WWE Rumors: Examining Top Reports Entering 2020 Extreme Rules

Understandably, the WWE rumor mill has done nothing but ramp up ahead of Sunday's Extreme Rules pay-per-view event.

Normal years would see this happen merely because of the gimmick matches involved at the aptly named event, never mind the fact that it's a staging ground for the biggest storylines of the summer as the company heads toward SummerSlam in August.

But the current happenings are far from normal, as the promotion continues to adapt for audience-less shows. Naturally, this means rumors about Brock Lesnar, potential big returns and more as the buildup for an unorthodox SummerSlam continues.

Match Card

• Apollo Crews vs. MVP (WWE United States Championship match)
• Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus (Bar Fight match)
• Rey Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins (Eye for an Eye match)
• Bayley vs. Nikki Cross (SmackDown Women's Championship match)
• Asuka vs. Sasha Banks (Raw Women's Championship match)
• Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler (WWE Championship match)
• Braun Strowman vs. Bray Wyatt (Wyatt Swamp Fight, non-title match)

Lesnar, McIntyre and SummerSlam Plans

The Extreme Rules card happens to miss some big names.

Lesnar isn't on there. Neither is Edge nor Randy Orton. That could always change at the last second knowing WWE, but it isn't exactly shocking.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Robert Gunier of Wrestling Inc), Lesnar won't appear, and part of the reason for McIntyre's massive build is because of that fact.

McIntyre's ascension to top dog in the company was well structured, with the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania geared toward anointing him, so it might just be a lucky happenstance that it went over so well with fans.

It's not a big surprise Lesnar would be absent from the second-biggest event without fans in attendance, though. He's a massive draw, and WWE presumably wants the big impact his presence brings to be used on live audiences. It's clear plenty of the programming in WWE is in a holding pattern while the company awaits the return of crowds.

That loops well into the next point: McIntyre's clearly in a match he's going to win against Dolph Ziggler, a guy WWE trots out when they want his opponent to look amazing. It's also why Orton doesn't have a big role at Extreme Rules. And Gunier reports he will be McIntyre's rival at SummerSlam.

WWE doesn't have a ton of other ways to go with the biggest main event program for the summer, either. Orton's the top heel in the company by a mile and doesn't have much to do with Edge out because of injury. The promotion also continues to miss big names like Roman Reigns.

The holdover idea pertains to other portions of Sunday's card too. Bray Wyatt against Braun Strowman is clearly there to advance the story between the two in a way that is likely to work The Fiend character into a feud-ending bout at SummerSlam.

Charlotte Flair's Return

Charlotte Flair has been a notable absentee from WWE programming lately as she works her way back from an injury.

But her absence might be ending quite soon.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats), WWE hopes Flair can return in time for SummerSlam. While unlikely because of the timetable of the recovery and a show she's shooting, Flair popping up sooner than expected wouldn't be the first time a WWE Superstar has returned from an injury ahead of schedule.

It's not hard to see why WWE would want Flair to be involved at SummerSlam. She's one of the company's most storied champions, and while the women's main event scene is doing great, it wouldn't hurt to have her back in the mix.

And Extreme Rules would be a fun place for it too, Bayley's title defence against Nikki Cross, which is one of those matches that has the potential to steal the show. Her partner in crime, Sasha Banks, will go up against Raw women's champ Asuka with that belt on the line.

The dynamic between Bayley and Banks is hard to ignore, especially if WWE wants to plan something unexpected as a buildup to the headline act for the second-biggest event of the year. Injecting Flair into the mix somehow would only make things better, as three of the Four Horsewomen could then lead the way into SummerSlam.

For now, Flair seems a question mark at best—but she's someone to keep in mind heading into Extreme Rules.