The WWE Universe was stunned to learn that John Cena would return to face World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio at Hell in a Cell on Oct. 27 — roughly two months after the Cenation leader underwent surgery for a torn triceps.

Given the original prognosis suggested a recovery time of four-to-six months, the 13-time World Champion’s comeback is nothing short of remarkable.

Lost in the celebratory tweets trumpeting Cena’s resilience, however, has been a pragmatic discussion about the danger he risks competing against the ruthless World Heavyweight Champion specifically. There are reasons to believe there could be no worse matchup for a returning John Cena at Hell in a Cell than Alberto Del Rio.

Del Rio’s Cross Armbreaker injures opponents. The Essence of Excellence has used his go-to hold to devastating effects, fracturing Rey Mysterio’s wrist and tearing Christian’s pectoral muscle. That’d be bad enough news if the year was 2008 and Cena was just coming off his pectoral injury. Instead, consider that Cena’s most recent surgery was on his left arm — the exact limb on which Del Rio prefers to apply the Cross Armbreaker. If Cena can’t avoid the submission hold, the world will find out exactly how healed his arm is on Oct. 27.

Del Rio has a recent history of putting Superstars back on the shelf … and he doesn’t need the Cross Armbreaker to do it. In June, WWE fans witnessed an incident that portends trouble for the Cenation. At WWE Payback, Del Rio dethroned World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler in particularly cruel fashion, using a flurry of head kicks against The Showoff in Ziggler’s first match after being cleared from injury (a concussion). The next day, news broke that Ziggler had again been placed on the DL. Could the same happen to Cena?

Del Rio puts his aggressive reputation before his record. The World Heavyweight Champion basks in his well-earned notoriety, even putting it ahead of his win-loss record at times. So long as the championship gold remains his, Del Rio won’t think twice about continuing a vicious attack. Against Rob Van Dam at Night of Champions, for example, the Mexican Superstar got himself disqualified by refusing to break the Cross Armbreaker, even though RVD had reached the ropes. When Sin Cara went down early with a hand injury during an Aug. 19 match against Del Rio, the World Champion ignored the referee’s orders and kept on with his onslaught.

Cena’s downfall at Hell in a Cell might not be returning from injury too quickly, but doing so against Del Rio. If the early results of a WWE.com poll asking who will win the World Heavyweight Championship Match are any indication, Cena is favored by nearly 90% of WWE fans.

But factoring in Del Rio’s past, is it possible that the heroic Cena, win or lose, is actually walking into a match against his nightmare opponent on Oct. 27?

The WWE Universe was stunned to learn that John Cena would return to face World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio at Hell in a Cell on Oct. 27 — just two months after the Cenation leader underwent surgery for a torn triceps. Given the original prognosis suggested a recovery time of four-to-six months, Cena’s comeback is nothing short of remarkable.

John Cena exclusive: "I know Alberto Del Rio is at the top of his game"

Lost in the fanfare trumpeting the 13-time World Champion’s resilience, however, has been a pragmatic discussion about the risks he faces competing against the ruthless World Heavyweight Champion. There are reasons to believe there could be no more dangerous opponent for a returning John Cena than Alberto Del Rio. Here's why …

Del Rio’s Cross Armbreaker injures Superstars

The Essence of Excellence has used his go-to finishing maneuver to devastating effects over the years, contributing to a fractured wrist for Rey Mysterio and a torn pectoral muscle for Christian. That’d be bad enough news if the year was 2008 and Cena was just coming off his pectoral injury. Instead, consider that Cena’s most recent surgery was on his left arm — the exact limb on which Del Rio prefers to apply the Cross Armbreaker. If Cena can’t avoid the submission hold on Oct. 27, the world will find out just how healed his arm really is.

Del Rio has a recent history of putting Superstars back on the shelf…and he doesn’t need the Cross Armbreaker to do it.

In June, WWE fans witnessed an incident that may have been a harbinger of things to come for the Cenation. At WWE Payback, Del Rio dethroned World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler in particularly cruel fashion, using a flurry of head kicks against The Showoff in Ziggler’s first match back from injury (a concussion). The next day, news broke that Ziggler had been placed back on the disabled list. Could a similar fate befall Cena?

Del Rio puts his aggressive reputation before his record

The World Heavyweight Champion basks in his well-earned notoriety, even putting it ahead of his win-loss record at times. So long as the championship gold remains his, Del Rio won’t think twice about continuing a vicious attack. Against Rob Van Dam at Night of Champions, the Mexican Superstar got himself disqualified by refusing to break the Cross Armbreaker, even though RVD had reached the ropes. When Sin Cara went down early with a hand injury during an Aug. 19 match against Del Rio, the World Champion defied the referee’s orders and kept on with his onslaught. What would happen if Cena’s feeling-out process doesn’t go as well as planned?

How to watch Hell in a Cell |  Del Rio vs. Cena preview

If the early results of a WWE.com poll asking who will win the World Heavyweight Championship Match are any indication, Cena is the heavy favorite, predicted by nearly 90 percent of voters to win the bout. But factoring in Del Rio’s past, is it possible that the heroic Cena, win or lose, is actually walking into a nightmarish scenario against Del Rio on Oct. 27?