Rumor Roundup for Friday, December 6: WWE pushing Intercontinental title, TLC main event finish, and 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:

• Though virtually everyone still believes that there will be a screwy finish to the Tables, Ladders, and Chairs pay per view main event between John Cena and Randy Orton in which the WWE brass (namely, Triple H,) has promised a unification of the World Heavyweight and WWE titles, there is an edict in WWE right now to rebuild the status of the Intercontinental title with the expectation that it will be elevated to the official secondary singles title in WWE following that unification. The title is currently held by Big E Langston, who past rumors have suggested is in for a big push in 2014. A lengthy, strongly-booked run by Langston as the Intercontinental champion would go a long way towards accomplishing both of those goals for WWE. (The United States title, currently held by Dean Ambrose, is expected to remain as the company's "tertiary" title, clearly behind the unified title and Intercontinental title.)
• Speaking of that TLC title unification, it is interesting to note that neither John Cena nor Randy Orton is advertised for any of January's Smackdown tapings so far. While the old "Brand Extension" is long gone, the World Heavyweight champion has still been the primary draw when it comes to Smackdown, with the WWE champion typically sticking to Raw. Additionally, several house shows, including one at Madison Square Garden, are advertising Orton vs. Cena in a "champion vs. champion" match following TLC. It is worth keeping in mind that this type of advertising is always subject to change, and with the reported shakeups within the WWE creative team halting some storylines, that holds even more true now.
• In the coming weeks, TNA will complete its tournament to crown a new world heavyweight champion. (That champion has actually already been crowned, but I'll avoid spoiling it here for those who wish to watch the tapings.) That champion's first order of business will be to unify his title with the one AJ Styles has been defending internationally. That plan requires Styles to under contract with TNA however, and as of this week, the two sides are still far apart on a new deal. Styles signed a short term contract extension a few months ago in order to keep him around while TNA was purging talent left and right. Money is said to be the major hang up, and the two sides are reportedly still "far apart."
• Someone who does have a contract with TNA, as of late yesterday at least, is former AAA cruiserweight champion Xtreme Tiger. Tiger, now going by "Ultimate Tiger," wrestled Zema Ion at a TNA Xplosion taping Wednesday night.

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.