Rumor Roundup for Monday, Dec. 16: TLC results & fallout, AJ Lee heat, WrestleMania 30 direction, more!

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 take 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.

Rumors for the Day:

• For those wondering why Randy Orton took all the hard bumps in the main event of TLC last night, there was apparently a conscious effort to protect John Cena from doing anything too dangerous. Don't forget, he came back really early from his surgery and he's still incredibly banged up.
• Vince McMahon returned to television last night at the conclusion of the main event to shake hands with Randy Orton. This was done to signify his return to television and he will likely be involved in storylines moving forward. There have been remarks made about how he didn't look entirely too happy about Orton winning, but that doesn't seem to be the case. The McMahon family power struggle doesn't look to be on the books for WrestleMania 30 any longer.
• Speaking of WrestleMania 30, it's looking more and more like Orton and Cena will continue their program all the way through to the big event. That could very well include Cena winning the Royal Rumble for the second year in a row. CM Punk is likely working with Triple H. Undertaker is almost surely working with Brock Lesnar. And Hulk Hogan, Sting, and Goldberg are all still targeted for the show. As for Daniel Bryan? Well, he'll be there.
• More has come out on the AJ Lee confrontation with Michelle Beadle but it's only confirmation of earlier stories. There are still conflicting reports regarding how crazy the confrontation between the two actually was but there was a confrontation. Once it was reported on, WWE apparently reached out to Beadle and asked her to help quell the situation, which is what led her to tweeting about the matter last night before TLC. The hope is that the acknowledgement of it would put it out there and let people digest it before completely forgetting about it. For her part, Lee hasn't said anything, while Punk has vaguely tweeted in a childish manner.
• It looks like WWE is playing up Roman Reigns possibly being the "weak link" in The Shield. That doesn't make any sense whatsoever based on how he's been booked, but that's what you'll see if you go to the WWE Raw preview on WWE.com. Either way, the "Hounds of Justice" will likely be broken up before WrestleMania next year.

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 fun with them.