The Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that John Cena has been working injured for quite some time now with more and more injuries mounting the more that he competes. The general feeling backstage is that Cena will continue to work the main event scene for as long as his body allows him to, but when the time does come for Cena to take on a lighter schedule, they will do their best to preserve Cena by only having him compete in a big match every now and then before eventually phasing Cena down to a part-time role with the company (similar to what the WWE is doing now with the likes of The Rock, Brock Lesnar, and Triple H).
There is no definite timetable for Cena to take a backseat in the WWE as it really depends on how Cena’s body holds up and what Cena himself is willing to do or not do, but it is being said that the plan now is for Vince McMahon to, sometime in the near future, hand select a new “face” for the WWE to replace Cena. A decision that is being internally discussed as being Vince’s last major decision before handing his company to his “heirs”, Triple H & Stephanie McMahon. Right now, the top candidate for that role appears to be Ryback, but it is said that Ryback’s lack of skills on the microphone may be a roadblock to his overall success and, with CM Punk finding himself in a similar boat as Cena (physically overworked and dealing with various injuries), not to mention Punk’s tendency to pave his own way, regardless of what Vince or the Creative Team thinks, makes it a bit risky to put even more pressure on Punk.
Since his arrival on the main event scene in 2005 (winning his first WWE Title at WrestleMania 21 from JBL), John Cena has been an unstoppable workhorse for the WWE (with the exception of a couple of major injuries along the way that forced him to take time off) as the twelve-time World Champion has been working virtually every pay-per-view and every episode of RAW (as well as the occasional SmackDown) since his first major title win. In addition to working as a main event star in the WWE, Cena has done a total of four movies under the WWE Films banner (The Marine, 12 Rounds, Legendary, & The Reunion), not to mention appearances on Saturday Night Live, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, the trilogy of Fred movies for Nickelodeon, and countless other promotional appearances around the world, including his charity work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
The more serious injuries that Cena has suffered in recent years includes a torn pectoral muscle in late 2007 (which he returned early from at the 2008 Royal Rumble), a herniated disc in his neck in September 2008 (which he only took two months off for), and, in September of this year, Cena had to undergo surgery to repair an injury in his arm, which took him out of action for about a month (though he continued to appear on television during this time), so it is safe to say that, given the pressure placed on him in all of these situations, it is highly likely that Cena pushed himself to return from injury early. Even if Cena had taken the appropriate amount of time off for all of these injuries, it has been said by doctors and athletes the world over that, regardless of surgery and rehabilitation, one never full recovers from those types of injuries.
What do you think the WWE should do with John Cena? Post your comments in the box below.
