Dave Meltzer Thinks WWE Will Announce John Cena Classic For Same Day As AEW PPV

The first week of November is a big week if one is a fan of John Cena appearing on WWE TV, as the "Matchbox" star is set to be on both "WWE Raw" and "NXT," with Cena teasing that his "Raw" appearance will feature full details regarding his John Cena Classic competition scheduled for December. Most believe these details will include when, and where, the Classic will take place, though Dave Meltzer thinks he's already got it figured out. Discussing Cena's upcoming appearance on Tuesday's "Wrestling Observer Radio," Meltzer suggested WWE will be looking for a certain December date in order to combat a big AEW show.

"It's going to be very interesting," Meltzer said. "We'll see if it's December the 19th. I'm kind of betting December 19, because that's the day of the AEW PPV."

AEW is scheduled to run their end of the year PPV, Worlds End, on December 19 out of the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. If WWE decides to run the John Cena Classic against Worlds End, it would more than likely mean it would be competing directly against the finals of AEW's Continental Classic tournament, which has taken place at Worlds End ever since the first edition of the tournament three years ago.

Counterprogramming AEW events has become almost as common as WrestleMania for WWE over the last few years, with the promotion using "NXT" and AAA to go head to head with AEW shows such as All In. Most recently, WWE ran a Worlds Collide taping in Chicago the same day AEW ran All Out in September, though WWE ultimately declined to air the show against the PPV, instead posting it on YouTube to go against AEW's tribute to PAC on "AEW Dynamite." The two sides will next go head to head next week, as "NXT" is moved to Wednesday to avoid mid-term election coverage on Tuesday night. Prior to the announcement of Cena's appearance, reports had indicated that "NXT" was looking to "load up the show" against "Dynamite," which will feature two Blood & Guts matches.

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