Speculating on the rumors surrounding pro wrestling is a favored pastime of many fans, perhaps second only to actually watching the matches. In this daily column, we will be taking a look at the latest rumors being churned out by the pro wrestling rumor mill.

Important reminder: Rumors are just that -- rumors. None of this has been confirmed as legitimate news or fact; so remember to take it all with a grain of salt.

What is the WrestleMania Plan for CM Punk?

Just two short months ago, CM Punk was extending the longest WWE Championship reign of the last 25 years. He, of course, would lose the title to The Rock at Royal Rumble in January, and would then lose his rematch at Elimination Chamber this past Sunday (Feb. 17.)

While Punk has "earned" a shot at John Cena's #1 contendership at next week's (Feb. 25) Monday Night Raw, few believe he actually has a chance to win that match.

So where does that leave the "Straight Edge Superstar" when it comes to WrestleMania 29? Could the longest reigning champion of the "modern era" really be left out of the main event scene at the biggest show of the year?

The long-standing rumor for Punk's WrestleMania 29 opponent has been the Undertaker. Unfortunately, as we reviewed last week, the "Deadman" isn't in the best of health. With legitimate concern about Taker's availability for this year's version of WrestleMania, what else could be in store for Punk at "The Granddaddy of them All?"

Adding him to the Rock/Cena WWE Title match is considered unlikely. When rumors that the Undertaker could miss the event first surfaced several weeks ago, this rumor was one that fans flocked around. However, at the time, that match was said to be, "set in stone." (Or at least as "set in stone" as something in professional wrestling can be.)

A short while later, WWE reportedly softened its stance on this match, putting it back on the table as a possibility due to the lack of other quality matches to put Punk into.

Still, this one does not seem likely to occur. Just today, WWE made the Rock vs. John Cena match for the WWE Championship official. While Punk has been given a shot at Cena's spot in the match on next week's Raw, don't hold your breath on CM Punk coming away victorious based on the current rumors.

If both Taker and the WWE Title match are off the table for Punk, then what?

Another rumor is the possibility of a Punk/Brock Lesnar match at WrestleMania 29. When Lesnar recently renewed his contract for two more years, a feud with CM Punk was mentioned as being in the cards. As both men are currently clients of Paul Heyman, the match would be fairly easy to set up.

One road block to that matchup is that WWE COO Triple H is expected to have a WrestleMania 29 match with Lesnar in order get revenge for his loss at last year's SummerSlam. A second road block is that one of Punk or Lesnar would need to turn face prior to the match, and both seem unlikely to do so in the near future.

Beyond these three possibilities, the "Road to WrestleMania" is extremely unclear for "the Voice of the Voiceless" CM Punk. Stay tuned to the CSS Rumor Roundup as we get closer to WrestleMania 29 for the latest rumors on that front.

Other Rumors for the Day:

• While CM Punk might be in booking purgatory for WrestleMania 29, one matchup currently being explored by the WWE brass, is Mark Henry vs. Sheamus. This is one that WWE would have liked to have had last year, during Sheamus' World Heavyweight Championship reign, but missed out on due to Mark Henry's injury.
• The word backstage is that the WWE decision makers were once again highly impressed with the Shield in their match at Elimination Chamber this past Sunday (Feb. 17.) The Shield defeated the babyface trio of John Cena, Sheamus, and Ryback at that event. WWE creative was also said to be impressed with the Shield after their debut match at Tables, Ladders, and Chairs back in December. No word yet on their (in my opinion at least,) equally excellent match on last night's Raw.
  
• If WWE ring announcer Lillian Garcia seemed legitimately terrified when Roman Reigns speared Sheamus through the guardrail at Elimination Chamber, it's because she was. She was apparently not warned that the spot was going to occur.
• Vince was apparently unhappy with the lack of hype Elimination Chamber received in last week's "go home" episodes of Raw and Smackdown. Expect more emphasis to be placed on selling the pay-per-views at future "go home" shows.

If you have heard of any interesting rumors that you'd like to add, feel free to post them in the comments section below. Please remember, these are merely rumors. Try not to take them too seriously, just have some fun with them.