John Cena Explains Intention Behind Eponymous WWE Event

When John Cena announced the John Cena Classic at WWE Backlash, fans had more questions than answers about the show set to pit "WWE NXT" talent against main roster stars. In the weeks following the reveal, Cena has tried to clarify things a bit more in interviews and on social media, all while explaining the one-night event, which he wants to model after the Saturday Night's Main Event show that featured his retirement match, is still a work in progress.

Cena told The Takedown on SI that it's good there are questions, because that means there's intrigue. He said to sum up the event, he'd call it, "WWE's All-Star Game."

"The possibilities are endless," he said. "It's a chance to get those who are proven on our program to give a great event for our fans. I want to be able to have our fans excited about something, so they want to see their favorites. We did this at Saturday Night's Main Event, introducing new talent. We saw Je'Von [Evans]. We saw Sol Ruca. We saw Oba [Femi], and people are like, 'What the f.' Give them a taste about what's to come. And give them the power, after we figure out how to do it so we can do it fair, give them the power to be like, 'This person was great.'"

Cena acknowledged the "wins and losses don't matter" sentiment going around online. He said that winning a match could sway a star's odds of winning the popular vote, so winning does matter, because it could help. He said there have been plenty of matches in professional wrestling history where the standout of the match hasn't won, including The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels, and even some of his own matches against Cesaro, Dolph Ziggler, and more.

Cena said the "weirdness" of "all applicants qualifying" for the event adds shock value. He said that fans thinking "wins and losses don't matter" isn't true. Cena explained while they do of course matter, the John Cena Classic is a one-night exhibition that requires no lead-up.

"I'm just going to personally invite these people into the event and we're going to have the event, literally a standalone thing," he explained. "Like I said, we still have some details to work out."

He said to keep in mind, he was WWE's last pick, and he was supposed to be fired. Cena explained he was never supposed to reach the heights he did, and it took him awhile to get the snowball rolling.

"But, maybe we make Oba Femi in one night," Cena said. "Maybe some kid comes on the scene and just wows you. Win, lose, or draw, and you're like, 'That dude's got it.' Or, 'That gal's got it.' What a great way as a fan to tell corporate, essentially, 'Put your chips in this direction. Let's give this person an opportunity.'"

When asked about "corporate," meaning WWE creative or TKO attempting to fix the votes to get over the talent they want, Cena seemingly answered the question as it pertained to fans.

"If this is going to be a legitimate, recognized championship by the WWE, we gotta come up with a fair way to do the vote," Cena said. "We're trying something for the first time, so, who knows. What I want to do is do the damnedest we can to protect against hijacking and sabotage, and we're going to figure out how to do that."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit The Takedown on SI and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.