Fans of professional sports-entertaining were thrilled by the apparent return of John Cena to a WWE ring this week — but only the most keen-eyed observers noticed that Cena only appeared virtually via photo-realistic 3D hologram. 

“Finally, we can come back and cheer together,” Cena said via a sterile soundstage in Burbank, Calif. “And boo together. And make some noise and connect with people that love this.” 

By “this,” Cena was referring to the energy of a live gathering of thousands of humans, which Cena opted to avoid because there is still a legitimate pandemic afoot, people. 

Cena’s match at SummerSlam will also be conducted virtually, likely via Zoom. 

Cena’s longtime stunt double, Cuban-Canadian pro wrestler Elian Habanero, will wear a motion-capture green bodysuit upon which Cena’s body will be digitally superimposed during post-production.