Rather than cool off like it does some years, the pro wrestling rumor mill surrounding WWE and AEW has only amped up more exiting one of the year's biggest events.
Credit goes to SummerSlam, where major storylines and feuds didn't just conclude—it also functioned as a launching pad for even bigger stories that might just run up to next year's WrestleMania.
Roman Reigns coming back to reignite the Bloodline on a new path is the chief example, though feuds like CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre only just getting started is another highlight example.
Tack on the standard fare free-agent buzz and even some surprise retirement speculation, and indeed, this mill is somehow hotter than most of the summer's prior offerings.
Here's a look at the must-know rumblings right now and whether fans should buy or sell on them.
For some, it might be tough to see how the feud between Punk and McIntyre could get even more personal and violent, given all that has unfolded to date.
For others, it boils down to a simple phrase: Hell in a Cell.
According to WRKD Wrestling, that's exactly the plan in place for Bad Blood, WWE's October PLE.
Chalk it up as the easiest buy of the week. The best-running feud in pro wrestling that only just had its first actual match demands an escalation. Thankfully, this new era of WWE booking has done away with using stipulations like Hell in a Cell on feuds that don't deserve it.
This feud? It certainly does. And it's one heck of a way to make that Bad Blood PLE a success right away. The rumor also gains some credibility with the lack of a Seth Rollins mention, presuming a beatdown he took on Raw after SummerSlam was a way to write him off television due to injury.
Becky Lynch recently gave pro wrestling fans a nice scare via an Instagram post.
Lynch, whose career was just chronicled on "Biography: WWE Legends" recently, wrote the following on an Instagram post: "It's been a helluva career. Being the Man for all of you was an honor, being the mom for her is a privilege. Thanks for watching my bio on @AETV."
That certainly reads a certain type of way, but according to Fightful Select (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats), WWE sources don't think Lynch is hanging up the boots via a social media post.
We would be inclined to agree via the form of a sell on a Lynch retirement here. The caption reads a little interestingly, but not out of character for someone who just watched their career to date captured in biography form.
It doesn't help that there has been recent speculation about Lynch's contract status, but there have been plenty of instances of quiet re-signings that only get reported at a later date, too.
Most of all, though, there's almost no chance Lynch would just up and retire via a social media post.
It certainly feels like WWE has positioned Reigns and former top champion Damian Priest as babyfaces over the last week or so.
According to PW Insider (h/t Ortman), that is something indeed reflected on WWE's internal roster sheets too, with Priest the top babyface on Raw and Reigns, SmackDown.
While we currently live in a fantastic gray area for character motivations and storytelling, those traditional descriptions would seem to apply to both guys. This is especially true for Priest, who has been fully betrayed by Judgment Day and is now a lovable underdog.
Reigns is a little more complex and rightfully so. He's got some serious family drama to sort out, and, coming off one of the biggest heel runs of all time, he isn't just going to turn around and start cutting "I love this city!" promos to make fans cheer him.
Even so, it makes sense that the internal sheets would have both guys tagged as this—for the time being.
The latest and arguably most prominent free agent buzz centers on the world of AEW.
There, it is all about Ricky Starks, who has recently had contract speculation around his name, especially after a reduction in his on-screen role in weekly programming.
According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Ortman), a creative disagreement between Superstar and the company has led to his reduced role and he even suggested those within the company think he'll head to WWE.
Starks did have a notable push earlier in the year, yet his actually going to WWE feels like a sell. Not everyone can take the Cody Rhodes path after a disagreement about character direction and one could argue that Starks might just get lost in an already-crowded WWE system.
Also, we're not that far removed from it feeling so, so likely that Buddy Matthews would leave for WWE—only for him to re-up with AEW. Starks following a similar trajectory wouldn't be all that shocking.
It has felt like Bobby Lashley might have one foot out the proverbial door with WWE for a while now.
According to Fightful Select (h/t Ortman), that fan theory is about to come true in the form of Lashley's contract expiring over the weekend.
This follows a report from PW Insider (h/t Ortman) not all that long ago that said Lashley very much intends to test free agency.
So, easy buy. Lashley hasn't received much in the way of notable usage in the new Triple H era of creative. It matches speculation that MVP might be on his way out too, with The Hurt Business stable simply a thing of the past.
For now, anyway. It would certainly make sense if AEW has interest in making that stable come back on the scene in pro wrestling soon.
