WWE Daily

UPDATE: At 3:30 p.m. ET, WWE.com learned that Cena’s surgery was successful and that Dr. Joseph Maroon, renowned neurosurgeon, Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and team neurosurgeon for the Pittsburgh Steelers, was very positive regarding Cena’s condition.

“We performed a microsurgical removal of a large disk fragment compression on the spinal cord which was weakening the nerve leading to the right arm,” Dr. Maroon told WWE.com shortly after the operation. “We created a small incision in the front of the neck, using an operating microscope, to remove the fragment from the spinal cord and nerve. The operation took approximately an hour and a half.”

Dr. Maroon added, “I think John’s prognosis is excellent. We performed this same procedure on three all-pro NFL players, and all three resumed their football careers.”

WWE’s Dr. Chris Amann, who was on site for Cena’s surgery, agreed with Dr. Maroon’s assessment on the Chain Gang Commander’s successful procedure.

“The surgery went exactly as planned. There were no complications. What we saw in the MRI correlated with what we saw in his disk. Dr. Maroon was able to visualize the disk using a microscope. Right after Cena woke up from the surgery, he said that ‘the pain in his arm and shoulder was gone,’” Dr. Amann recalled.

“As far as what could’ve gone wrong during surgery is infection and not removing all the disk material. In Cena’s case, everything went well,” Dr. Armann added. “Dr. Maroon and I expect a full recovery. In a couple of weeks, he’ll be able to start with leg cardio, and then resistance training in four to six weeks. The bone graft that was put into his neck needs to heal before he can see action.”

PITTSBURGH – On Tuesday, around 5 p.m. ET, John Cena appeared in the locker room area of the Mellon Arena with a huge smile on his face. The three-time WWE Champion was shaking hands not only with Dr. Joseph Maroon, who performed his successful operation earlier today, but also with WWE Superstars and Divas, who were marveling at Cena’s appearance just hours after his serious surgery.

“I feel great. Dr. Maroon is fantastic. He explained every possible procedure he could and could not perform, and the potential risks of all of them,” Cena said. “I explained to Dr. Maroon not only my immediate goals, but also my long-term goals. He took them all into consideration and recommended the most commonplace procedure with the least amount of side effects.”

Cena has been able to keep his sense of humor in tack throughout the ordeal, quipping that “the fusion surgery was so successful, because we used a Gillette Fusion razor.”

Afterwards, John Cena left the arena to head to his hotel for some well-deserved rest.

All in all cena will probably be out for about 4-5 months to get 100% recovery.