, "Sheamus was off the weekend house shows due to either a diagnosed or fear of a concussion from the Raw main event on Monday." 

And while Sheamus did work Monday's Raw, he didn't wrestle in the advertised dark match and only took one bump, an RKO from Randy Orton. The latest update, though, says that The Celtic Warrior is healthy.

According to F4WOnline (h/t Wrestle Zone), Sheamus and Alicia Fox (who was reportedly suffering from her own concussion) are both now cleared to compete.

Fox wrestled on Monday night after not stepping into the ring since July 27.

She's now ready to step into battle with the Bellas at her side. As for Sheamus, WWE can pit him against Orton one more time, unless he continues to find himself in the world title picture instead.