Cena surprise shakes up Wrestlemania picture

Brian Fritz | Special to the Sentinel

February 2, 2008

Good one, John. You got us.

It was just over a week ago that former WWE champion John Cena said he will be at WrestleMania 24 on March 30 just to watch.

That was to be expected, considering that he had been sidelined since early October with a torn pectoral muscle. Doctors told him that it takes between six months and a year to heal properly from such a severe injury.

Well, for a normal person to heal. And John Cena is not a normal person.

Instead, he returned to action months ahead of schedule at last Sunday's Royal Rumble pay-per-view. As the final seconds ticked off the clock for the 30th and final entrant in the Royal Rumble Match, Cena appeared and shocked the wrestling world.

Just moments later, it was just himself and Triple H (Paul Levesque) going face-to face as the final two participants in the match. After some back-and-forth action, Cena dumped "The Game" over the top rope to the floor and became the winner of the 21st annual event.

Give a lot of credit to Cena and the WWE brass for keeping this secret under wraps. Usually when something this big is going to happen, someone leaks the news to the masses. This time, though, everyone involved went the extra mile to keep Cena's return a genuine surprise that no one saw coming.

When Cena was diagnosed with the injury, he immediately underwent surgery and began a vigorous training regimen that included up to six hours of physical therapy a day. He simply couldn't handle being on the sidelines, especially with the biggest show of the year right around the corner. Now he is expected to play a major part in WrestleMania.

Traditionally, the winner of the Royal Rumble Match challenges for a world title at WrestleMania. But on Raw this past Monday, it was announced that Cena will face Randy Orton for the WWE title at the No Way Out pay-per-view on Feb. 17.

Still, it is likely that Cena will be in the main event at WrestleMania -- either as the WWE champion or challenging for the title. The most likely scenarios are either Cena facing Triple H or a triple-threat match between both of them and Orton.

Regardless, Cena's improbable return has definitely shaken up the line-up for WrestleMania 24, and we'll just have to sit back and see how it shapes up over the next month.

OUTSIDE THE RING

Wrestling won't be the only thing on Cena's plate. He is currently in New Orleans to begin pre-production of the next WWE film, 12 Rounds, in which he will star. For inquiring minds, here's the plot according to imdb.com: "Detective Danny Baxter is about to have the worst day of his life when an evil crimelord kidnaps his girlfriend and forces him to go '12 rounds' around the streets of New Orleans."

If that sounds familiar, it's because that is nearly the same premise as Cena's first movie, The Marine, which he did two years ago. In that one, his wife gets kidnapped by thieves and he has to chase them down to get her back. Well, it shouldn't take him long to get in character.

HERE COMES THE PAIN

Four years after leaving WWE, Brock Lesnar is hoping to make an impact in the world of mixed martial arts.

Tonight, the former champion makes his debut with the Ultimate Fighting Championship at the UFC 81 pay-per-view against Frank Mir.

This will be Lesnar's second MMA fight and a huge step up in competition. Last June, he demolished Korean judo fighter and relative tomato can Min Soo Kim in less than two minutes at the K-1 Dynamite! show in Los Angeles.

GET BETTER

Best wishes go out to legendary manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan as he recovers from reconstructive jaw surgery, which has kept his hospitalized for nearly two months.

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