WWE says CM Punk is cleared to compete but there are conflicting reports elsewhere

WWE Champion CM Punk has been out of action for weeks now while recovering from knee surgery. He's been appearing on Monday Night Raw anyway, hobbling down to the ring on crutches and hardly placing any weight on his bum leg.

Now, he's apparently scheduled to return for his tables, ladders, and chairs match on Jan. 7, 2013, against Ryback to make up for the match they were supposed to have at the pay-per-view of the same name back on Dec. 16, 2012. This according to WWE.com, who reported the following:

As WWE Champion CM Punk's potential title defense against Ryback approaches on the Jan. 7 edition of Monday Night Raw, WWE.com sources indicate that The Straight Edge Superstar has been medically cleared for in-ring competition several weeks after his undergoing knee surgery. The decision, if confirmed, returns Punk to action effective immediately, meaning he will defend his championship as scheduled in a Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match against Ryback.

In an interesting twist, Bryan Alvarez at Wrestling Observer revealed Punk may not be healthy enough to wrestle on that date and it's entirely possible Paul Heyman will be taking his place.

From the 10-minute Daily Update that you should be listening to:

"I don't know if something changed in the last 24 hours. It seems that way with the announcement on WWE.com, or that's playing into a larger story. But I was told a couple of days ago that there is no guarantee that Punk actually is wrestling on the show this coming Monday. There is a chance it is going to be Paul Heyman vs. Ryback. I was told also that no matter what happens on the show, when Monday's show is over a lot of people are going to be talking, so make of that what you will. But, again, no guarantee that Punk is actually going to wrestle on Monday despite what WWE.com reported today."

The WWE report also said Punk's status could be revealed on Main Event tonight, so we shall see. Either way, The Rock returns on that date and WWE obviously has something big planned. They'll need to do something special if they want to compete at all with the Alabama vs. Notre Dame BCS National Championship Game.

Any guesses as to how this is going to play out, Cagesiders?