WWE Rumors: Buzz on Road to WWE SummerSlam 2016 for Week of August 12

WWE SummerSlam is on the horizon, as August 21 is fast approaching. It's an impressive card from top to bottom and the first since the company's recent brand split between Monday Night Raw and Tuesday's SmackDown Live.

There's a lot to prove, and the pressure is on for WWE to deliver with this one.

The Superstars involved surely feel that pressure, but they're also surely up for it. This is what the business is all about; standing up on the main event stage and giving maximum effort to entertain fans on every level.

Three matches stand out on this card, with Brock Lesnar versus Randy Orton being chief among them. 

Orton and Lesnar's history is being exploited by WWE, which is a smart move. The Beast Incarnate has been booked as invincible for so long that the only way to build intrigue here is to remind fans that, at one point, he was on even ground with The Viper.

Dean Ambrose's WWE Championship defense against Dolph Ziggler seems to have come from out of nowhere, but it's gained some serious steam along the way. This could be considered Ziggler's last best chance to prove he still has what it takes to succeed as a top guy, while Ambrose needs a quality win against one of WWE's perennial best hands.

Finn Balor is stepping up against Seth Rollins in a match that will crown the first-ever WWE Universal champion. This is Balor's opportunity to showcase his talents against the man that many feel is the best worker in WWE. Rollins is so popular that he could turn face at any moment, though Balor has obviously been thrust into Raw's top babyface role.

It's three matches full of excitement and action; and that's not even counting John Cena versus AJ Styles. There is no doubt that this year's SummerSlam could be one of the biggest in recent memory.

As the event draws closer, the rumors are beginning to heat up. The buzz around any major WWE event is always laced with such rumors, of course, and that is especially true now. But one of these rumors directly involves one of the three aforementioned SummerSlam main events. 

It wouldn't be WWE without the usual rumor mill, and SummerSlam is no different.

Monday Night Raw's second new championship?

According to PWInsider.com (via Wrestle Zone's Nick Paglino), the WWE Universal Championship is not the only new title coming to Monday Night Raw. WWE's new cruiserweight division will feature a new championship as well.

The last WWE Cruiserweight Championship has been defunct since 2008, but with the critical success of the company's ongoing Cruiserweight Classic, it seems a new belt is in order. After all, what good is a division if there is nothing for the Superstars involved to fight for? 

Now it seems a new title is indeed on the way.

The best thing about the cruiserweight division is the fast-paced excitement of it all. These are not super heavyweights fighting in methodically slow matches. This is about getting fans on their feet, thanks to a combination of high-flying moves and solid mat wrestling.

Stars like Kota Ibushi, Johnny Gargano, Cedric Alexander and Jack Gallagher each bring something different to the game. Imagining them putting in the work and not getting a shot at gold seems like a ridiculous prospect. It's not about whether or not any of these talents make it to Raw; it's about giving an opportunity to those that do.

A new belt means new angles, new matches and new rivalries. 

The WWE Cruiserweight Championship would be a welcome addition to the company. Raw is the flagship program, so there's no better place for it. The title would have a great platform, and so would the Superstars fighting for it as well.

Paige's return in question

Another prominent division in WWE is, of course, the women's division, and one of its top stars may have more problems than previously believed.

Paige's recent injuries have kept her out of the WWE spotlight, and now it seems she's going to be out even longer. According to the Wrestling Observer (h/t Corey Jacobs of Wrestling News), Paige may have nerve damage from her back and neck injuries.

This is indeed bad news for her fans, as well as for WWE. 

Paige has been a standout for the company since her debut. Her gimmick as WWE's Anti-Diva got over quickly, thanks to fans' desire to see something different. She picked up where AJ Lee left off, as her unique style has separated her from the rest of the pack.

But a turn on Total Divas perhaps led many to believe that Paige had lost her edge. Suddenly, the Superstar that was supposed to be different was rubbing shoulders with the rest of the pack on a weekly basis.

Instead of being a standout, she ultimately began to blend in.

However, nothing changes the fact that she is a valuable part of WWE's women's division. The company needs her back in the fold, and hopefully her recovery will be successful. Fans want her back, and she surely wants to get back, as soon as possible.

The future of The Beast Incarnate

Brock Lesnar's monstrous run is apparently moving into 2017, as No DQ's Steve Carrier is reporting that the WWE Universal Championship may be in his future.

The new title will, of course, be decided at SummerSlam between Seth Rollins and Finn Balor, which means Lesnar is nowhere close to it right now. His SummerSlam match with Randy Orton is on the front burner, and that must be decided before anything else happens.

But if he does go over on Orton, his next stop could reportedly be the Royal Rumble. 

That event could see him challenging for the new Universal Championship. If that is the case, then it could lead directly to WrestleMania 33 in Orlando. Many fans have likely been curious as to who Lesnar would face at Mania, and this opens the door for more choices.

Could fans see Brock Lesnar versus Finn Balor on the grandest stage of them all?

The best thing about this is the fact that the Universal Championship is meaningless, so the only way to change that is to build it from the ground up. Deciding the belt's fate between Rollins and Balor is a great start, but adding Brock Lesnar to its future is even better.

Lesnar would not even necessarily need to win the title; the fact that he's competing for it would be enough to solidify the championship as a truly important prize in WWE. So if Lesnar disappears after SummerSlam, then the next time fans see him could be in the weeks leading to 2017's Royal Rumble. 

The Conqueror may indeed conquer once again.

Tom Clark can regularly be seen on Bleacher Report. His podcast, Tom Clark's Main Event, is available on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Android, Windows Phone and online here.