John Cena retired from in-ring competition when he was defeated by Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event in December of 2025, but Cena is still very much part of the WWE family. The 17 time champion made an appearance at Backlash a few months ago and he announced a new event called the John Cena Classic.
Cena explained that the event would see current WWE stars face off against stars from NXT, and he also revealed that fans will be able to vote for the winner of the John Cena Classic. Since then little has been said about the John Cena Classic, but John Cena himself recently told Eztra that the plans are being worked out, and he indicated the event could take place near the end of the year.
“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 toward the end of the calendar year. Man, I wish I could give you spoilers, but I’ve 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. Then the Classic will be no less.”
Stay tuned for more updates on the John Cena classic as they become available.