Uncertainty Surrounds Roman Reigns and CM Punk as Wrestling’s Summer Season Heats Up

They’re both the top men’s champions of their respective companies, but they enter the summer in very different positions.

SI.com’s Week in Wrestling is published every week and provides beneath-the-surface coverage of the business of pro wrestling.

A tale of two champions

Roman Reigns and CM Punk are the world champions, respectively, of WWE and AEW. And each has an important task in his immediate future this summer, though their situations are entirely different.

Let’s begin with Reigns, who holds both the WWE and universal titles. His last televised match was as part of The Bloodline’s six-man tag last month at the Backlash pay-per-view against Drew McIntyre, Matt Riddle and Randy Orton. Prior to that, his last televised singles match was in April during the main event of WrestleMania 38, defeating Brock Lesnar. Reigns has wrestled plenty of times since Mania, minimizing talk that he was injured in that match against Lesnar. He has primarily wrestled McIntyre at house shows—they’ve met already 10 times in singles matches on the house show circuit since WrestleMania—but the lack of recent appearances has brought even more meaning to Reigns’s matches.

Following Backlash, the initial plan was for Reigns to wrestle at WWE’s three upcoming stadium shows against Riddle, Orton, and McIntyre. Those matches were never announced, but plans changed once Money in the Bank was moved from Allegiant Stadium to the indoor MGM Grand Garden Arena.

The expected slate of opponents for Reigns hasn’t changed, but he currently is no longer scheduled to work Money in the Bank. Riddle called out Reigns this week on Raw, and Orton is a bona fide star always ready to step into a main event opportunity. McIntyre has steadily been building momentum, which is important as we approach the summer.

Cody Rhodes generated momentum for a world title push with his performance wrestling with a torn pectoral muscle at Hell in a Cell. But the injury means Rhodes will be off-camera, and time away isn’t a positive. It could, perhaps, work in his favor if his return happens to coincide with the Royal Rumble.

Seth Rollins was simply outstanding over the course of the three-match program with Rhodes, and his contributions are being praised behind-the-scenes. But that should hardly come as a surprise—upper management in WWE (and, most certainly, the locker room) knows the type of talent it possesses in Rollins, who belongs on an exclusive list of the most elite performers in the world.

As for Punk and his world-title reign, there is an entirely different set of circumstances.

Punk is unable to defend the title, having broken a bone in his foot. The working plan is to crown a new No. 1 contender later tonight on Dynamite in a battle royal, with the winner then wrestling Jon Moxley for the right to main-event the upcoming Forbidden Door pay-per-view in an interim world title match.

Originally, Punk was intended to wrestle—and defeat—Hiroshi Tanahashi at Forbidden Door, but that has changed due to the severity of Punk’s injury. Tanahashi will now wrestle Hirooki Goto at New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Dominion show on Sunday in Osaka, with the winner meeting whoever emerges from Wednesday night’s Dynamite to decide the new interim champ at Forbidden Door. While Goto is an extremely talented pro wrestler, he excels as the opponent, not the featured attraction (look no further than his G1 Climax finale in 2016 against Kenny Omega, an all-time classic that placed Omega on the path to global stardom—yet in no way elevated Goto). It would be an absolute shock if Tanahashi doesn’t win that match at Dominion.

The safe bet is that we will finally see Moxley against Tanahashi later this month at Forbidden Door, the realization of a match that has come close to happening on several occasions but has yet to materialize. An interesting wild card would be MJF—yes, the same MJF who cut an outrageous, profane, and unforgettable promo last week—to win the battle royal, then defeat Moxley to set up a bout against Tanahashi. Not only would that have some historical accuracy (Moxley used an illegal move to defeat MJF at All Out in 2020, so MJF owes him a receipt), but it would capitalize on MJF’s worked shoot angle, as well as provide a clear babyface and heel dynamic with Tanahashi. If he were booked to defeat Tanahashi, it would be a defining moment for MJF.

Summer is typically one of the best times in wrestling. Reigns and Paul Heyman will make sure of that this summer, and the return of John Cena in a few weeks will also be appointment-viewing. Another fascinating development is Finn Bálor stepping into a make-or-break spot as new leader of The Judgment Day. Never known for his promos, Bálor will need his voice more than ever in this new role, especially as he squares off against a performer as charismatic as Edge. And hopefully Punk is back sooner than later for a showdown against the new interim champion, but plenty of potential exists if AEW books the right man as champ.

The (online) week in wrestling

• I’m hesitant to even link to it, but this is a low-class criticism of Stephanie McMahon from a WWE “source” in Business Insider. At best, the criticism is WWE’s way of saving face with Wall Street in light of a McMahon leaving the company, but it’s also an unnecessary cheap shot. The mantra of “putting smiles on people’s faces” doesn’t exist within the walls of WWE’s corporate headquarters.

• For the first time in nearly a year, John Cena will return later this month to Raw. 

• Cody Rhodes capped off his incredible showing at Hell in a Cell with a beatdown on Raw from Seth Rollins. Has Rhodes built enough momentum to make a run at Roman Reigns?

• MJF’s explosive promo was a sight to behold last Wednesday on Dynamite—but does the entire program become less compelling now that it is apparent this is a worked shoot? The next step will be critical. 

• Edge is no longer the leader of The Judgment Day, replaced by Finn Bálor. Outside of his runs in NXT, Balor has never been highlighted as a top star over a prolonged period of time in WWE—but that could change with this run. 

• Rhea Ripley closed out Raw with a victory, putting her in line for a title shot next month against Bianca Belair. A successful program will go a long way in proving they belong in WWE’s top tier of stars.

• In an effort to showcase another member of the women’s division, Becky Lynch highlighted the work of Dana Brooke this past week on Raw. 

• Hiroshi Tanahashi has extended an invite to CM Punk for a match at Wrestle Kingdom.

• NWA champion Matt Cardona underwent surgery on Tuesday for a torn bicep. Despite that, Cardona is still scheduled to defend the title on Saturday at NWA’s Alwayz Ready show against Nick Aldis. 

• The Forbidden Door pay-per-view card will come together quickly once this weekend’s Kazuchika Okada–Jay White match for the IWGP world heavyweight title is complete. 

WES postpones first show but has had plenty of encouraging signs since

The newest wrestling promotion is Wrestling Entertainment Series.

Led by co-promoters Gzim Selmani and Sunny Dhinsa—who are the former WWE tag team Authors of Pain, and now known as the Legion of Pain—the WES is going to feature established and emerging talent, providing shows that travel across the globe.

But first, it is critical to succeed in its first show.

That debut was originally supposed to be in Dubai, but after the death of United Arab Emirates ruler Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan in mid-May (and the ensuing 40-day period of national mourning), the decision was made to pivot to the U.K. The debut had been set for June 4 at Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, England. Yet that was also postponed, Selmani shared in a statement, due to a scheduling conflict. The decision was likely for the best; attempting to reschedule every aspect of the show and replace key talent on short notice proved extremely difficult, as did marketing in such a narrow timeframe, so moving to July is the best way to launch the company on the right foot.

Despite the early obstacles, all indicators point to WES doing right by its talent.

The opening show is now rescheduled in Nottingham for July 9, and Fightful reported last week that wrestlers who were booked for WES received their pay. At minimum, talent received 50%, Sports Illustrated learned. Some were paid in full depending on contractual elements, while others came down on their rates in exchange for an additional flight for a friend or family member. SI also confirmed people were paid if they were previously booked on events and pulled out to work the WES show.

The card for July 9 is headlined by a main event that includes MMA great Alistair Overeem. He was originally scheduled to fight Adam “The Titan” Scherr (formerly Braun Strowman in WWE), which is still possible—though it is complicated by the fact that Scherr is already scheduled to work a different date that will interfere with WES. If it happens, Scherr-Overeem certainly has the potential to be a spectacle with two larger-than-life heavyweights.

The first WES show will also include CJ Perry (Lana in WWE), Dean “Mojo” Muhtadi, Lina Fanene (Nia Jax), Samuray Del Sol (Kalisto), Lince Dorado, Levis Valenzuela (No Way Jose), Moose, Big Damo, Eric Young and Scott Armstrong. The plan is to add a couple more stars, but those names are not yet finalized.

If WES is successful, it would benefit the entire industry. Its plan is to do shows all over the world, which would be a positive for fans and talent.

Tweet of the Week

Seth Rollins has been on an absolute tear over the past six months, making sure his opponents are also highlighted in the process.

Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.