John Cena is being teased for WWE’s October pay-per-view Hell in a Cell, despite WWE’s reports that it could take him up to eight weeks to recover after his recent elbow surgery. Cena’s estimated recovery time could have been extended to play into his “super-Cena” character.

Word came last Tuesday that the Cenation Leader had undergone surgery, and WWE official’s originally reported a two to three week recovery, pitting Cena for a mid-October comeback. Shortly after that, Cena’s recovery time was extended by the wrestling organization to six to eight weeks, long past WWE’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view next month.

NoDQ suggests that an possible angle that WWE is working with Cena’s recovery is that when he does, in fact, wrestle CM Punk for the WWE Championship at Hell in a Cell, it will play into the idea of Cena as being a larger than life superhero. Though the surgery was legitimate and WWE might have a backup plan ready, it would be a perfect complement to the story.

Right now the CM Punk vs. John Cena feud is about more than the WWE Title, as most of the great rivalries for the prestigious belt are. CM Punk has methodically turned himself from the number two good guy – second only to Cena himself – into the number one bad guy, and it all revolves around respect.

The first instance of Punks change in character was attacking The Rock at RAW 1000, but since then the WWE Champion has gone on trades about not given the respect due to a WWE Champion, and more recently how he doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone being that he’s held the belt for so long and beaten all of his opponents.

Before Night of Champions, the Cenation Leader himself said that if Punk could walk out of Cena’s hometown in Boston victorious, that it would be a defining moment for the WWE Champion, but the Second City Saint managed to do that without really winning. Punk hasn’t had a clean pin or submission on Cena in the past three matches between the two men, with RAW 1000 ending in disqualification and Punk pinning Big Show after Cena had weakened the Giant at SummerSlam.

Now WWE is telling fans that, regardless of what Cena wants to do, he probably won’t be able to fight Punk for the belt inside an enclosed cage. This covers the possibility of Cena not being able to perform, but also makes the match more exciting if it does happen, against all odds.

"Why don't you shut up and face me at Hell in a Cell?" a sling clad Cena said to Punk on Monday Night RAW. The WWE Champion responded by giving the wounded Cena five second to leave the ring before, saying "I'm gonna hurt you so bad it's gonna make the last eight days look like a picnic at the beach,” before Cena revealed and attacked Punk with a metal pipe.

"Real men wear pink," exclaimed Cena in reference to his breast cancer awareness attire. The 10-time WWE Champion then added, "Now that's what I call a pipe bomb!" in reference to controversial CM Punk promos that the Second City Saint refers to as pipe bombs.

Cena’s surgery was thought to be minor, but WWE commentators Michael Cole and Jim Ross discussed how the doctors found more bone fragments and cartilage that needed to be removed than they expected. There are no reports stating that this is false, though it could be a fabrication to aid the storyline.

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