WWE Rumors on CM Punk Injury, Damian Priest Botch; Speculation on John Cena Title Win

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

Punk vs. McIntyre Reportedly Likely for SummerSlam

CM Punk foiled Drew McIntyre's plans once again at Money in the Bank on Saturday night in what may have been a SummerSlam precursor.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestler Observer Radio (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), Punk vs. McIntyre is "not 100 percent" for SummerSlam, but sources indicated it is "probable."

Meltzer added that people within WWE are "pretty confident" Punk vs. McIntyre will be able to happen next month at SummerSlam even though it isn't yet locked in.

At Money in the Bank, McIntyre won the men's Money in the Bank ladder match and attempted to cash in his contract during the World Heavyweight Championship match between Damian Priest and Seth Rollins.

However, Punk interfered by attacking McIntyre and hitting him with a steel chair and the title belt. That allowed Priest to win and retain, and it squandered McIntyre's Money in the Bank contract.

Punk and McIntyre have been at odds since the start of the year when McIntyre reveled in Punk tearing his triceps in the Royal Rumble and being unable to compete at WrestleMania 40.

That led to Punk costing McIntyre the world title at both WrestleMania and Clash at the Castle, although McIntyre did get some revenge on a recent episode of SmackDown by beating Punk to a bloody pulp.

Punk got one over on McIntyre again at Money in the Bank, though, and provided he is cleared for in-ring competition in the coming weeks, all signs point toward them doing battle in one of the top matches at SummerSlam.

Details Surrounding Pin Botch During Priest vs. Rollins

One of the main talking points coming out of Money in the Bank was an awkward moment during the World Heavyweight Championship match between Damian Priest and Seth Rollins.

At one point, Rollins hit Priest with a Falcon Arrow, but Priest never kicked out. Even so, the referee did not count to three, so the match continued.

Drew McIntyre came down the ramp seconds later and cashed in the Money in the Bank contract he won earlier in the night, making it a Triple Threat. However, CM Punk interfered, and Priest pinned McIntyre to retain the title.

According to Meltzer (h/t Mukherjee), sources with knowledge of the situation said Priest "just didn't kick out."

While he didn't receive much information other than that, Meltzer suggested that a timing issue may have been to blame for the miscue, as it is possible McIntyre's music was supposed to hit during the count.

His music didn't hit until after the count, though, which may have messed up the timing and resulted in Priest not kicking out.

Meltzer also addressed speculation that Priest didn't kick out due to an injury, but he could not confirm that.

Priest was able to finish and win the match, and Triple H said during the post-show press conference that nobody suffered any significant injuries.

Although the botch unfortunately overshadowed the match to some degree, Priest and Rollins still put on an entertaining bout, and the storyline involving McIntyre, Punk and Rollins took a significant step forward.

WWE May Consider Cena Breaking World Title Record

John Cena announced Saturday at Money in the Bank that 2025 will be his final year as an active WWE in-ring wrestler, which led to plenty of speculation and fantasy booking for how his retirement tour will take shape.

Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t WrestleTalk), Meltzer discussed the possibility of Cena winning a world title one more time in order to become the most-decorated champion in WWE history.

Currently, Cena and Ric Flair are tied for the most career world title reigns with 16. Meltzer noted that WWE "may want" Cena to break the tie so the company can "market him as the greatest of all time" moving forward.

Meltzer also noted that he got the "impression" Cena may win either the 2025 men's Royal Rumble match or the men's Elimination Chamber match to earn a world title match at WrestleMania 41.

Cena made it clear that next year's Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania will all be his last, but he also said his career won't end at WrestleMania.

The legendary Superstar noted in a post-show press conference that he intends to work between 30 and 40 dates of the course of the entire year.

With Cena working a semi-regular schedule compared to the part-time schedule he has worked in recent years, another world title reign can't be ruled out.

Winning either the WWE Championship or World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania seems entirely possible considering he will continue wrestling for several months after that.

Cena doesn't need another world title reign to cement everything he has already accomplished during his career, but given his status as one of the all-time greats and one of the most popular Superstars in WWE history, there is likely a good chance that WWE will give Cena that distinction.

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