John Cena is recovering after undergoing shoulder surgery on Thursday in Birmingham, Alabama. Cena’s surgeon, Dr. Jeffrey Dugas, spoke with WWE.com about the procedure and what’s next for the wrestling superstar.
Cena had a complete tear of a small portion of the rear rotator cuff tendon (the infraspinatus) and a large piece of loose tissue in his shoulder, which was removed. Additionally there was some deterioration in the AC joint at the top of the shoulder.
The procedure took approximately one hour. Next, he’ll begin working on range of motion before bearing weight on his shoulder. “The first hurdle is getting the cuts to heal and getting cartilage to form over the defect,” Dr. Dugas said.
Typical recovery time for this procedure is 6-9 months. Cena is known for his superhuman healing powers, but it still looks unlikely that he’ll be back in time for WrestleMania 32.
John Cena’s shoulder surgery was a success according to WWE.com, which posted a photo gallery of the procedure.
News broke on Wednesday night that Cena was injured, with PWInsider.com reporting that it was a torn rotator cuff that would keep him out of action for 6-9 months. The 15-time World Champion is known for his unbelievably quick recovery time from injuries, but a match at WrestleMania 32 appears to be out of the question.
The injury comes at a time when Cena’s career outside of WWE is flourishing. Despite having arguably his best in-ring year to date in 2015, Cena appeared in two movies, hosted a reality competition show for FOX and has been testing the waters as a daytime talkshow host.
John Cena will be undergoing shoulder surgery on Thursday and will almost certainly not be able to compete at WrestleMania 32. The news was first reported by PWInsider.com.
Rather upside down start to 2016 as tomorrow I will head to Birmingham for shoulder surgery. Life's full of set backs but #nevergiveup
Cena was conspicuously absent from Monday’s RAW and did not wrestle at Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings. The word going around is that Cena has a torn rotator cuff, which would keep him out of action for 6-9 months.
This is obviously a huge blow to WWE’s plans for WrestleMania. With John Cena, Randy Orton, Seth Rollins and Daniel Bryan all out of action for the company’s biggest show of the year, it will be very interesting to see what WWE comes up with in their quest to pack 100,000 fans into AT&T Stadium.
WWE will be taping this week’s edition of SmackDown on Tuesday night in Laredo, Texas for the first episode of the show to air in its’ new home on the USA Network.
WWE previously announced that John Cena would be appearing on the show and that Mauro Ranallo would take over as the new voice of SmackDown on the show, and following Monday’s WWE RAW, the following title matches are now confirmed for the show as well:
* Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Kevin Owens (WWE Intercontinental Championship)
* Charlotte (c) vs. Becky Lynch (WWE Divas Championship)
– WWE announced this weekend that Curtis Axel has declared his entry into the 30-man over-the-top-rope Royal Rumble match, joining Big Show as the only two WWE Superstars to officially enter the annual match, which takes place on pay-per-view on Sunday, January 24, 2016 at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.
WWE.com wrote the following about Axel, who is still claiming he was never eliminated from the 2015 Royal Rumble match, in their RAW Five-Point Preview:
“With the 2016 Royal Rumble Match less than three weeks away, the entire WWE Universe is buzzing about which Superstars will declare their entry in WWE’s iconic over-the-top-rope tradition. Big Show emerged on Raw to become the first competitor in this year’s 30-man melee, and we’ve since learned that Curtis Axel — who claims he was never eliminated from last year’s Royal Rumble Match — will also enter the fray (even though he evidently never left it). Which other Superstars will announce their participation in the weeks ahead? Expect more Royal Rumble news on Raw.”
– Also featured in the official WWE.com RAW preview for the first 2016 episode of RAW this coming Monday night is what appears to be a tease for another John Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio match for the WWE United States Championship. Cena made his WWE television return at last week’s RAW after taking several weeks off to film and promote some television and film work. He went one-on-one against Del Rio for the U.S. title he coincidentally lost to Del Rio in his last match with WWE before taking the hiatus, and if the following blurb from the RAW preview for Monday is any indication, we could be seeing it again.
The official WWE website wrote the following about a potential Cena-Del Rio U.S. Title rematch from last week’s RAW:
“John Cena made his anticipated return to WWE last Monday night, goading United States Champion Alberto Del Rio into a title bout and coming incredibly close to recapturing his star-spangled prize. Were it not for The League of Nations, we’d all be eagerly anticipating one of the Cenation leader’s exciting U.S. Open Challenges this coming Monday night.
“With his last encounter with The Essence of Excellence ending in a disqualification, might Cena make another attempt at Old Glory early in the New Year? Even better, will Cena head to SmackDown on USA Network next Thursday night with the U.S. Title slung around his shoulder?”
Headlined by a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match between Roman Reigns and Sheamus, with Vince McMahon serving as the special guest referee, the first WWE RAW show of 2016 takes place this coming Monday evening, January 4th, at AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Join us here at SEScoops.com this coming Monday night for live WWE RAW results coverage!
– Music fans are mourning the loss of Grammy Award-winning singer Natalie Cole, who died Thursday evening at 65-years-old in Los Angeles, California due to complications from ongoing health issues. There is a WWE connection to Cole as she was the only non-wrestling celebrity to appear at WrestleMania IX at Caesars Palace in Paradise, Nevada on April 4, 1993. Cole had a ringside seat and was interviewed by Todd Pettengill during the live pay-per-view broadcast.
– NXT prospect Dylan Miley tweeted this video of himself showing off his impressive strength.
Miley, who according to Wrestling Observer Newsletter editor Dave Meltzer is 6-foot-3 and 285 pounds, began training at the WWE Performance Center in the summer of 2014. He only has one wrestling match under his belt, which took place at WrestleMania Axxess last March. Meltzer said at the time that some people in WWE were really high on him due to his unique look and verbal skills, but considered a long-term project.
– Greg Oliver of SLAM! Wrestling has an article recapping Wednesday’s WWE live event at Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto. In the main event, John Cena beat Alberto Del Rio by disqualification.
In the first new episode of 7 Minutes In Heaven dating back to May of 2013, Mike O’Brien interviewed WWE Superstar John Cena.
During the four minute comedy interview, which you can watch above, Cena spoke about WWE SmackDown moving to the USA Network, Big Show smelling like a “chicken processing plant,” his early days as a limo driver and more.
Cena was also asked about the most serious injury he has ever suffered, and in keeping with the sarcastic tone of the interview, he claimed his feelings was the worst thing to get hurt while in WWE.
“Every single time I go out there, my feelings hurt,” Cena said. “They sing along to my music, like ‘John Cena sucks.’ They’re like, ‘hey man, you need to quit’ and ‘hey man, you suck bro, we hate you bro.'”
The interview closes out with O’Brien giving Cena an awkward kiss on the lips, which Cena claimed would “probably get him in so much trouble with his gal.”
As noted, John Cena returned to the ring at the WWE live event at Madison Square Garden for the first time since taking a hiatus from WWE after his match with current United States Champion Alberto Del Rio at the Hell In A Cell pay-per-view in October.
Cena worked a match with Del Rio at the MSG event this past weekend, who he will also face on RAW tonight in his first televised match since taking some time off to focus on his acting career.
The MSG bout between Cena and Del Rio saw Cena score the victory by way of disqualification after Rusev failed to cost Cena the match by interfering twice, leading to a frustrated Del Rio hitting him with a blatant low-blow.
In addition to Cena making is in-ring return at last night’s WWE live event, Del Rio debuted new ring gear. You can check out photos of Cena’s first match back in WWE and Del Rio’s new ring gear below.
– Triple H posted the following on his official Twitter page on Monday afternoon to announce an additional 1pm NXT live event in Chicago, Illinois on Saturday, January 16th.
– WWE posted the following on their official Twitter page to congratulate John Cena on being on the cover of the January issue of Muscle & Fitness magazine.
– Finally, WWE posted a 26-page year-end feature on the top 25 matches of 2015 on WWE.com on Monday. Coming in as the number one WWE match of 2015 was the triple-threat match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship between John Cena, Brock Lesnar and Seth Rollins at the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view in January. WWE posted the following to promote the feature, which features comments from the talents or those close to the talents involved in each of the matches that made the list.
John Cena, who finally makes his WWE television debut on the final 2015 episode of RAW later this evening, served as a guest host once again for NBC’s “Today” show on Monday morning and didn’t exactly shine when taking part in a game named after himself.
Cena played a 2015 pop culture trivia game called “Have You Cena It?” and while he was already not having the best showing, the worst moment for Cena during the game segment was him failing to buzz in quickly enough to answer a question about a movie that he was in.
The longtime top WWE Superstar faces Alberto Del Rio on tonight’s RAW, the man he lost the WWE United States Championship to in his final match before taking a hiatus from WWE to focus on his acting career and new FOX reality show “American Grit.”
Cena actually made his WWE in-ring return on Saturday night, where he defeated Del Rio via disqualification at WWE’s live event at Madison Square Garden when Del Rio hit a blatant low-blow on him after two sneak attacks from Rusev failed to secure the reigning U.S. Champion a three count.
In addition to the quick-clip at the top of the page, below are some photos and quick-clips from the official “Today” show Twitter page that include Cena’s appearance on the show earlier this morning. To watch the full “Have You Cena It?” segment, click here.
John Cena makes his WWE in-ring return for the first time in over two months at the WWE live event at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Saturday evening.
Cena, who last competed at the WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view on October 25, 2015, where he lost his WWE United States Championship to the returning Alberto Del Rio, will be competing against Del Rio once again for his first trip to the squared circle later this evening.
As noted, Cena vs. Del Rio is also confirmed for Cena’s first televised match back this coming Monday night, December 28th at the final WWE RAW show of the year. Monday’s edition of RAW emanates live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Also scheduled for tonight’s live event at MSG is WWE Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens. WWE talent advertised to appear at the event this evening in addition to Cena, Del Rio, Ambrose and Owens include Ric Flair and Charlotte, The Wyatt Family, The Dudley Boyz, Big Show, Ryback, Rusev, The Miz, Goldust and Stardust.
The New York Times recently interviewed John Cena for a feature on pro wrestlers finding success in Hollywood. Cena’s recent movie roles, along with Batista in 007: Spectre, Kevin Nash in Magic Mike and Edge in Haven and The Flash are listed within the article.
Cena spoke to the New York Times about starting his acting career off by doing WWE Studios action movies, such as The Marine and 12 Rounds.
“Doing action wasn’t a real good fit for me because it’s the opposite of how I work. It was extremely choreographed and extremely scripted.”
Additionally, Cena commented on the status of his WWE future following his recent hiatus to film the FOX reality show American Grit, which he will be the host of. According to Cena, he and Vince McMahon have a mutual understanding as it pertains to Cena’s acting career.
“I have a very good mutual understanding with my boss that I don’t ever want to leave; I really like it in the ring. I try to pick opportunities that don’t take me away from WWE for too long. I try to do opportunities that can really help expand our audience and bring new eyes to our product.”
– As he prepares to make his WWE return at the WWE live event in Madison Square Garden on Saturday, John Cena posted the following year-end message to fans on Twitter.
Wishing everyone a happy and safe rest of 2015. Reflect, rejoice, and regroup to make 2016 even better!!
Former WWE Superstar JTG recently appeared on Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast and discussed a number of topics related to his career. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On Paul Heyman’s name for him in OVW:
“I was known as Neighborhoodie. Paul Heyman gave me that name. And then when I heard it, he was like, ‘we’re going to call you Neighborhoodie’ and I was like, ‘okay, I love it’. Paul Heyman, if you’re listening to [this], I didn’t like it, but at the time, I didn’t want heat.”
On the story behind the JTG name:
“I’m still JTG. I own the rights to JTG. I don’t know how I pulled that off,” JTG said. “When I was in OVW, I was at the top of my class. And when we’d cut promos, I’d call myself ‘Just Too Good’. Just Too Good. At the end of every promo, it would be, ‘because I’m Just Too Good’. And then when I got to WWE, I had to humble myself. A lot of people would ask me, ‘so what does JTG stand for?’, and I started stuttering, I said, ‘uh, Just Too Gangster’ because I didn’t want to say Just Too Good because I didn’t want heat.”
On the original name for the Cryme Tyme tag-team:
“We heard about Cryme Tyme, I think it was our second or third time up on the road. We were just sitting in an office coming up with names, and you wouldn’t believe some of the names they had. I’ll give you an idea of [just how terrible the suggested names were]. I forget what the writer’s name was, but he said, ‘we’re going to call you Hoodie Nation and here’s what we got. You’re going to come out with your own flag and we’re going to sell flags and everybody in the audience is going to have the Hoodie Nation flag and you guys are going to be so over.’ And we’re like, ‘oh, gosh, no.’ And then they checked to see if the name was available because you have to go through trademark and this whole process and somebody already had it. I’m like, ‘yes! Thank you!’. And then Cryme Tyme came up and we just spelled it different and it worked.”
On teaming with John Cena and advice Cena gave him:
“One day, I just found out that we would be partnering up with Cena and I’m like, ‘hell yeah! That’s like the perfect fit.” JTG continued, “[CTC] was a good learning experience. A lot of the things I was doing that I had no idea was wrong, John Cena pulled me to the side [and said], ‘don’t do that no more. We’re taking it to another level.’ For example, before every match, I’d like to get the crowd warmed up. I’d say, ‘are you ready to get it popping?’. I’d look at the crowd [and] he’s like, ‘don’t do that. You don’t need their approval. Just start the match.’ He was like, ‘you don’t do that anymore.'”
On meeting his wife and the angle where he and Cena destroyed JBL’s limo on the 7/7/2008 edition of RAW:
“I’ll never forget that day. That was the day I met my wife, so I’ll never forget that day. John Cena came out. He was having a [feud] with JBL, and, if I can remember it right, he had some violations and he needed some help.” JTG continued, “and then when I invited my soon-to-be wife to the show, I was like, ‘that would be perfect. She sees her future husband being a bad ass. Oh, he’s with John Cena and beating up limos?'”
– John Cena will be returning as a guest host on NBC’s “Today” morning show next Monday (12/28) and Tuesday (12/29). Cena will be in town for his WWE TV return at next week’s RAW from Brooklyn, NY at the Barclays Center.
– Following the announcement that Alberto Del Rio will be John Cena’s return opponent on next Monday’s edition of WWE RAW at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, the WWE United States Champion posted the following on Twitter, warning Cena to be afraid in Spanish.
– There was no announcement regarding WrestleMania 33 following last night’s WWE RAW at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After months of speculation, PWInsider.com is reporting that WrestleMania 33 will not be held in Minnesota in 2017.
– Former World Kabbadi League Champion, Lovepreet Sangha and two-time Kushti National Heavyweight Champion, Satender Ved Pal, will be making their in-ring debuts at the upcoming WWE live events in New Delhi, India on 1/15 and 1/16. Both talents signed developmental deals with WWE back in June.
John Cena will look to avenge his WWE Hell In A Cell loss in seven days, as WWE announced his return match for next Monday night’s edition of WWE RAW at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Cena, who lost the WWE United States Championship to Alberto Del Rio in Del Rio’s surprise return at the WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view in October, will face the reigning U.S. Champion in his first match back from hiatus on next week’s RAW.
For what it’s worth, Seth Rollins is being advertised to appear at Monday’s Slammy Awards edition of WWE RAW from Minneapolis, Minnesota.
It’s worth pointing out that Rollins is only being advertised for the show on the official website for the Target Center, as WWE’s official website does not have the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion advertised for the show.
It’s possible that Rollins appears for some of the Slammy Awards he is nominated for, although that has not been confirmed. Xavier Woods did tweet about filming Rollins vs. Jack Swagger in the Madden tournament finals for his “UpUpDownDown” YouTube channel, which some claim could be a sign that Rollins will at least be backstage at the show.
In a related note, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported earlier this week that despite not being advertised for the show, both John Cena and Brock Lesnar could possibly make surprise appearances on the show.
– The Thursday, December 17th edition of WWE SmackDown scored a final cable rating of 1.68, up from last week’s 1.55 final draw. Thursday’s SmackDown averaged 2.332 million viewers, also up from last week’s show, which averaged 2.133 million viewers.
– The latest edition of “The Taz Show: Bodyslams & Beyond,” which is available for download right now at Play.it, features ROH’s Adam Cole and former head WWE writer Vince Russo as guests. The official description for the show reads as follows:
“The Taz Show has Adam Cole on to discuss Ring of Honor! Taz also welcomes Vince Russo as an impromptu guest and gets into a disagreement about Kevin Owens. Lastly, Taz chats about Smackdown from Newark, NJ.”
– John Cena checked in on social media on Saturday, praising the efforts of both the WWE and NXT brands during his absence to film various television and movie projects. Cena wrote the following on his official Twitter page on Saturday afternoon:
It is always heartbreaking to be away from the @WWE but gives me great pride to see the success of many new faces as well as @WWENXT#evolve
Last month, John Cena set his personal record for squats – a ridiculous 611 pounds – at the Hard Knocks South Gym out of Tampa, Florida. Fellow powerlifter Mark Bell posted the video.
“I’m posting this video because I have the upmost respect for my long time friend John Cena’s dedication to the iron. John is never “too” busy to not be strong or not be in shape. With the amount of travel and big business that he does along with taking bumps in the ring it’s amazing he strong he is. Here is John nailing a 611lbs squat!” – Mark Bell via Youtube
Back in June, Cena set his personal record for bench press when he put up 487 pounds.
– Kristen Paige-Kirby of The Washington Post gave John Cena a positive review for his performance in the new Tina Fey and Amy Poehler film, “Sisters,” going as far as to compare his comedic abilities to that of The Rock. Kirby wrote the following of Cena’s performance in the movie:
“In “Trainwreck,” Cena’s effectiveness largely came from the fact that he was playing against type — big guys aren’t supposed to love independent film and cry easily. In “Sisters,” in which Cena plays a drug dealer named Pazuzu, his intimidating look makes more sense, so he can’t rely on visual incongruity to bring the funny. Cena still gets the laughs, though, because he has the rare ability to say ridiculous things with utter sincerity. That’s not something that comes easily, and it takes an immense amount of smarts to pull off.
Cena’s comedic gifts — like those of Dwayne Johnson and Channing Tatum, who are also in that very-low-body-fat boat — prove that to build your muscles you don’t have to shrink your brain.”
– The United Service Organizations (USO) chapter out of Washington, D.C. has awarded Stephanie McMahon and WWE with the first-ever “Golden Boot Award.” WWE has worked closely with the USO, which supports active duty service members and their families, for years. Stephanie tweeted the following photo of herself holding the Golden Boot Award.
John Cena recently spoke with GQ Magazine about balancing his wrestling and acting careers, the possibility of making more music and more. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On balancing John Cena the wrestler and John Cena the actor:
“Because I’ve been in it so long, and if you look at Dwayne [“The Rock” Johnson], he had tremendous success in the WWE, but his success was short-lived when he left full-time for Hollywood. I think he had to do a tremendous switch, but I know he had the ultimate goal for coming back to the WWE and making it a better place. But for me, at this point, so much of our audience loves me, and so much hates me, I kind of just realize I am who I am, and I am John Cena, I’m not “The Rock.” So, yeah, that gray area gets super gray, so it’s challenging at times.”
On if The Rock’s career is something to model his own career after:
“He’s sort of in a universe by himself, and I don’t know if that kind of success is achievable by anyone else. The work ethic of that young man and the desire he has to just keep moving is… I talk to him every so often and tell him he truly sets the pace and the rest of us are just trying to not lag too far behind. I’m really happy to have had the success I’ve had and do the things I’ve been able to do, and excited for some things coming up, but it’s all way too new for me to say, “Oh, yeah, I’m definitely going to do this.” I really love being in the WWE, so it would have to be something where I get to work with a Judd Apatow or Amy Schumer, or an opportunity with Tina and Amy, to pull me away for a small period of time to do something.”
On if we can expect more rap music from him any time soon:
“That’s a young man’s game. If you’re gonna expect music, it would be a soul, R&B, rat-pack-type of thing. Maybe classic. Every once in a while I’ll listen to hip-hop, but it’s all stuff from the early ’90s and late ’90s. I’m kind of out of touch with everything. The song is definitely part of what launched me on this journey…but I think had I just kept being “the rap guy,” I think that would have been short-lived, because it’s so one-dimensional. I’ve never lost my connection to hip-hop, I just don’t know what’s popular today.”
WWE has released new Royal Rumble promotional material focusing on John Cena.
Cena has been out of action since late October and is scheduled to return to the ring after Christmas, where he’ll challenge Alberto Del Rio for the United States Championship at the 12/26 WWE live event from MSG. Cena’s advertised television return will be the final RAW of 2015 on December 28th in Brooklyn, N.Y.
The 2016 WWE Royal Rumble takes place on January 24, 2016, at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.
The fifth season of WWE’s “Total Divas” reality show is set to premiere on the E! network on Tuesday, January 19th at 9pm EST.
According to the official Total Divas mini-site at EOnline.com, the top two storylines being used to promote the upcoming fifth season of the show include the latest chapter in the marriage saga between John Cena and Nikki Bella, as well as possible trouble in paradise between newlyweds Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella.
“We can talk about marriage,” John says to Nikki in a preview clip circulating for the show.
“You’re my No. 1,” Brie Bella says to her husband Daniel Bryan in the preview.
“Clearly not,” he says to her in response.
John Cena recently spoke with the Wall Street Journal to promote his role in the new comedy movie Sisters. Cena has been away from WWE television since Hell in a Cell back in October and commented on his eventual retirement from the ring.
During the final stretch of his WWE career, Cena is looking to change gears and spend as much time as he can molding younger talent. After that, he says he’d be interested in sitting behind the announcer’s desk.
“I’ve always sworn to myself that if I can’t keep up with the current level athletically, it’s my time to take another role, whether that’s commentating on the matches or stepping behind the curtain and molding younger talent,” Cena said.
“I always want to do whatever I can to help the industry. I see firsthand how happy we make kids and families. When you get a kid to sit down and have a conversation with [their] Superman, it’s the coolest thing. It makes their day. That’s a pretty cool, unique thing.”
Cena also talked about his transition from action films to comedies like Sisters and Trainwreck.
“You run from explosions, beat people up. I do that now with 20,000 people cheering me on every night,” Cena said of the action roles “not making much sense” to him.
