WWE Rumors: Buzz on Road to WWE SummerSlam 2017 for Week of August 7

WWE is closing its ranks.

As SummerSlam inches closer, the rumors circulating online have become more vague and less committal. WWE seems to have tamped down on the endless leaks, at least for the time being.

And it couldn't come at a better time. WWE is behind on its annual earning targets, and SummerSlam, on August 20, is its second biggest pay-per-view of the year. How is the company going to sell WWE Network subscriptions if everyone knows the finish to the main event?

Here are the most interesting rumors of the week from what insiders have managed to find out.

Is Vince Souring on Nakamura?

Credit: WWE.com

During Shinsuke Nakamura and John Cena's No. 1 Contender's match to determine who would face Jinder Mahal at SummerSlam, the former attempted an exploder suplex on Cena and inadvertently dropped Cena on his neck. It was a scary spot; Nakamura could be seen apologizing to Cena after it was all over.

It seemed that Nakamura would incur no backstage heat for the incident—that it would be seen as an honest mistake rather than as evidence of carelessness. Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats confirmed this. But Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated is reporting that Vince McMahon was "furious" about the incident and the danger posed to one of his most loyal, bankable stars. One more mistake like that, the article states, and Nakamura might be on Vince's bad side.

To be fair, it was a dangerous mistake; Cena could have easily ended up in a wheelchair if he landed slightly off-kilter. But hopefully, McMahon can look at Nakamura's entire body of work—of working safely—before painting him with too broad a brush.

Rousey Is Getting Ring-Ready

It's been some time since Ronda Rousey first appeared on WWE television. She had a fantastic guest spot on WrestleMania 31, where she judo-flipped Triple H and teased an armbar on Stephanie McMahon. Now, it seems that WWE fans will get to see a lot more of her.

According to Sean Ross Sapp at Fightful.com, Rousey has expressed interest in becoming a WWE Superstar, and she's begun training by taking bumps. WWE also referred her, for additional training, to Brian Kendrick, who was also responsible for bringing Eva Marie up to par.

Rousey, given her athletic combat background, will probably have an easier time at learning the ropes (pun intended) than Eva Marie. The only things she'll have to deal with, at least from the "smarks," are her recent back-to-back losses in UFC. But performance trumps all; if she can put on a good show and sell, the fans will suspend their disbelief.     

Fatal 4-Way Hush Hush

The centerpiece of SummerSlam is undoubtedly the Fatal 4-Way for the universal title, which will be a literal battle of the giants. Roman Reigns. Brock Lesnar. Samoa Joe. Braun Strowman. It's an old-school Godzilla vs. King Kong fight to the death. And because of the stakes involved and the money in play, WWE is playing this match extremely close to the vest.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Shane O'Sullivan of Wrestling Rumors), Lesnar knows the finish to the match, since he is contractually obligated to know. But no one else knows the finish to the match—not the writers nor the producers nor even the other competitors in the match.

This is for the best, and quite frankly, it's surprising that this isn't the plan for every single pay-per-view main event going forward. Leaks and spoilers cannot help but bite into WWE's bottom line.

Potential Pre-Show Showdowns

And lastly, WWE is in the midst of sequencing SummerSlam's card. According to PW Insider Elite (h/t Marc Middleton of Wrestling Inc), there are two possible matches slated for the pre-show: The Hardy Boyz vs. The Club and The Usos vs. The New Day.

For emphasis: The Hardy Boyz and The New Day, the two most over tag teams in WWE, might be relegated to the pre-show. The roster is getting big—really big—and there's not enough time to give everyone something interesting to do. 

But what's the alternative? Cut the roster, when there are many talented, skillful wrestlers who are underutilized? Create big, multiman Battle Royals, which often devolve into sludge?

It's a problem without an obvious solution, especially since any talent that WWE releases will ultimately be competing against it.