07.31.2013
By Mike Johnson
It was surprising to many when the EBWF Sacrifice card was released and Intercontinental Champion, John Cena’s name was not on it. Many found this especially unanticipated following last month’s still very talked about King of the Ring main event featuring outstanding performances from both Cena and the night’s victor and 2013 King of the Ring, Randy Orton. (How the mighty have fallen?)
Inside sources however are stating that there was a planned, storylined reason for Cena’s lack of a match and that he was still slated to appear on the show, “in a significant role.” This would make sense as Cena is notorious for appearing in a vast majority of EBWF shows and programming and an unexpected appearance would perhaps create a surprise for EBWF fans that they would not have seen coming. However Sunday came and went and while there was indeed a mysterious “teaser” promo directed at Cena, the Champ was never seen, leading many to wonder why one of the company’s biggest names was MIA. There was no on-screen or off-screen explanation for this absence such as an injury or other engagement before, during, or after Sacrifice.
Then, Monday morning, it was revealed that several appearances that were scheduled for Cena for the weekend of the pay per view as well as the following, current week, were cancelled or postponed with little to no explanation.
It appeared this would remain yet another unanswered question mark until early this afternoon when a local St. Louis paramedic posted this image on his Facebook page:
The tagline stated, “OMG JOHN CENA WAS MY PATIENT ON FRIDAY NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!”
Though the picture was not time stamped the medic went on to answer the questions of others stating “it was about ten that night,” “he stopped breathing on the way to the hospital,” “blood was everywhere,” and even “his girlfriend was there and she was covered in blood too and wearing pajamas. I think she was staying with him. She was hot!” He then later joked with a friend, “I was sweating bullets man! He had no airway and I didn’t want to be responsible for killing this dude! Can you imagine how much trouble I would have been in, lmao!”
Indeed, several hours later the image and posting was removed from the medic’s Facebook page. No calls placed to the agency were ever returned.
We investigated this claim further and referenced the St. Louis County CAD website. The site lists every single 911 call that comes into the dispatch center within the county’s jurisdiction that is handled by police, fire, medic, and animal control. It maintains the privacy of the patient but will reveal time, location, chief call complaint, the code assigned to the call (designating if the call is Emergent versus Non-Emergent), and other basic information that is available to the public as a matter of public record. Though Cena’s address is obviously kept securely under wraps, we were able to confirm that an emergency 911 call was placed at approximately 10 pm, from an address that will remain undisclosed, for a 36 year old male who was unconscious with difficulty breathing and significant hemorrhaging. A call to the pertinent dispatch center confirmed this call however no further information was able to be released due to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 which protects a patient’s right to privacy.
Though none of this directly points to John Cena having had some form of a medical emergency two nights before the Sacrifice Pay Per View it would definitely explain his unusual absence and his lack of appearances since. Cena IS slated to be on the upcoming episode of Warfare though he is yet again not on the match card. Is it perhaps because this medic’s claims are true, or could there be more political reasons for Cena’s sudden on and off-screen disappearance from the public eye?
We will keep you updated with any new information as it comes in.
*UPDATE: In the process of writing this we received word from an individual who works with the St. Louis EMS Bureau who wished to remain anonymous. Originally the medic responsible for the posting had been suspended, with pay, pending further investigation. Since then the medic in question’s phone had been examined and it was found to have contained several images of “the patient, the scene, a female bystander, and hospital staff in the initial stages of treatment on EMS’ arrival.” We also learned the medic has been terminated and his practice certifications will be under review by the Missouri State EMS Board. The agency itself has also been placed under review regarding practices that violate patient confidentiality.
