John Cena Says WWE Has Detailed Plans For John Cena Classic, Wants Them Kept Secret

This past May at Backlash, "The John Cena Classic" was officially announced, a tournament that will pit "WWE NXT" stars against main roster talent, with the champion of the competition being decided by an audience vote. Despite the "The John Cena Classic" being an idea that's reportedly been considered in WWE for years, very few details have emerged about the tournament since the announcement. However, this past weekend at Fan Expo Canada in Toronto, Cena confirmed that the details for his self-titled tournament have been ironed out, but is unable to reveal any specifics at the moment.

"As far as 'The John Cena Classic' goes, I can't say nothin' right now. Normally, so I don't want to leave you without an answer, normally I want to say we're figuring out the details. I'll say this, we have all the details, you just got to hang in there with me 'cause they want me to keep it a secret until it's time to say it. But we got a lot of information I'm going to dump on you, it just ain't going to be today."

John Cena talking about the John Cena classic tournament pic.twitter.com/eUPpLBvQiH

— ' Nell 👑 (@_jaannelle) August 31, 2026

When Cena was retired by GUNTHER this past December at Saturday Night's Main Event, the rest of the card featured "NXT" talent going head-to-head with main roster stars, three of which included Oba Femi, Je'Von Evans and Sol Ruca. All three wrestlers have since been called up from "NXT," with their matches at Saturday Night's Main Event inspiring the idea for "The John Cena Classic." 

Earlier this summer, Cena claimed that he's dedicated to putting his full effort into delivering a good product, and wants to avoid the voting process being hijacked throughout the competition. At this time, it's rumored that the tournament will take place on Saturday, December 12, but an official location for the event has yet to be confirmed.