Buying or Selling Latest on John Cena, Shane McMahon and More WWE and AEW Rumors

It doesn't get much busier on the pro wrestling calendar than this.

For AEW, there's the hype around All Out, the follow-up to All In a week earlier from Wembley Stadium in London.

For WWE, it's all about the 2023 edition of Payback and the return of John Cena, who will be around for nearly two months starting around the event.

Cena isn't the only big name on the super-busy rumor mill either, with buzz about Shane McMahon and other notable topics around the sport.

Given the stunning pace of the mill right now, here's a breakdown of the must-know rumblings and whether fans should buy or sell on them.

It's no secret John Cena is on his way back to WWE for seven straight appearances on SmackDown.

More enshrouded in mystery is what he might actually be doing for the near-two-month stretch. He'll presumably be in a feud at some point, but with who and how?

As revealed on the September 1 edition of SmackDown, Cena will wind up being the guest host of Payback itself. And PWInsider.com (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News) reported that Cena could also appear at Fastlane in October.

That would make a lot of sense, given the general lack of hype for the Roman Reigns-less Payback. It's a good platform to launch his inevitable upcoming feud, even if a PLE might end up having a smaller audience than an episode of SmackDown.

Plus, though Fastlane is an odd mid-tier event, Cena's presence on it in a feud that has stretched for a while would certainly be a good way to drum up fan interest—and beef with Jimmy Uso just inside Reigns' orbit could be a prolonged thing that keeps the show fresh.

While short notice on the Payback front, the situation would make sense for all parties.

Verdict: Buying

Pro wrestling fans might recall that before Bray Wyatt's all-timer of a return to WWE, there was plenty of buzz about a possible debut in AEW.

That idea just received a follow-up from Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Dave Meltzer (h/t Andrew Ravens of Wrestling News), who said even TNT was aware of a possible debut date before things fell apart for possible financial reasons.

This one registers as a sell, though. Wyatt had an extremely unique character in WWE that feels like it wouldn't have worked anywhere else. And there was likely zero chance Vince McMahon and Co. were going to lose a bidding war for one of their most iconic characters and wrestlers at pretty much any price point.

As in other sports, the threat of another company (or team) being there can make things interesting for everyone, but Wyatt always seemed like one of those guys who would stick with WWE.

Verdict: Selling

WWE leaving money-looking matches off of PLE cards has come under fire recently.

The most notable by far was the omission of Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus at SummerSlam. But Gunther defending his Intercontinental title against Chad Gable missing Payback is up there, too.

According to BWE (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats), Gunther's match was a budget cut of sorts to keep the Payback match card slim.

That tracks, given how smooth and quick most PLE events have suddenly become under the Triple H era of creative. It stinks for Gunther, given the historic nature of his run and it stinks for Gable, who deserves a bigger spotlight.

But if a creative department that has been making pretty good decisions across the board felt the match wouldn't get the time it deserved, it's probably a smart move.

Verdict: Buying

Fans haven't seen Shane McMahon since WrestleMania 39, where he suffered the torn quad that required Snoop Dogg to improvise in order to save a segment featuring The Miz.

More recently, Mike Johnson of PW Insider reported that McMahon will remain absent from WWE until Endeavor closes the purchase of WWE, something that could happen later this year.

But it is unclear as to why that business-side development would impact Shane's ability to appear in segments. Given his ho-hum reception at the 2022 Royal Rumble and the injury at 'Mania, it's safe to presume he's chomping at the proverbial bit to get back and not let that be how his in-ring career ends.

Maybe that's setting up a war of words with Cena soon, or getting into it with someone like LA Knight to provide the proverbial McMahon bump. But it would be wise to expect to see Shane sooner rather than later.

Verdict: Selling