Biggest Rumors Heading Into SummerSlam 2018

With SummerSlam right around the corner and what will be nearly seven hours of WWE programming from the kickoff show to the final bell, there is plenty of buzz and speculation surrounding the event.

A couple of heel turns might be taking place, perhaps an unexpected cash in of a certain Monster in the Bank briefcase and some title changes. This may be the final SummerSlam at Barclays Center and there are some WWE Superstars with questionable futures based on their current contract situations.

What does it all mean? Here are a few things we expect to happen at SummerSlam 2018.

Heel Turn(s) and Unexpected Finishes

Someone big is expected to turn heel at the show. It could be Dean Ambrose who made his return to WWE this past Monday and he'll start a war with Seth Rollins or it could be Roman Reigns who sides with Paul Heyman in an attempt to finally take the title from around Brock Lesnar's waist.

Some of that will depend on what gets settled with Lesnar who is supposed to have a closed-door meeting just prior to the event. That meeting could see him come away with a new contract or it could finalize his dropping the belt and how the company intends to make that happen. It is being speculated that the finish of the match is still up in the air and that if Lesnar somehow wins, it will signify the fact that he's agreed to a deal that will allow him to work both in UFC and WWE.

If Ambrose doesn't turn at the event itself, it is expected he may turn heel shortly afterward.

Title Changes

There is an expectation that at least four titles will be changing hands during the five-plus hour event. Roman Reigns and Ronda Rousey are likely favorites to win the Universal and Raw Women’s Championships respectively, and unless there's some sort of shocking development with Lesnar, this is probably still the plan.

Seth Rollins is also a favorite among oddsmakers to grab the IC belt from Dolph Ziggler and the final change could happen via a couple different candidates. The Revival could defeat The B-Team in the kickoff show, or Carmella could lose her title, although the latter would be surprising.

Rey Mysterio Showing?

Rey Mysterio was removed from a Northeast Wrestling booking set for next Friday “due to his upcoming contractual situation with WWE”. This has led to speculation he is on his way to WWE and some are wondering if he could show up at SummerSlam.

The only way this happens is if WWE allows him to make an appearance on WWE programming and then less than two weeks later appear at All In, the biggest independent wrestling show ever produced. Mysterio was adamant that he keep his commitment to Cody Rhodes and the Young Bucks to appear at that show.

SummerSlam Changing Venues

There are still mixed reports if this is going to be the final SummerSlam in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center and that the event will be moving to a bigger arena, in much the same way WrestleMania tries to sell to cities with larger stadiums.

Sasha Banks hinted that the event might move to Los Angeles next year and while others have maintained that report isn't true, it is possible. There are also rumors SummerSlam could headed to Toronto.

AJ Styles To Retain

There is speculation AJ Styles will keep his title at SummerSlam for a couple reasons. First, WWE wants to help promote the WWE 2K19 game (Styles is on the cover) and second, Styles vs. Samoa Joe appears to be headed toward a future Hell in a Cell match.

With local outlets promoting Joe vs. Styles, it appears WWE will stretch this feud out through a series of matches trying to draw even more emotion to the two background history of these two stars and dig into their past matches a bit more.

Strowman Cashing In?

One of the rumors floating around is that Braun Strowman will defeat Kevin Owens (in fairly easy fashion) and then move on to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase against the winner of the Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns match.

If Lesnar wins, this is a good way to take the title off of him either on Sunday or the next night on Raw where Lesnar is advertised to appear. If Reigns wins, this could be to counteract what WWE worries might be a negative response to him getting the title.

NEXT: 20 POSSIBLE SCENARIOS THAT COULD TAKE PLACE AFTER SUMMERSLAM