10 Fascinating WWE Royal Rumble 2004 Facts

4. John Cena Tore His MCL On His Elimination

Chris Benoit Royal Rumble 2004
WWE.com

It was a gruesome image that made it into WWE's unskippable "Don't try this at home" PSAs. Big Show flung John Cena out of the ring, and Cena's left leg bent at an unsettling angle. On sight, it was one of those, "Well, he's out for nine months" sort of injuries.

Shortly before No Way Out three weeks later, Cena did an interview with Between the Ropes, where he admitted that he tore his MCL on the awkward landing. The injury, he said, left him limited with what he could do in the ring, but he had no plans to take time off.

Cena did work a somewhat lighter schedule for a few weeks after the Rumble, and had taken to wearing a knee brace. However, his burgeoning singles push continued into the spring. Considering that the man pushed through one of the nastiest-looking arm injuries at SummerSlam 2013, while having a near-five-star-match with Daniel Bryan, Cena's toughness can never be questioned.

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Justin has been a wrestling fan since 1989, and has been writing about it since 2009. Since 2014, Justin has been a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine. Justin also writes for History of Wrestling, and is a contributing author to James Dixon's Titan series.