10 Fascinating WWE SummerSlam 2008 Facts

3. Cena Underwent Neck Surgery Shortly After SummerSlam

Triple H Great Khali
WWE.com

Time has taught us that John Cena has the work ethic of at least fifty stout men, and while he is voluntarily slowing down at the age of 40, he could probably push his way through a full-time schedule for years to come. Working through pain is something that Cena has done plenty of.

By the time Cena hit the ring to wrestle Batista at SummerSlam 2008, his neck had been causing him discomfort for some time. While in storyline, Batista's powerbomb was credited for giving Cena the injury, the neck issue was more or less just standard wear-and-tear for a highly-physical athlete, accumulated over the long haul.

Cena actually worked house shows the weekend following SummerSlam, but did minimal work at the Madison Square Garden event on August 23. He had a minimal procedure done three days later that removed a piece of bone that was blocking a nerve in his neck, and would be back in the ring less than three months later at Survivor Series.

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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.