WWE superstar John Cena announced on Monday night that he will be out of action for the next four to six months while recovering from a torn triceps muscle.

Cena, who wrestled at last Sunday’s WWE Summerslam pay-per-view event despite the torn triceps injury, announced at WWE Raw that the ailment will require surgery. “I cannot put off my surgery any longer. Tonight I leave the WWE,” Cena said on Monday night. A picture of Cena’s noticeably swollen left elbow and arm can be viewed below.

“John has been dealing with a large left elbow bursitis,” WWE physician Michael Sampson told the organization’s official website. “We did an MRI which showed a partial triceps tear. Being the warrior that he is, he did not want to have surgery [forcing him to cancel his Summerslam match].”

Noted surgeon Dr. James Andrews will perform the surgery on Cena’s injured triceps, WWE.com reports. Dr. Andrews is one of the sports world’s leading orthopedic surgeons, and recently operated on the injured knee of Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III. A post-surgery recovery program could have Cena back to the WWE in time for December’s Royal Rumble event, Larry Brown Sports reports.

Earlier this month, Cena addressed the torn triceps injury on Twitter, referring to his damaged left elbow as a “baseball,” but assuring fans that he would be able to complete his scheduled Summerslam match against Daniel Bryan. “To all those wondering how a baseball got stuck in my left elbow. It’s … complicated,” Cena wrote on Twitter. “I’ll be fine for [Summerslam].”

The John Cena injury photo can be viewed above, or over at Larry Brown Sports.

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