The two biggest wrestling shows of the upcoming summer will be SummerSlam and All In. SummerSlam has always been the biggest show of the summer as WWE’s massive PPV for many decades now. However, there is a threat for a bigger show with Cody Rhodes and the Young Bucks announcing a shocking event. All In will see them put together a super show for wrestlers outside of WWE. Their hope is to prove that these talented wrestlers not featured on WWE television have the ability to bring 10,000 fans into a venue. There is enough hype to have it pass SummerSlam as the most anticipated show of the summer.

We will look at some of the rumors circulating regarding both events to try to figure out which will be better. There are always reports out about the long-term planning from WWE. Speculation has the event having quite a few scenarios in play. The hype behind All In has grown strong enough for fans to also ponder what exactly will go down on this event. Find out which show will interest you more if these rumors turn out to be true. These are ten backstage rumors circulating about SummerSlam and five rumors about All In.

15 SummerSlam: Samoa Joe wins WWE Championship

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The return of Samoa Joe from injury has seen him gain a lot of momentum. Joe was on the shelf for a few months and missed WrestleMania for the second consecutive year. WWE intentionally made sure Joe returned on the Raw after WrestleMania for added importance. Joe’s first appearance saw him interrupt Roman Reigns and absolutely destroy him on the microphone. The promos from Joe calling out Reigns have seen him take his game to another level.

WWE reportedly is impressed enough with Joe to have major plans going forward.

A surprising move came when Joe was arguably the biggest star to move from Raw to SmackDown in the recent Superstar Shakeup. Considering Raw lacks heels and Joe is in the beginning of a feud with Reigns, it seemed likely he would stay put for the time being.

However, Joe making the move to SmackDown is setting up for a main event run. A promo with AJ Styles was meant to set up a future feud down the road. Joe appears to be the heel selected to take down Styles or whomever the WWE Champion is at the time. Opponents like Styles, Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy would make Joe the perfect heel champion to deliver great feuds with all of them.

14 SummerSlam: Asuka vs Charlotte II

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Many would argue for good reason that Charlotte Flair and Asuka had the best match at WrestleMania 34. Both ladies proved to have great chemistry in their first match working with the other. Asuka was expected to win and continue her undefeated streak before moving to SmackDown as the Women’s Champion. However, we were all stunned to see Charlotte retain by ending the streak.

Asuka still moved to SmackDown in the Superstar Shakeup despite not having the title. It proved that the rumors of Asuka having long term plans on the blue brand was indeed correct.

One rumored plan was that WWE wanted to have multiple matches between the two top women’s wrestlers. It is among the biggest attraction matches for the women’s division.

The belief is that Asuka and Charlotte will have their big singles rematch at SummerSlam, regardless if it is for the SmackDown Women’s Championship or not. Asuka would likely get her win back in this one leading to a rubber match down the road. It is impossible to complain about this rumor given the two will just provide another great match. Asuka moving to SmackDown ensures we are bound to get a few more classics with Charlotte.

13 All In: Chris Jericho or Rey Mysterio in A Huge Match

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The momentum of All In is seeing it become the biggest North American wrestling show outside of WWE since WCW and ECW went out of business. Cody Rhodes and the Young Bucks are putting their own money on the line and it is paying off with interest in the event reaching a new high. For the event to live up to the hype, there will need to be at least one massive name to serve as an attraction.

The two biggest names on the free agent market that have the ability to perform at a high level expected from the fan base would be Chris Jericho and Rey Mysterio.

Jericho had a classic match with Kenny Omega in New Japan and is enjoying adding more moments to his legendary career. He also is working with the Bullet Club members to appear on his cruise, so it would make sense for him to return the favor.

Mysterio is also relevant again after a great performance in the Royal Rumble and he’s been having great matches on the independent circuit for the past few years. One of the two is expected to be on the card, if not both. Jericho may be more likely since WWE has interest in bringing back Rey full time. It would be hard to see Mysterio on the free agent market come September, but Jericho isn’t expected to sign a contract with anyone any time soon.

12 SummerSlam: Legends having matches to set tone for WrestleMania 35

One interesting tidbit about SummerSlam 2018 is that WrestleMania weekend will be in the same area next year. Within a span of eight months, the New York area will host both SummerSlam weekend and WrestleMania weekend. WrestleMania 35 will be in New Jersey, but NXT, Raw, SmackDown and the Hall of Fame will all take place at Barclays Center like SummerSlam will.

This is leading to WWE wanting to treat SummerSlam as a bigger event than it has in many years. A great event and atmosphere could be the final thing to convince fans to make the trip to the NYC area for the biggest weekend of the year in 2019. One rumored plan to do this is adding a few legends to the card for SummerSlam. We usually only see names like Triple H, The Undertaker and Kurt Angle at WrestleMania unless there’s a rare exception.

SummerSlam could see one or multiple of these legends making an in-ring return for major matches.

It would certainly add a lot of excitement to the card and create more interest than the event has seen in recent years. There are certainly enough talented wrestlers on the roster to deliver a dream match with someone like Angle or Triple H.

11 SummerSlam: Andrade Almas ending Jeff Hardy's U.S. Championship reign

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Jeff Hardy winning the United States Championship on Raw from Jinder Mahal before moving to SmackDown set the tone for him returning to his prior status as an upper level singles star. There is more momentum behind the U.S. Title than it has seen over the past few months. Hardy is set to have a decent run with the title to both prove he is still an over star and to help the title find credibility.

There have been rumblings about what the plans are for Andrade “Cien” Almas when he debuts on SmackDown. Almas and his manager Zelina Vega are making the jump from NXT to the main roster with a lot of hype. The former NXT Champion proved he has a world of talent and Vega proved she was a top tier manager in the industry today.

WWE has been searching for the next major Latin superstar. Following the peak of Rey Mysterio’s run, WWE has struggled to appeal to the demographic. Prior projects like Alberto Del Rio, Sin Cara and Kalisto didn’t live up to the expectations for the company. The rumor mill believes Almas will face Hardy at some point within the first few months of his SmackDown career.

SummerSlam seems like the stage to elevate him to the next level as a rising star in WWE.

10 All In: ROH, New Japan and PWG title defenses

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One cool aspect of All In is the variety of talent that will be involved on the show. Many fans wondered if promotions would keep their contracted talent away from the show since the Young Bucks and Cody Rhodes are the ones financing and potentially profiting from it. However, various promotions have already been confirmed to allow their wrestlers to perform.

Ring of Honor’s Jay Lethal and New Japan’s Kazuchika Okada are booked for the event. The Young Bucks have stated that both promotions have been nothing but helpful in working with them. A recent video from the cast of Being the Elite featured a whiteboard with clues about the All In card. The most fascinating clue was that three titles will be defended on the show.

This show is clearly meant to celebrate all of independent wrestling and what promotions outside of WWE are accomplishing. There is fan speculation that three World Titles will be on the line for this show.

ROH, NJPW and PWG are the promotions assumed to have their belts defended at All In. PWG’s ownership has a close relationship with the Young Bucks and it is already established that the other two promotions are happy to be featured.

9 SummerSlam: Sasha Banks and Bayley finally have their PPV singles match

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WWE has done a poor job setting up the storyline of Bayley and Sasha Banks’ friendship falling apart. The feud reached a peak during WrestleMania season and seemed like the best singles match for the event. However, WWE wanted to go with Nia Jax and Alexa Bliss as the Raw Women’s Championship match. This just dragged out the Bayley and Sasha feud.

The current plan is to save the match until SummerSlam. In theory, it makes sense given the two had a legendary match during SummerSlam weekend at Barclays Center for NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 2016.

The sad reality is that fans are now losing interest in it. It has been going on for far too long with quite a few bumps in the road taking away momentum. This could easily become one of those plans that gets scrapped by Vince McMahon by reading the crowd.

Banks and Bayley have teased completely turning on the other way too many times over the past few years since Bayley was called up to the main roster. Their momentum is fading, and WWE will have to put in a lot of creative work to make this feud relevant again. It does seem like they believe they can pull it off given the rumors Banks versus Bayley taking place at Barclays Center for SummerSlam 2018.

8 SummerSlam: Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz

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The biggest match on SmackDown right now may very well be Daniel Bryan finally facing off with The Miz. Their feud has been going on since the beginning of the brand split when Bryan was named the SmackDown General Manager. A few interactions on Talking Smack escalated to create incredible content of the two going at it with each other. It became the hottest feud on the show, but Bryan wasn’t cleared making it impossible for the angle to pay off.

WWE clearing Bryan this past March saw it become a must to bring Miz back over to SmackDown in the Superstar Shakeup. There wasn’t even an attempt to mask it as WWE wrote it in a way where Bryan was responsible for Miz moving back to SmackDown for the two to finally face off. WWE went an odd route by having Big Cass face Bryan in his first feud back rather than Miz.

The reason for the delay is believed to be for the company wanting to save Bryan versus Miz for a bigger show than Backlash. Their big showdown is rumored to take place at SummerSlam in one of the top matches for SmackDown.

WWE will have a few months to add even more intensity to this feud.

7 All In: Batista wrestling

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A surprising rumor about All In has fans wondering if Batista will be a part of the show. Batista has become a huge star in all forms of entertainment following his success in the role of Drax the Destroyer in the Guardians of the Galaxy and the latest Avengers: Infinity War movie. WWE however shows him very little respect. Batista has been trying to come to an agreement with them for one more run to end his career in the best way.

The lack of respect from WWE could see him use a big show like All In as the platform to have his final match. This rumor started in the Being the Elite table read video showing the whiteboard of their plans for All In. One of the things on the board sees the name Batista with a question mark as it implies Batista could be making his way onto their show.

Cody Rhodes has always been complimentary of Batista which would indicate they have a positive relationship. Batista appears to truly want to have one more performance to end his career on his own terms. An attraction match against another legend like Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio and another respected veteran could be a perfect way for All In to sell out the 10,000 seat venue in Illinois.

6 SummerSlam: Finn Balor brings back The Demon to face Roman Reigns

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The Demon character of Finn Balor was shockingly not a part of WrestleMania 34. Balor has wrestled three matches as this special attraction version of himself, and two of them took place at SummerSlam. The Barclays Center and SummerSlam weekend has become the biggest attraction of the year for Balor. He retained the NXT Championship over Kevin Owens in the first TakeOver: Brooklyn main event, won the Universal Championship over Seth Rollins at SummerSlam 2016 and defeated Bray Wyatt at SummerSlam 2017.

Basically, Balor has a great streak going during this weekend and the Barclays Center has been a great venue for him. WWE is reportedly getting ready to push him harder with feuds against bigger names coming this year.

Finn’s push has been put on hold due to WWE not wanting him to face Brock Lesnar in a title match. Roman Reigns losing his two Universal title shots to Lesnar means he is now out of the title picture and will need new opponents to work with. The two biggest names on Raw being kept away from Brock going forward are Finn and Roman. There is a strong belief the two will face off at SummerSlam with Balor bringing back the Demon for the first time since last fall.

5 SummerSlam: Ronda Rousey defeating Nia Jax

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WWE is clearly trying to make Ronda Rousey one of the biggest stars in the company. Following an incredible debut match at WrestleMania weekend, Rousey is slated to be involved in matches with Mickie James and Natalya over the next few months. These are nice little feuds to keep her involved on Raw while learning the in-ring aspect of wrestling more from two respected veterans.Rousey is expected to get past those two with a much bigger match come SummerSlam.

The rumor has been that Nia Jax is going to be the opponent for Rousey at the second biggest event of the year.

Jax winning the Raw Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 34 was initially a surprise given the other talent in the division. The win was meant to make her look stronger before facing off with Rousey at a big show.

It is unknown if Nia will still hold the Raw Women’s Championship for a match against Rousey. That seems relatively unlikely to have Ronda win the title right away given how slow the company wants to take things with the new performer. Either way, it would be a tough test for both ladies to make the match work given the lack of experience for both compared to the other talent in the division.

4 All In: Young Bucks vs. Golden Lovers Ladder Match

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The planning of matches for All In seems like a difficult task given the fan expectations for the event. Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks are clearly among the bigger acts on the show and will have to deliver amazing performances. Their recent work against each other in the Young Bucks vs. Golden Lovers bout led to a classic. The team of Omega and Kota Ibushi defeated the Young Bucks in a match rated five stars by many pundits.

There is fan speculation that the two teams will face off against at All In for one of the main event matches.

Both teams have superb chemistry and four of the best wrestlers in the world facing off without restriction seems like a can’t miss attraction. Another factor in play is the Young Bucks developing a reputation for being the current top stars at executing ladder matches.

The potential of a ladder match between the Young Bucks and Golden Lovers would make All In a can’t miss event. It would deliver the luster of a truly big match and provide a performance that satisfied the fan base. Fans are hoping this rumor turns out to be true for the sake of All In becoming a special show.

3 SummerSlam: Braun Strowman dethroning Brock Lesnar

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The Universal Championship reign of Brock Lesnar is shockingly still going today. It started at WrestleMania 33 with a win over Goldberg. Vince McMahon intentionally wanted a long reign with the desire to have Roman Reigns be the one to end his reign one year later at WrestleMania 34. The plan came into fruition with the match set in stone for the main event.

However, McMahon changed his mind on the week of WrestleMania to have Brock retain. The crowd heckled both men and it was considered a flop of a WrestleMania main event. Reigns losing his rematch at the Greatest Rumble in Saudi Arabia in front of a rare crowd supporting him showed that the plan was now truly dead. McMahon has moved on from Roman being the one to dethrone Brock.

It has been obvious for quite some time now that Vince’s favorite wrestlers are Roman and Braun Strowman. The momentum of Strowman is stronger than Lesnar as fans support him most weeks. Braun even picked up the Greatest Royal Rumble win outlasting 50 other men with relative dominance. Strowman has already lost three title matches to Lesnar, but McMahon wants to give him one more shot resulting in a win at SummerSlam.

2 SummerSlam: Heel Dean Ambrose returns to face Seth Rollins

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Seth Rollins has become one of the hottest performers in WWE today. Since winning the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania in a great match, Rollins has been getting among the biggest pops on Raw every week. The recent episode in Montreal saw Rollins get a standing ovation for just standing in the ring. There’s no debate that Rollins is on fire right now and arguably the most over guy in WWE. Enter Dean Ambrose. The former Shield member suffered an injury that kept him sidelined from WrestleMania 34.

Ambrose is expected to return to WWE at some point in the summer. It seems likely that SummerSlam will be his first big match back.

Rumors indicated that the original plan for WrestleMania was going to see Rollins face Ambrose after the latter turned heel.

Given Rollins’ popularity, this plan could work even better at SummerSlam. Ambrose turning on the beloved Rollins would make him among the top heels in the company. Both guys have clearly proved to have great chemistry through the years as partners and opponents. The chances of them facing off at SummerSlam seems likely. It is also a safe bet that they will steal the show on any card they're on.

1 All In: CM Punk making return to professional wrestling

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The biggest rumor for All In is regarding the potential appearance of CM Punk. We have yet to see Punk make any appearance at all in the wrestling industry since leaving WWE in 2014. Punk was burnt out and wanted to leave the industry he loved his entire life. The personal hatred he has for Triple H and the negative way things turned out following his departure will likely see him refuse to return to WWE.

All In provides the perfect opportunity for him to do something in the industry outside of WWE. It is well known that Punk is a good friend of the Young Bucks. They have been trying to recruit him to come to New Japan and/or Ring of Honor for quite some time now. However, All In has the appeal of being a one-off show and it takes part in Punk’s home of Illinois.

The fan speculation and hope are that Punk makes an appearance in a ring for the first time in over four years. Most believe Punk would just cut a promo putting over the event and thanking the loyal Chicago fans that treat him like a king. There’s always the slight chance of him having a match and making the show the hottest wrestling event of the year.