Buying or Selling Roman Reigns Injury Buzz, Brock Lesnar Plans and Latest WWE Rumors

It might feel like the WWE calendar heads for a rather quiet part of the year in the wake of SummerSlam and before the build for WrestleMania 40 really starts.

But the rumor mill would beg to differ.

That rumor mill never seems to sleep even with smaller PLEs like Payback, No Mercy and Fastlane coming up. So it goes when there are so many interesting angles to consider around the story of Roman Reigns and the Bloodline, potential surprise returns and other rumblings.

Here's a look at the hottest rumors and buzz making the rounds, plus whether fans should buy or sell on them heading into the fall.

During the main event of SummerSlam, WWE and the Superstars involved did a good job of selling fans on the idea that Jey Uso really had a shot at taking down universal champion Roman Reigns.

Except behind the scenes, that option was never actually considered, according to Dave Meltzer (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats).

That's an easy buy, too. While there was some serious support for Jey amongst fans, the guy mostly known for being one half of a tag team was probably never going to be the one to be the face of the company and end a historic streak.

Not only that, there's plenty of story left to tell as Jey heads into a feud with his twin, Jimmy, the man who betrayed him during that SummerSlam main event.

Fitting as it might have been for a family member to take down Reigns, it feels more likely that honor goes to Solo Sikoa in a passing-of-the-torch moment than one of the Usos.

Verdict: Buying

Nia Jax had a brief appearance at the 2023 Royal Rumble back in January, but it never translated into her coming back in even a part-time capacity.

But according to PW Insider (h/t Ortman), there have been "rumblings" that a Jax return could happen soon.

The problem with adding a big name like that, though, is that WWE has enough problems as it is booking a very talented women's division into premier spots. Case in point, Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus missing the SummerSlam card entirely.

There is more room than usual if Ronda Rousey is actually gone, but it's hard to imagine this new booking era under Triple H wouldn't reward the women on the roster before bringing back Jax.

Verdict: Selling

It felt like disaster might have struck in the wake of SummerSlam, with it going public that Reigns had suffered an injury during the main event against Jey Uso.

But further rumblings have made it sound like it isn't anything too serious, as he finished the match after suffering it early on, apparently.

And adding to this now is a report from Fightful Select (h/t Ortman) suggesting that any injury to Reigns has zero impact on the creative plans.

Which...sounds perfectly reasonable. WWE just laid the groundwork for Reigns to avoid the next few PLEs anyway as Jey and Jimmy Uso get to settle their differences. Even if Reigns needs to take part in a tag match as part of the storytelling progression, he can be protected and do minimal things, especially with Solo Sikoa floating around as help.

Put it this way—if WrestleMania itself isn't threatened, WWE can find a way to keep things on track with Reigns.

Verdict: Buying

It's fair game for fans to wonder when they might see Brock Lesnar again after the clear end of his feud with Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam. He's without a marquee feud and there doesn't appear to be room for him around either of the top men's titles right now.

As if on cue, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News) reported that Lesnar isn't in the plans at all until 2024 when the build toward the next 'Mania starts.

But that's a pretty big sell. WWE won't have to work too hard to find a quality feud for Lesnar. Sure, Payback, No Mercy and other ho-hum upcoming PLEs to finish off 2023 aren't that appealing, but there's a reported second 2023 event in Saudi Arabia coming up in November, per Brandon Thurston at Wrestlenomics (h/t Fightful's Jeremy Lambert).

It feels rather obvious that WWE will roll Lesnar out for something there, whether it's challenging Gunther or having a one-off that puts someone over in a big way.

Maybe Lesnar should be out until 2024 so that his return at the Royal Rumble or something is more meaningful, but it's hard to imagine WWE will be able to resist.

Verdict: Selling