Rumor Roundup for Thursday, July 18 - Orton, MVP, Jericho, 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:

• Randy Orton's neck injury, supposedly suffered during last night's (July 16) Smackdown taping (set for air on Friday, July 19,) is believed to be 100% kayfabe. Orton wrestled in the post-show dark match (taking place after the match with Del Rio where he supposedly suffered the injury,) teaming with Daniel Bryan and Rob Van Dam to beat the Shield in a 6-man tag team match. Orton reportedly showed no signs of injury during that 10 minute match which ended when Bryan forced Seth Rollins to tap out to the No Lock.
• Speaking of Orton, WWE is said to be taking a "break him down to build him back up" approach with his booking lately. His Money in the Bank win was planned out shortly after Payback in June, and his subsequent losses to Daniel Bryan and CM Punk leading up to Money in the Bank were designed to make his win at the event more surprising and dramatic.
• Montel Vontavious Porter recently stated in an interview that he will "most likely" return to wrestling in the near future. Rumor earlier this year suggested that he has an open invitation to return to WWE and was eying late 2013 to make his return.
• Chris Jericho is on his way out of WWE for a late summer/early fall tour with his band, Fozzy. Thanks to his "smash hit" run, many are wondering when he'll make his return to WWE. His Fozzy tour ends on October 10, four days after the Over the Limit pay per view on October 6. If he rushes right back to WWE, a storyline could be set up for Hell in a Cell on October 27. It's possible that he'll pick up his feud with Ryback then, as (slight spoiler) he's being written off of TV on Friday's (July 19) SmackDown after a Ryback attack. More likely, however, is another big return for Royal Rumble in January. Returning then would also coincide with the release of his next book, planned for February 2014.

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.