Buy or Sell Latest on CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins, Jacob Fatu's Injury, More WWE Rumors (2024)

At this point, the pro wrestling rumor mill is in a self-sustained fire that will not fade as the summer continues.

WWE still has the wide-ranging fallout from Summerslam dominating the headlines. While that unfolds, AEW's heading toward one of its biggest—and most important—events in a long time with this year's edition of All In.

One simple pass at the rumor mill shows immense injury speculation, major plans for factions, and rumblings that detail huge planned feuds for CM Punk and others. Much of it, thanks to the emphasis on longer stories and plans, has tendrils that reach all the way to next year's WrestleMania, which is both impressive and daunting.

To help fans keep pace, here's a look at the top-tier rumors worth seeing, plus whether they should buy or sell on each.

Just when it seemed like things couldn't get any more violent and personal between CM Punk and Drew McIntyre, WWE came up with a possibly wicked new stipulation.

According to WrestlePurists (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats), Punk and McIntyre will partake in a Strap Match at Bash in Berlin.

This one makes too much sense not to buy as WWE seeks out a way to keep the feud going in interesting ways. It would also explain why Punk went to work on McIntyre with a belt last week on Raw.

WWE needs something big like this for the rematch at its PLE at the end of August, yet also keeps a Hell in a Cell match possible for Bad Blood in October.

Adding this sort of personal stipulation that guarantees things escalate for the best running feud in the sport is a no-brainer.

Verdict: Buying

The Judgment Day is falling apart before the very eyes of fans.

But just how badly are we talking here?

Because according to an initial report from WrestleVotes (h/t Ortman), the working name for the rebranded stable was "Street Trash." WrestleVotes later followed up by saying the nickname will merely be used at times, but Judgment Day will remain.

Let's sell on that.

There's no way fans could take a stable called Street Trash seriously and it would quickly make the hellish spinoff feel like parody material at best. With Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley on the outs and babyfaces, the last thing the remaining group can do is fall into that territory.

Sure, maybe the term "Street Trash" is a one-liner in a promo that eventually goes on a shirt. But letting go of the Judgment Day name now would be a disaster.

Verdict: Selling

The gruesome-looking injury suffered by Jacob Fatu before Roman Reigns' return at SummerSlam has become a polarizing topic.

For some, it looked like Fatu really suffered an injury during the main event between Cody Rhodes and Solo Sikoa during a spot that simply went wrong. For others, while perhaps a tad overacted, it was clearly a way to carefully navigate the story.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Ortman), the latter group would be correct.

Let that report—and common-sense booking—tell it, Fatu's "injury" was a way to prevent his inevitable showdown with Reigns from happening...for now.

It's painfully obvious that Fatu is by far the biggest-feeling threat to Reigns from this new Bloodline group, to the point it could be a big-money match down the road. The returning Tribal Chief had since mowed through the people around Sikoa.

Fatu returned on the August 16 edition of SmackDown and leveled Reigns, still wearing a boot on the injury. But it still felt like a plot device, too, if not a weapon in the upcoming feud.

Verdict: Buying

It sure feels like fans won't see a true feud between Punk and Seth Rollins anytime soon.

A new report from PW Insider Elite (h/t Ortman) seems to confirm this, partially due to Punk's feud with McIntyre and also because the company is simply better at long-term booking now.

No kidding, right? Rollins has been a constant presence in the background or even forefront of Punk's every move since his big return. But that feud with McIntyre needs to play out first—and there's no guarantee it even concludes at Bad Blood in October.

Fans also understand, based on the way Rollins was "written off" again recently, that he needs time to heal up whatever ails him, anyway. So, while he does that, Punk will remain in the current feud.

This is all probably for the better anyway. The best possible thing for all involved would be Seth and Punk finally getting their WrestleMania main event next year on Night 1.

Verdict: Buying