Alex Marvez's weekly look at professional wrestling

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Being a World Wrestling Entertainment superstar is a real pain in the neck.Just ask John Cena.According to WWE's web site, Cena underwent a 90-minute procedure Tuesday to remove a large disc fragment that was pressing on his spinal cord. The injury was causing numbness in Cena's right arm.The surgery reportedly went so well that Cena visited backstage with WWE performers Tuesday night prior to a Smackdown television taping in Pittsburgh. Cena is expected to miss the next two- to four-months but is known as a fast healer. He returned well ahead of schedule from a torn pectoral muscle suffered last October.WWE is attributing Cena's injury to a "Batista Bomb" delivered by Dave Batista in their Summer Slam match earlier this month. Whether that is true of just part of another storyline is unclear, but this much is certain: Cena has now joined a long list of WWE grapplers who have required neck surgery.The most notable came in 1997 when Steve Austin was accidentally dropped incorrectly by the late Owen Hart. This caused a chronic neck problem that greatly contributed to Austin's retirement from active competition six years later.Other WWE injuries were the result of mistimed moves combined with wear-and-tear. Adam "Edge" Copeland, Terry "Rhyno" Gerin, Shane Helms, the late Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle - who entered WWE with a pre-existing neck condition - are among the performers who missed extensive time because of their ailments.WWE has tried reducing the injury risk by toning down its in-ring action. Maneuvers that can compress the spine like piledrivers and chair shots directly to the top of the head are allowed only on rare occasions among top performers who know how to cushion such blows.But such measures aren't always enough. While the outcomes to all pro wrestling matches are predetermined, serious physical damage can be suffered even by what are essentially trained stuntmen. Cena and Mr. Ken Kennedy are the latest proof. Kennedy (real name Ken Anderson) also is sidelined, having suffered a shoulder injury earlier this month during a non-televised match against Shelton Benjamin in Macon, Ga.X...X...XFormer WWE star Ken Shamrock is the newest tomato can being fed to rising mixed martial arts star Kimbo Slice. The two will meet October 4 on an EliteXC show that will be telecast live on CBS from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.At age 44, Shamrock's long-standing nickname as the "World's Most Dangerous Man" is no longer apt. He has lost seven of his eight fights since 2002, dropping the past five in the first round.Shamrock, though, makes sense for EliteXC management. The promotion is trying to feed over-the-hill fighters with name value to Slice, an MMA novice with a following from real-life street fights shown on the Internet. Slice already was matched in February against David "Tank" Abbott, a former Ultimate Fighting Championship brawler who lost for the eighth time in his previous nine bouts after another dismal outing.X...X...XJeff Jarrett's imminent return isn't the only major roster news in TNA Wrestling (9 p.m. Thursdays, Spike TV).The promotion has the chance to make a serious run at two major WWE stars in Ric Flair and Mick Foley. Flair has parted ways with WWE because of lucrative acting and autograph-signing opportunities elsewhere. Foley's departure seems imminent after an ill-fated stint as a Smackdown television announcer.Flair and Foley have no desire to wrestle again but their name value even if used in a non-grappling role would greatly help TNA's visibility.Gail Kim has left TNA and seems likely to resurface in WWE, where she won the women's title in her 2003 debut. It will be interesting to see whether TNA welcomes the return of Chris "Wildcat" Harris, who was recently released by WWE after a brief run as Braden Walker. (Alex Marvez writes a syndicated pro wrestling column for Scripps-Howard News Service. E-mail Alex Marvez at alex1marv(at)aol.com)