Update: John Cena’s WWE Extreme Rules PPV Status Confirmed

Despite speculation that he would be too injured to compete – following a bruised heel during the recent WWE European tour – WWE Champion John Cena will defend his title at Extreme Rules this May.

According to a report by the Wrestling Observer, Cena’s injury is being listed as a “significantly bruised heel”. Generally, these can be very painful and much more serious than it sounds. It appears, however, that WWE and Cena have agreed to go forward with the match.

As of now, the WWE Championship match between John Cena and Ryback has no gimmick or stipulation, but one is expected to be added in the next few weeks. Something like a Last Man Standing contest would certainly give Cena time to rest in the match, but no matter the stipulation expect the champ to work a much slower and lighter pace. There was proof of this on Monday Night Raw this week, when Cena was on the apron for the majority of his main event six-man tag team match with Daniel Bryan and Kane, against The Shield.

WWE Extreme Rules is live on pay-per-view on May 19th – click here to see the updated match card.