WWE’s John Cena Reportedly Suffering From Fake Ankle Injury

Pro wrestling loves to look real. And that includes faking injuries for dramatic effect.

According to the Wrestling Observer Radio John Cena‘s untimely ankle injury is a work. That means that even if Cena’s ankle is a little banged up WWE is using the story to justify his absence from the Royal Rumble. As of now, Cena is set to film a Playing With Fire in Vancouver for the next few months, making him mostly unavailable for WWE action.

In WWE’s official statement they said Cena’s Rumble appearance is in doubt, however, they couldn’t rule him out entirely.

John Cena’s status in the Men’s Royal Rumble Match is in question following an apparent left ankle injury sustained during the main event of this past Monday night’s edition of Raw, WWE.com can now confirm,” the site reported.

“The injury was exacerbated earlier today as Cena was training his legs at the gym, which has cast doubt on whether he will be able to compete in the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match this Sunday,” the site reported.

Cena personally addressed the news of his injury via Twitter on Tuesday. It came with a high does of kayfabe.

“Setbacks are a large part of life. People often say “what a bad time to get hurt” or “I can’t believe this happened to me now” ask yourself, is there a good time to get hurt? Or be setback? Setbacks are just another chance to find triumph! Never give up!”

WWE told us on Raw that Cena earned his bum ankle thanks to a move by Drew McIntyre, then re-injured it during one of his patently high-intensity training sessions. But what may have really happened is that the ambiguity of Cena’s Hollywood schedule along with the saga of Lars Sullivan may have made WWE put everything, including Cena’s ankle on ice.

Sullivan was rumored to be Cena’s WrestleMania opponent and the story goes that he was supposed to “injure” Cena and keep him out of the Rumble. But Sullivan is reportedly dealing with anxiety attacks and hasn’t been around WWE for multiple weeks. So it appears that WWE may be moving forward with McIntyre vs. Cena instead.