On the March 27 RAW, the Spirit Squad injured Val Venis' right elbow during a Six-Man Tag Team Match. On April 6, Val had successful surgery to repair his injuries, and now that he's on the road to recovery, WWE.com caught up with him this week to get an update.

The surgery that was originally scheduled to be 90 minutes turned out to be an almost three-hour procedure. "They removed about a dozen bone spurs from my right elbow, as well as some scar tissue, and they shaved down about six more spurs," Val told WWE.com. "They also completely transplanted my ulnar nerve to the inside of my elbow, where there was less scar tissue."

Venis began physical therapy on April 17, and told WWE.com that the beginning of post-surgery rehab wasn't a piece of cake. "They really worked my elbow, making me straighten it as much as I can and bend it as much as I can," he said. "I was only there for about 90 minutes, but it was one of the most painful things I've ever done in my life."

Despite the pain, Val says that the original projection of 8-10 weeks before his return to the ring is still accurate. "The doctors say it will be about six weeks or so before everything is good to go. Nerves heal very slowly, so even though the transplant seems successful, I might not start to get feeling back into my pinky and ring fingers until December or January," Val said. "I also haven't been able to do any upper body work in my workout, I've only been able to do legs and cardio; once I'm cleared to do the upper body work, it's going to take a few weeks to get back to full strength there."

When asked if the Spirit Squad was still first on his hit list when he returns, Val said yes, but declined further comment.

RELATED CONTENT:
WWE.com Unlimited video of Val receiving medical attention after the injury
Val's interview with WWE.com prior to the surgery