Braun Strowman to replace John Cena in Men's Royal Rumble Match due to injury
As first revealed on WWE Now this afternoon, John Cena will not compete in the Men's Royal Rumble Match tonight due to his ankle injury.
Shortly afterward, Cathy Kelley revealed that Braun Strowman will replace Cena in the Rumble.
Cena first sustained the left ankle injury during the main event of the Jan. 14 episode of Raw. In that match, the 16-time World Champion faced Finn Bálor, Baron Corbin and Drew McIntyre for the right to challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at the WWE Royal Rumble event.
As seen in the video below, the injury occurred when McIntyre trapped Cena in the ankle lock submission hold. Cena then appears to favor his left ankle while leaving the ring after Raw went off the air.
The Cenation Leader was unable to sufficiently recover in time for tonight's 30-Man Royal Rumble Match, and has been ruled out of the bout as a result.
Stick with all of WWE's digital platforms and WWE Now for more coverage of the 2019 Royal Rumble event.
WWE Shows Latest Results
SmackDown results, Dec. 13, 2024: Kevin Owens knocks out Cody Rhodes with the WWE Title before Saturday Night's Main Event
Full ResultsWWE NXT results, Dec. 10, 2024: Stephanie Vaquer chases Cora Jade out of the building after an earlier sneak attack
Full Results