WWE Rumors on CM Punk's 'Issues,' Oba Femi's King of the Ring Win, Rhea Ripley's SummerSlam Plans

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

Punk's Reported 'Issues' with WWE Detailed

Dropping the World Heavyweight Championship to Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 42 in April was reportedly a point of contention between CM Punk and WWE.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestlePurists), there have been "minor issues" between Punk and WWE in recent months, and they are "traced back" to his WrestleMania loss.

Meltzer's report comes on the heels of online speculation regarding a possible disconnect between Punk and WWE given that Punk has not appeared on WWE programming since the Raw after WrestleMania.

However, WrestleVotes on Fightful Select (h/t Cultaholic Wrestling) reported last month that Punk was simply taking time off, adding, "He'll be back in no time, right back on top of the card. It is not true that they have no plans for CM Punk."

WWE has yet to announce when Punk will return to action, but Monday night's episode of Raw is taking place in his hometown of Chicago, leading many to assume that he will show up.

If that proves to be the case, it would be perfect timing with SummerSlam now less than a month away on Aug. 1 and 2 in Minneapolis.

Regardless of whether there is any truth to Punk having some gripes with WWE, the fact remains that he is still among the company's biggest draws and stars.

This year marked the first time he ever main evented Night 2 of WrestleMania, and even in defeat, he put on a remarkable performance and left a lasting memory for wrestling fans.

WWE's Reported Original Plans for Femi Winning KOTR

Oba Femi forgoing his world title opportunity at SummerSlam in favor of a match against Brock Lesnar was reportedly a longstanding idea within WWE.

According to Meltzer (h/t WrestlePurists), Femi winning the King of the Ring tournament and then opting to delay his title match was "always" the plan.

WWE's goal in doing that is reportedly to present an eventual clash between Femi and world heavyweight champion Roman Reigns as the biggest match possible.

Femi beat Lesnar in dominant fashion at WrestleMania 42, but Brock evened the odds with a victory at Clash in Italy.

Oba then proceeded to run through the King of the Ring tournament, beating Jey Uso in the finals at Night of Champions.

That was supposed to lead to either a World Heavyweight Championship or WWE Championship bout at SummerSlam for Femi, but after Lesnar attacked him this week on Raw, he challenged The Beast Incarnate instead.

Lesnar accepted on the condition that it be a Hell in a Cell match, and if Femi wins as expected, it will be another major feather in his cap en route to an eventual world title match.

WWE's Reported Pre-Injury Plans for Ripley at SummerSlam

WWE was reportedly weighing two potential opponents for WWE women's champion Rhea Ripley at SummerSlam before she got injured.

According to Meltzer (h/t WrestlePurists), both Jacy Jayne and Alexa Bliss were being considered as SummerSlam opponents for Ripley.

Ripley has not competed in a televised match since beat Jade Cargill at Clash in Italy on May 31 to retain the WWE women's title.

After that, she had two live event matches in Europe, teaming with Charlotte Flair and Tiffany Stratton to beat Fatal Influence on June 2 and 3.

On the June 12 episode of SmackDown, it was announced that Ripley was being evaluated for a knee injury. No timeline has been provided for her return, and she has not been mentioned on WWE programming since then.

That has created doubt regarding whether Ripley will be back in time for SummerSlam, and if she isn't, WWE may have no option other than to strip her of the title.

If that comes to fruition, perhaps WWE could get to a place where Bliss vs. Jayne for the vacant title at SummerSlam makes sense, considering they were Ripley's rumored opponents.

Otherwise, Flair and Cargill are currently embroiled in a rivalry, and adding the WWE women's title into the mix would make it feel even more important.