WWE Superstar John Cena has once again defied the odds by returning earlier than expected from an injury that was supposed to sideline him longer than it did. Cena, who was slated for a Royal Rumble return in late January after undergoing surgery in August to repair a distended elbow and injured triceps, will return at WWE's Hell in a Cell pay-per-view Oct. 27 to tangle with Alberto Del Rio over the World Heavyweight Championship.
Cena, who announced on WWE's Monday Night Raw in August just one night after dropping the title to Daniel Bryan at SummerSlam, was scheduled to miss up to six months following the surgery but has been keeping his fans updated on his recovery via his official Twitter account, and noted that his rehab was going great and he'd return stronger than ever. Now, he'll return even sooner than ever as well.
It was rumored that Cena may make a return prior to the Royal Rumble, but WWE shot down those rumors as reports indicated they didn't want to risk him getting further injured, however it would appear now that the company is confident enough to let him return to in-ring action later this month.
On Monday's addition of RAW, it was announced that Cena will return to square off with Del Rio at the pay-per-view event, since Del Rio needs a new person to feud with now that Rob Van Dam has completed his contract that only keeps him in the company for 90 days at a time.
Cena tweeted the following after the announcement became official:
You heard it on #RAW, @WWE Universe. Hell in a Cell vs. @VivaDelRio for the WHC. The Champ is... Back! #EvenStronger
— John Cena (@JohnCena) October 8, 2013
Del Rio, Cena's opponent, also took to Twitter to discuss the upcoming match:
#JohnCena doesn't care about u,he only cares about himself I'm the real #champion I represent everybody peasants and high class ppl like ME — Alberto Del Rio (@VivaDelRio) October 8, 2013
Meanwhile, it was announced via a fan vote that Shawn Michaels will return to WWE television at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view as the guest referee of the main event that once again pits Daniel Bryan against Randy Orton for the still vacant WWE title. "The Heartbreak Kid" won 61% of the fan vote, beating out Hall of Famers Bob Backlund (32%) and Booker T (7%).
The Bryan and Orton storyline has been the forefront of WWE programming and picked up just as Cena was going out with the injury. Bryan defeated Cena at SummerSlam but then moments later Orton cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase to defeat Bryan with help from Triple H who formed an alliance with him.
Bryan won the belt back at the following month's Night of Champions event in September, but due to a fast count he was stripped of the title and it was vacated. Orton and Bryan clashed at Sunday night's Battleground event, but after The Big Show knocked both men out there was no winner declared and the title remains vacant.
Michaels will return to make sure that someone walks out of Hell in a Cell with the belt once and for all.
John Cena's injury opened up a lot of room for people to step up in his absence, and it will be interesting to see how the dynamic and direction of WWE's programming shifts when he returns to television Oct. 27.
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