John Cena provides latest update on plans for the John Cena Classic
John Cena addressed the John Cena Classic in a new interview.
Cena first announced the event at Backlash earlier this year and stated that it would feature a similar format to the December 13, 2025 edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event, with main roster wrestlers competing against wrestlers from NXT.
A report from WrestleVotes in May stated that the John Cena Classic could take place in December, which would line up with the one-year anniversary of Cena’s retirement match against Gunther.
During a recent interview with Extra TV at San Diego Comic-Con, Cena responded to a question about the John Cena Classic by saying that he wants to “do something great for WWE fans towards the end of the calendar year.”
Cena said:
“I got to withhold the updates. What I can tell you is we are working forward, and I cannot tell you how excited I am about it. The event, what it stands for, I want to do something great for WWE fans towards the end of the calendar year.
“Man, I wish I could give you spoilers, but I got to be loyal to my company. What I can tell you is we’re working on it, and I am going to give you my absolute best. If an event is going to wear my name, especially in the WWE realm, I’ve always given my best to WWE. The Classic will be no less.”
Cena also said during his announcement at Backlash that the John Cena Classic would involve a fan-voting aspect, with fans voting on the winner of the event regardless of whether that wrestler won their match on the show.
Cena’s full interview with Extra TV is available in the player below. The video is queued to his comments about the John Cena Classic.
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has appeared in award-winning publications such as NOW Magazine and The Huffington Post. He joined the F4WOnline team in 2019 and was named managing editor in the summer of 2026. Born in Calgary, Alberta, Ian has covered professional wrestling for more than 15 years.