Chairshot Wrestling News Report (8/1/2026): Chairshot Wrestling News Report (8/1/2026): Orton and Owens Near Returns, Lash Qualifies and SummerSlam Begins

Randy Orton and Kevin Owens are reportedly nearing WWE returns as SummerSlam begins, Lash Legend qualifies and Haku reunites with Tama Tonga  and Talla Tonga.

The final television stop before SummerSlam is complete, and WWE now turns its attention to Minneapolis for the first night of its biggest event of the summer.

Lash Legend secured the last opening in Sunday’s ladder match, CM Punk and Cody Rhodes abandoned any remaining attempt at friendship and Haku reunited with his sons during a chaotic championship confrontation.

It’s the Chairshot Wrestling News Report for August 1, 2026!

Randy Orton and Kevin Owens Reportedly Near WWE Returns

Randy Orton and Kevin Owens are reportedly approaching returns to WWE television after lengthy absences.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Orton could return as soon as the week following SummerSlam. The 14-time world champion has been away since WrestleMania 42 because of recurring back problems. WWE reportedly once considered having Orton defeat Cody Rhodes for the championship, but concerns surrounding his health forced the company to change those plans.

Owens is also believed to be nearing an in-ring return after undergoing neck surgery last year. He has reportedly lost weight and is preparing to wrestle for the first time since March 2025, although WWE has not announced an official return date for either man.

Orton’s timing immediately creates questions surrounding the Undisputed WWE Championship match between Rhodes and CM Punk. His unresolved issue with Rhodes gives WWE an established story to revisit whether Orton appears during SummerSlam or returns to SmackDown afterward.

Owens’ return would give WWE another proven main-event performer capable of moving directly into a major program. The company does not need to rush him after such a serious injury, but simply having Owens medically available would significantly strengthen the roster following SummerSlam.

Lash Legend Qualifies as Punk and Rhodes Come to Blows

Lash Legend defeated Giulia to claim the fifth and final position in the Interim WWE Women’s Championship Ladder Match.

Giulia attempted to control the match with an octopus hold and scored a near-fall with the Arrivederci, but Legend countered and hit the Lash Extension for a decisive victory. Legend joins Tiffany Stratton, Jade Cargill, Charlotte Flair and Chelsea Green in Sunday’s ladder match.

SmackDown ended with Undisputed WWE Champion CM Punk and Cody Rhodes acknowledging that their championship match had become personal. Rhodes challenged Punk to stop waiting until SummerSlam, leading to a ringside brawl that required referees and officials to separate them multiple times.

WWE SmackDown Results — July 31, 2026

• Michin and B-Fab defeated Tiffany Stratton and Chelsea Green
• WWE Tag Team Championship and AAA Tag Team Championship – Damian Priest and R-Truth vs. The War Raiders ended in a no-contest
• AAA Cruiserweight Championship – Rey Fenix (c) defeated JD McDonagh
• Interim WWE Women’s Championship Ladder Match Qualifier – Lash Legend defeated Giulia.

Legend’s victory completes the ladder-match field, but the manner of the win may be just as important. She did not need interference from Nia Jax or a complicated finish to defeat Giulia, immediately establishing her as one of the match’s most dangerous physical threats.

Punk and Rhodes also removed any remaining ambiguity from their story. Their respect may return after SummerSlam, but neither man is approaching the match as a friendly competition anymore.

Nick Aldis Prepares for His Long-Awaited WWE Match

Nick Aldis will make his WWE in-ring debut when he faces Gunther during SummerSlam Night 1.

Aldis has spent nearly three years away from active competition while serving as SmackDown General Manager. He acknowledged feeling the physical strain and nerves that come with returning to the ring, but he has been training extensively for the opportunity.

The 39-year-old has wrestled around the world for more than two decades and held major championships outside WWE. Despite that experience, Saturday will represent the first time he competes as a WWE Superstar.

The match does not need a championship to carry significant stakes. Gunther views Aldis as another authority figure attempting to limit him, while Aldis is fighting to prove that becoming a general manager did not end his career as a wrestler.

A competitive performance would establish Aldis as someone WWE can use selectively for future matches. A decisive loss would instead reinforce Gunther’s reputation as the man who ends careers and destroys reputations.

Haku Reunites With Tama Tanga and Talla Tonga

Haku made a surprise appearance on SmackDown and challenged Tama Tonga and Talla Tonga to remember who they represent.

The wrestling legend told his sons that they had lost their direction since separating from Solo Sikoa and urged them to make the roster fear their family again.

Tama and Talla responded after the title-versus-title match between Damian Priest and R-Truth and The War Raiders ended without a winner. They attacked both teams before Haku joined them in the ring, where the three men held the WWE and AAA tag-team championships above their fallen targets.

The segment gives Tama and Talla a new identity without immediately placing them back alongside Solo. Haku’s presence also provides the brothers with an authority figure whose connection to them does not need to be manufactured through storyline explanations.

Neither team lost its championship, but both now have another problem. The tag-title picture has expanded from a rivalry between two sets of champions into a fight involving a family determined to take everything.

WWE SummerSlam Night 1 Preview

SummerSlam Night 1 begins Saturday at 6 PM ET/3 PM PT from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

The first night is headlined by CM Punk defending the Undisputed WWE Championship against Cody Rhodes. Punk defeated Sami Zayn to win the title, while Rhodes earned another opportunity to reclaim the championship he once carried as the face of WWE.

Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi will settle their rivalry inside Hell in a Cell. Femi defeated Lesnar at WrestleMania 42 before Lesnar returned and evened the series at Clash in Italy.

Liv Morgan will defend the Women’s World Championship against Queen of the Ring winner IYO SKY. Gunther will face Nick Aldis, while two faction-based matches complete the six-match card.

WWE SummerSlam Night 1 — Saturday, August 1

• Undisputed WWE Championship – CM Punk (c) vs. Cody Rhodes
• Hell in a Cell – Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar
• Women’s World Championship – Liv Morgan (c) vs. IYO SKY
• Gunther vs. Nick Aldis
• Six-Man Tag Team Match – LA Knight, Solo Sikoa and Royce Keys vs. Jacob Fatu and The Usos
• Six-Woman Tag Team Match – The Bella Twins and Paige vs. Fatal Influence

Punk and Rhodes carry the championship stakes, but Lesnar and Femi may produce the night’s defining spectacle. Lesnar has experience surviving the cell, while Femi has the power and athleticism to make that experience less valuable than it normally would be.

Morgan and SKY could also reshape Raw’s women’s division. A victory would validate Morgan’s title reign, while SKY has the opportunity to leave SummerSlam as champion after choosing the match herself.

Aldis faces the most difficult assignment of the night. He must overcome nearly three years of inactivity against a wrestler who has spent the last year retiring legends and former champions.

SummerSlam Brings WWE’s Spectacle to Minneapolis

SummerSlam weekend is expected to produce an estimated $100 million economic impact for the Minneapolis area through the stadium events, hotel stays, travel and surrounding attractions.

WWE is also holding a free SummerSlam Takeover event at the Minneapolis Convention Center, giving fans access to activities outside the two stadium shows.

Minnesota carries additional importance for Saturday’s Hell in a Cell match. Lesnar wrestled collegiately at the University of Minnesota, and SummerSlam may represent one of his final opportunities to compete in front of a hometown audience.

The setting adds another layer to Lesnar’s match with Femi. A victory would give Lesnar a defining hometown moment, but a loss could serve as the final transfer of power from one generation’s dominant heavyweight to the next.

SummerSlam Night 1 is built around wrestlers attempting to prove something larger than simply winning a match. Rhodes wants his championship back, Punk wants to establish that his reign is more than a temporary stop, Femi wants to finish Lesnar and Aldis wants to prove that his days inside the ring are not over.

The Haku family’s return also gives WWE a major story to develop after the weekend. Priest and Truth remain WWE Tag Team Champions, while The War Raiders still hold the AAA titles, but Tama and Talla Tonga have made it clear that neither team should feel secure.

Saturday’s results will determine champions and settle rivalries, but they will also establish which stories carry WWE through the rest of the summer.