Cena Out Longer Than Expected, RAW, & More News

WWE has announced their final television tapings of 2007. RAW will be taped on Saturday, December 29th in Greensboro, North Carolina and will air on Monday, December 31st. SmackDown and ECW will be taped on Sunday, December 30, 2007 in Richmond, Virginia.

Last night on RAW, former WWE Champion John Cena appeared on the Titantron via satellite. It was his first public interview since having surgery last week to repair his torn pectoral tendon. Cena gave everyone an update on his condition. When Vince McMahon spoke on last week's ECW TV broadcast, he said Cena could be back in 6 months. Cena told the fans last night that his surgery was successful and he is expected to fully recover from the injury, but the latest prognosis is that he'll be out for 7-12 months. With WrestleMania only 6 months away, it now appears even less likely that Cena has any chance of returning in time for the show.

Cena being gone for at least 7 months will have a huge effect on the WWE roster. He has been the top star in the company for over a year and has been the model babyface champion. Men like Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin (and even Eddie Guererro) know the tremendous amount of pressure put on babyface WWE Champions who the company builds around for extended periods of time. Cena will finally have time off to rest and will likely return in 2008 a refocused and rejuvenated man.