Months ago John Cena officially announced the John Cena Classic when he appeared at the Backlash premium live event. On Monday, Cena made his big return to Raw, and he announced that the first ever John Cena Classic will emanate from the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on December 14th. He also announced Cody Rhodes as the first invitee to the John Cena Classic.
It’s clear that John Cena is in recruitment mode right now as he made a special appearance on NXT this week. The 17 time champion called Zilla Fatu out to the ring, praised his family, and confirmed that Zilla is the second invitee to the John Cena Classic.
Later in the show Kam Hendrix approached John Cena and asked who his opponent will be in the John Cena Classic. Cena then humbled Hendrix when he said, “Showtime, I’ve heard it said before that if you’re good you’ll tell everybody, and if you’re great, they’ll tell you. So, instead of focusing on the John Cena Classic, what I’d like to tell you is you should put your focus on your opponent for next week, EK Prosper.”
Kam Hendrix reacted to the denial when he posted, “Delays Are Not Denials #DAND”
Delays Are Not Denials #DAND
— Kam Hendrix (@wwekamhendrix) November 5, 2026
So far Cody Rhodes and John Cena are the only competitors confirmed for the John Cena Classic, but Cena is expected to announce more names in the weeks to come as he’s been confirmed for the following events:
11/13 – SmackDown
11/16 – Raw
11/28 – Survivor Series
Stay tuned for updates.