Dr. Bob Ponovich, the orthopedic surgeon who operated on John Cena’s severely damaged left elbow last month, had a grim prognosis for the WWE superstar: “You can’t wrestle.”

Cena was initially unfazed by the diagnosis, since he is all-too familiar with the three-word mantra, typically hollered at him by wrestling fans around the world.

But then the severity of Dr. Ponovich’s statement began to sink in for Cena, as he realized that his torn triceps might be far more worse than he imagined.

Then Dr. Ponovich, after a long and thoughtful pause, finished his assessment: “You can’t wrestle for at least four months. Get plenty of rest, and then you’ll be back in the ring better than before.”

The surgery to repair Cena’s triceps reportedly went smoothly, except for an unexpected problem right of the bat.  While administering anaesthesia, doctors instructed Cena to slowly count backwards from 10, but he kicked out at two.