Rumor Roundup for Thursday, April 18

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.

Rumors for the Day:

• More details are emerging about CM Punk's WrestleMania 29 knee injury and the possible length of his break from WWE programming. It is currently believed that Punk tore multiple knee ligaments (though luckily not the dreaded ACL,) but will not require surgery, only rest. It is also believed that Punk will be out for the next several months, likely not returning until around the time of August's SummerSlam pay-per-view (PPV).
• Due, in part at least, to Punk's upcoming absence, Triple H and Brock Lesnar are now set to do battle at Extreme Rules rather than June's Payback, which was apparently the original plan. WWE feels it needs more star power to make up for the lack of CM Punk.
• Just a quick recap on the expected card for Extreme Rules based on the rumors:
  
  • Dolph Ziggler vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger for the World Heavyweight Title
  • John Cena vs. Ryback for the WWE title (unconfirmed but expected)
  • Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar (unconfirmed but expected)
  • Sheamus vs. Mark Henry (unconfirmed but expected)
  • Team Hell No vs. The Shield for the Tag Team titles (rumored)
  • Fandango vs. US or Intercontinental title holder (rumored)
• Also of concern to WWE is that the Rock may elect not to wrestle again after the injury he suffered at WrestleMania 29. Rock is a multi-million dollar making blockbuster movie star and the belief is that movie studios may be wary of signing him for films if there is the potential of him getting injured in the wrestling ring.
• Ryback cut a lengthy pre-taped promo on Monday's (April 15) edition of Raw. While the general consensus is that the promo was good for someone who doesn't speak all that often, the audience didn't react as the writers anticipated. There is some concern within WWE that he simply isn't "over" enough with the fanbase to handle a heel turn and a feud with John Cena at this point. Their match for the WWE Championship at Extreme Rules isn't in any danger, but look for WWE to take some additional measures to protect Ryback headed forward.
• Speaking of Ryback and Cena, they'll will be main eventing the house shows during WWE's upcoming European tour. The other big match being advertised for each is World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler vs. Daniel Bryan. The tour began last night (April 17) in the Netherlands and will end April 28 in Germany, visiting 11 countries in total.
  
• Rob Van Dam gave an interview to Arda Ocal recently in which Van Dam says he is done as a full time wrestler. He left the door open to a part time return with either WWE or TNA, however. You can check out the interview here.
• In a bit of TNA news, it is expected that 2013's Bound for Glory PPV, TNA's biggest show of the year, will take place in San Diego, CA.
  

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.