WWE Rumors on CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, SummerSlam 2024 Card; Inside Joe Hendry NXT Spot

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

Punk vs. McIntyre Reportedly Planned for SummerSlam

After CM Punk cost Drew McIntyre the chance to become world heavyweight champion at Clash at the Castle, plans are reportedly in place for a huge match between McIntyre and Punk in the near future.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestleTalk), Punk vs. McIntyre is penciled in for SummerSlam in August provided Punk is cleared to wrestle by then.

Punk suffered a torn triceps in the men's Royal Rumble match back in January, which rendered him unable to compete at WrestleMania 40. He still made a sizable impact, though, by attacking McIntyre after The Scottish Warrior beat Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship.

That allowed Damian Priest to successfully cash in his Money in the Bank contract on McIntyre to become the new world heavyweight champ.

McIntyre finally had his shot at redemption at Clash at the Castle in his home country of Scotland, but just when it looked like he was about to win the title, Punk down to the ring dressed like a referee and hit Drew with a low blow.

That allowed Priest to retain the title, and McIntyre subsequently quit WWE on the next episode of Raw.

Of course, McIntyre quitting was merely an angle, and it is clearly leading to a big showdown with Punk.

After costing McIntyre at Clash at the Castle, Punk said during the post-show press conference that he was heading home to Chicago with an eye toward getting medically cleared this week.

Punk is scheduled to appear on Friday night's episode of SmackDown in Chicago, and if he announces that he has officially been cleared, it will be a sign that Punk vs. McIntyre is essentially a lock for SummerSlam.

Rhodes vs. Sikoa, Paul vs. Knight Reportedly in the Works for SummerSlam

In addition to McIntyre vs. Punk, two other huge matches are reportedly expected to be part of the SummerSlam card as well.

According to Meltzer (h/t Wrestle Ops), an undisputed WWE Championship match between Cody Rhodes and Solo Sikoa has been "earmarked" for SummerSlam.

Meltzer (h/t Wrestle Features) also reported that a United States Championship bout pitting Logan Paul against LA Knight is expected for SummerSlam.

After Rhodes beat AJ Styles in an "I Quit" match at Clash at the Castle, Sikoa, Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa launched an attack on The American Nightmare, but Randy Orton and Kevin Owens made the save.

Sikoa setting his sights on Rhodes comes as little surprise since Cody beating Roman Reigns for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania threw The Bloodline into disarray.

Whether it is Reigns or The Rock, someone seems to be pulling the string for The Bloodline from a distance, and both of them would have plenty of incentive for Sikoa to make Rhodes pay.

As for the U.S. title scene, Paul and Knight have been at odds for weeks with Paul taunting Knight over the fact that he has yet to win a championship despite his popularity.

Knight recently elevated the rivalry by breaking into Paul's home and helping himself to his pool, and it seems like only a matter of time before they settle their differences in the ring.

Fans have been waiting for Knight to get his big moment by winning a championship, and SummerSlam would seemingly be the ideal venue to make it happen.

Hendry Talks How NXT Appearance Came About

After making a surprise appearance this week on NXT, TNA star Joe Hendry revealed that firm plans weren't in place for him to be on the show until shortly before it happened.

Speaking to Conor Renshaw of Inside The Ropes, Hendry said he wasn't told the NXT appearance was definitively happening until Monday: "I had two flights booked, one if it was happening and one if it wasn't happening, but I didn't know for sure until the day before. I literally went straight from doing Chris Van Vliet's podcast to the airport and straight to Orlando."

Hendry has gone viral and become a pro wrestling sensation in recent months thanks to his catchy theme song and obvious charisma, which made him a prime candidate to be part of the new TNA-WWE working relationship.

When Hendry's music hit prior to a battle royal on Tuesday's episode of NXT, then live audience reacted in a big way, and they showed their support during the passionate promo he cut as well.

Hendry was a marked man in the battle royal due to the brash attitude he displayed, so most of the combatants went after him, and he was eliminated quickly.

However, since the WWE fanbase was so behind him in his first appearance for the company, it seems likely that more Hendry involvement could be in the cards moving forward.

Another TNA star in Frankie Kazarian was also part of the battle royal this week, and that came on the heels of TNA Knockouts world champion Jordynne Grace challenging Roxanne Perez for the NXT Women's Championship at Battleground.

The partnership could prove to be hugely beneficial to both TNA and WWE, and getting the chance to be showcased to a widely audience is undoubtedly something Hendry and other TNA stars are looking to take advantage of as well.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below.