WWE Rumors: Buzz on Road to WWE SummerSlam 2015 for Week of Aug 20

As is often the case, rumors are rife about the short- and long-term future of the WWE landscape.

The returns of stars like Undertaker and Brock Lesnar to SummerSlam have only intensified the talk of others coming back for the biggest show of the summer, but there's also been a bit more going on this week away from the event.

Let's take a look at some rumors and talking points flying around from the past few days.

The Great One Showing Up At SummerSlam?

Rumors of surprise entrances and big returns is always rampant with any major pay-per-view WWE puts on, whether it be SummerSlam, WrestleMania or the Royal Rumble.

There’s plenty of names being thrown around in the rumor mill this past week, but the most prominent has to be The Rock. That comes after remarks from Roman Reigns on Jimmy Traina's Fox Sports podcast, when Reigns was quizzed over whether The Rock would show up.

“I wanna tell you,” said Reigns, “but I don’t want to give anything away.” That has naturally sent the Internet into meltdown with talk that The Great One will appear, although the likelihood of it being in an actual match is slim.

What’s more likely is that The Rock will be involved with a segment outside a match, much like he was at WrestleMania with Ronda Rousey, and even the year before that with Hulk Hogan and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.

But whatever the scenario and the reason for his appearance, if The Rock shows up, the Barclays Center is likely to erupt on a big night for WWE.

Nature Boy Also Showing Up?

It's a big night for the Flair family at SummerSlam, with Ric's daughter Charlotte set for her maiden appearance at the pay-per-view as part of the huge Divas elimination match.

And with Charlotte likely to go close to victory as part of Team PCB, it's no surprise that her father is going to be in town to watch the show.

The news Flair was in Brooklyn for the show was mooted before Steve Austin took to Twitter and confirmed that The Nature Boy will indeed be around:

No word yet on whether he is likely to just be backstage watching on or whether he'll play a prominent role on screen. We've seen Flair's relationship with his daughter play out on screen a fair few times, and with a four-hour show, there might be time for Flair to come out and embrace his daughter if she gets the win.

After all, it will be a big night for this famous wrestling family if she is victorious.

Chris Jericho's Long-Term WWE Future

With all the talk of returning stars and big names being added to the bill at SummerSlam, it was interesting to pick up an interview from one big name this week who's been away from the limelight.

Chris Jericho has been actively working on WWE live shows with the likes of Kevin Owens but hasn't been seen on TV competing for some time.

That's understandable given his other commitments away from the ring, but the Tough Enough host recently did an interview with Justin Barrasso for Sports Illustrated's Extra Mustard in which he spoke of what could be happening in the future:

"

When it comes time for me to be full time, we’ll figure out what I’m going to do and I’ll come back.

The invitation is there 365 days a year. It’s not like I’m auditioning for a job with the WWE. It’s the other way around, ‘Give us as many dates as you can. You want to just work weekends? Do it. You want to just work TV? That’s fine, too.’ They leave it up to me, and I like working the schedule I’m on now.

"

So although Jericho isn't quite sold on a return to TV action, it seems like the option will surface at some point. And given Jericho's enthusiasm for the business, you suspect it won't be too long before he's back on Raw, SmackDown and pay-per-views.