Cena Launches Fan-Voted Classic for WWE, NXT Talent
John Cena announced the John Cena Classic during WWE Backlash in Tampa, Florida, on May 9, 2026. The event will showcase wrestlers from WWE's main brands and NXT, with fans voting to crown the champion. Participants remain eligible for the title even after losses in their matches.
Cena described the event as an evening pitting "the best of today" against "the best of tomorrow," with WWE and NXT superstars competing for a championship bearing his name. He emphasized striving for excellence to make it special and called the audience WWE's "biggest star."
The announcement follows Cena's appearance ahead of his final match at a December event in Washington, D.C., where he lost to Gunther. Rising talents featured there included Sol Ruca defeating Bayley, Oba Femi facing Cody Rhodes, and Je’Von Evans and Leon Slater in a tag match against AJ Styles and Dragon Lee. Femi later defeated Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 42, Evans challenged for the Intercontinental Championship there, Ruca joined Raw to challenge Becky Lynch for the Women’s Intercontinental title, and Slater nears a record X-Division Championship reign in TNA.
No date has been set for the John Cena Classic, which will join WWE's summer schedule.
