WWE Rumors on The Usos, Cody Rhodes, Kairi Sane's Return and IYO SKY's SummerSlam Win

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

Usos, Cody Rhodes Doing Well in Merch Sales

The breakup of Jimmy and Jey Uso over the weekend may have more than just storyline impact.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful reported the Usos were "selling more than every talent besides Cody Rhodes" in terms of merchandise sales since breaking off from Roman Reigns' Bloodline faction. The Usos' "We The Ones" shirts were described as "big-time sellers" among fans.

Those sales almost certainly vanished with one superkick to the face from Jimmy Uso to Jey during Saturday's SummerSlam main event. Jimmy shockingly interfered in his brother's Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match against Roman Reigns, pulling Jey off a downed Reigns and then knocking him out with a superkick. The interference allowed Reigns to retain the championship and left many fans perplexed by Jimmy Uso's actions.

The overwhelming odds are we'll see the Bloodline storyline continue with an Uso vs. Uso match at next month's Payback PLE. It will be interesting to see how merch sales change in wake of the splintering of one of WWE's longest-running tag teams.

Rhodes has been a fixture atop merch sales since his WWE return, and his feud with Brock Lesnar will do little to derail that momentum. He remains by far the most likely member of the roster to unseat Reigns and end his historic run as champion.

Kairi Sane Potentially Returning to WWE in November

After a nearly two-year hiatus, Kairi Sane is nearing a return to WWE.

PW Insider reported Sane agreed to terms to come back to the company, where she previously spent five years from 2016 to 2021. She returned to Japan when her contract expired in December 2021, signing with STARDOM and seemingly putting life in the States behind her.

However, Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio reported disappointment with how she was handled after joining STARDOM led to Sane going back to WWE.

"She left because she wanted to return to Japan," Meltzer said. "When her contract was up she started working at STARDOM, and she was gonna be the big international star and NJPW was gonna use her to go to the United States and things like that, but what ended up happening is they signed Mercedes, who ended up getting hurt, they signed Mercedes Mone, who ended up taking that spot.

"For Kairi, obviously, when Bushiroad took over and bought STARDOM there was a lot of hope about the idea that talent was gonna get paid more. They were gonna get IYO Shiari back, which they almost did, and Kairi, and that was kinda the idea. What happened was that the Bushiroad wrestling side hasn't been nearly as profitable as they wanted to be. So, they've gone from a mentality of spending a lot to keeping costs where they were. It ended up with, that's part of a lot of what's going on there."

Meltzer said Sane will not likely make her return to WWE until at least November. She has two dates remaining in Japan that she's contracted for, and the 34-year-old previously indicated she would be taking a hiatus in September.

Sane won the NXT Women's Championship and the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships with Asuka during her first run.

Iyo Sky's Cash in Not a 'Last-Minute Decision'

Iyo Sky is the new WWE Women's champion, and it was apparently a long time coming.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported Sky cashing in her Money in the Bank contract at SummerSlam was not a "last-minute decision," though it's unclear how far in advance the Damage CTRL member was told about her triumph.

Sky cashed in on an injured Bianca Belair on Saturday, hitting her in the knee with the Money in the Bank briefcase before hitting a moonsault to finish her off. Every woman to win the Money in the Bank briefcase has gone on to become champion, with Sky becoming the seventh winner overall.

She's previously held the NXT Women's Championship, NXT Women's Tag Team Championships and WWE Women's Tag Team Championships.

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