Tag: John Cena

Ken Anderson believes Randy Orton and John Cena worked together to get him fired

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

Former WWE wrestler Ken Anderson believes it was Randy Orton and John Cena who had him fired from the promotion.

During his recent appearance on Tagging In with Chris Harris, Anderson opened up in detail about his WWE release. The unfortunate incident took place after Randy Orton had allegedly called Anderson dangerous.

“I got fired for dumping Randy [Orton] on his head. If you slow that video down, you can see that his neck never comes into contact with the mat. Even just the way that he bumped, he bumped in a manner where he lined up perfectly with the camera, so you can actually see that. He says I dumped him on his head, but you can see his neck; it’s a completely flat bump. From his shoulders to his ass was a complete straight line, flat bump.

“I believe that Randy and John [Cena] worked together. They decided that day, let’s f**king get him gone. And it worked,” Anderson shared.

Anderson was released just days after returning from a lengthy injury absence in 2009. The release allegedly took place after Orton had complained about him, following a back suplex he received on the May 25, 2009 episode of WWE RAW.

While Anderson believes Orton’s comments motivated his release, he still blames himself for his WWE exit.

“I’ve said this before, that was the straw that broke the camel’s back, but had I been doing what I should have done on a daily basis, that would have never occurred. They could have gone to Vince [McMahon] and said all whatever they wanted to,” Anderson added. “The fact that my name kept coming up in a negative light and I kept kind of f**king up in different ways, and that’s all on me. So, that was the straw that broke the camel’s back, but the reason I got fired is because of me.”

Anderson joined WWE in 2005 and was a part of the promotion until his release in 2009. A popular name on the roster, Anderson is also a former WWE United States Champion and the 2007 Money in the Bank winner.

R-Truth credits Vince McMahon for John Cena childhood hero narrative 

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

R-Truth credited Vince McMahon for his promo and gimmick citing John Cena is his childhood idol. 

Truth revealed on the Six Feet Under Podcast that his promo declaring Cena as his childhood hero was written by McMahon. 

“That was a Vince write. Vince wrote that. And the first time I did the promo and said I grew up watching Cena. You know, I would sit there and watch him do his Saturday morning, you know what I’m saying, challenges. And people bought it. They bit hard. He grew up watching John Cena and John Cena is his childhood hero. They went with it, you know what I’m saying. They (the fans) did.”

Truth initially asked Cena if he could imitate his signature look with the jorts, and he ideated the Ron Cena t-shirt. 

“I called John and asked him, could I use his shorts. John suggested I do the moves. He said, you should do everything. This shirt, Ron Cena, was John’s idea. He said, I think you do the shirt the same way I do mine. And you put your face there. I was like, I said, you serious? He was like, yeah, we’re brothers, right? I said. That is genius. Like he’s so smart. He was smart with the whole thing with it, man. And I just ran with it. It works, right?”

Last year, during Cena’s heel turn, Truth made an effort to confront his ways. He also took on the Ron Cena persona, imitating Cena’s signature attire and claiming to be his brother. 

When Truth returned a week later from being released in 2025, he targeted Cena at Money in the Bank which ultimately led to their showdown at SNME in May. 

John Cena makes visit to WWE Performance Center

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

Just hours after attending Seth Rollins’ Wrestling Academy, John Cena was recently spotted at the WWE Performance Center.

In various social media uploads posted by WWE Performance Center wrestlers and athletes, it was revealed that Cena recently made a stop there.

Delia Schweizer, a CrossFit athlete and part of the WWE NXT Performance Center, recently shared a picture of herself and Cena on social media. “Today we had the opportunity to talk with John Cena and learn from his experiences,” she wrote.

WWE NXT’s Alyssa Danielle also uploaded a picture with Cena on social media. Former LFG winner and current part of the NXT roster, Shiloh Hill, also uploaded a video on social media, where Cena was spotted at the last minute endorsing Hill’s online campaign. “Shiloh Hill is Mr.NXT,” Cena appeared on video and claimed.

While the specific purpose of Cena’s visit to the Performance Center is not yet known, it’s speculated that he might have been there to discuss his experiences with the budding group of wrestlers.

In the past few months, Cena has been a huge vocal advocate for the WWE NXT superstars. The 17-time World Champion presented NXT wrestlers with a stage to wrestle during his retirement match show. He also recently announced the John Cena Classic, where NXT wrestlers will get the opportunity to wrestle main-roster stars.

John Cena visits Seth Rollins’ Black & Brave Wrestling Academy

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

Retired WWE veteran John Cena recently visited Seth Rollins’ Black & Brave Wrestling Academy for a guest coaching session.

17-time World Champion Cena was recently at Davenport, Iowa, at Rollins’ wrestling academy, teaching and coaching budding wrestlers at the academy.

Black & Brave Wrestling Academy recently shared a status on social media talking about Cena’s coaching session. Talking about his time there, Rollins’ academy displayed its gratitude to Cena.

“We were honored to welcome the incomparable [John Cena] to the Black and Brave Wrestling Academy today! John spent 5 hours teaching, coaching, and answering questions and then spent an additional hour giving 1-on-1 time to many of our graduates. We cannot thank him enough for his incredible generosity,” the post read.

Is John Cena still wrestling in WWE?

Cena, 49, is currently done with wrestling. Last year at Saturday Night’s Main Event in December 2025, Gunther made Cena tap out and retired him from in-ring action. Since then, the veteran has stayed out of the squared circle.

Currently working as an ambassador for WWE, Cena recently appeared at the 2026 Backlash PLE to announce the John Cena Classic

John Cena doesn’t think he ever said ‘no’ to WWE creative decision

Posted on by Joseph Currier

During his entire career, John Cena doesn’t think he ever outright said “no” to a creative decision that was made by WWE.

Cena retired from in-ring competition in December 2025 and now works for the company as a brand ambassador. He discussed that new role during a recent appearance on The Rich Eisen Show but also took a moment to look back on his time in the ring. Cena addressed the heel turn that took place during his retirement tour. Though fans ultimately rejected the idea, Cena does not regret it. He enjoyed taking risks creatively and was up for whatever WWE wanted.

“I always like new creative challenges. And that’s why, I mean, very rarely — I honestly don’t think I’ve said ‘no’ to any sort of creative decision in WWE,” Cena said. “I’ve always tried to embrace it and do the best I can. And right up until my final moment of tapping out with fulfillment on my face, which was very mixed reviews on that as well, I always enjoy a creative challenge. I’m not afraid to take those risks.”

Cena’s final match was a loss to Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event. With a smile on his face, Cena tapped out in a sleeper, with the moment intended to mimic a person passing away peacefully at the end of their life.

In his ambassadorial role, Cena hosted WrestleMania 42 and then made an appearance at Backlash, where he announced the “John Cena Classic.” It’s an event that will see main roster stars face off against wrestlers from NXT. At the end of the show, fans will vote to determine a John Cena Classic Champion — with both winners and losers eligible to be voted the winner.

Cena told The Rich Eisen Show that he came up with the idea for the John Cena Classic after featuring NXT talent on the undercard for his retirement show. The wrestlers felt like they were part of something new, and Cena wanted to expand things more with a fan-voting component.

“I kind of wanted to extend it a little bit more. I’m like, how can we involve the fan base?,” Cena said. “So that’s where the fan vote came from. And then I tried to take it a little bit further in saying that like, man, if you’re a talent and you go out and you tear the house down, but you’re this close to winning and maybe you came up short, you still have the opportunity to be in the running to see if you won the fan vote enough to be crowned champion.

No date set for John Cena Classic yet —

There is no date or location set for the John Cena Classic as of this moment. It might be a while before the show actually takes place, as it’s being targeted for the latter part of 2026. Netflix has reportedly expressed interest in broadcasting the event.

Daily Update: Nikki Bella, new John Cena movie trailer, Michael Tarver

Posted on by Joseph Currier

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Wednesday Update

Darby Allin | AEW
Darby Allin celebrates winning the AEW World title on Dynamite. (Image credit: AEW)

WWE

  • During an interview with USA Today, Nikki Bella said she’s hoping to return from her ankle injury by the end of June:
    • Injuries are so funny. I always try to ask that (asking the medical team for updates). (They’re like) ‘not until I see what your ankle looks like in June,’ and I’m like, ‘But if you were to just guess,’ and they’re like, ‘Don’t know, not until June,’
    • I’m hoping, for me in my head, end of June would be incredible, but I also don’t want to go back too early, because you know the big part about when people get reinjured is because their strength isn’t matching, so I need to make sure the calves, the quads, glutes, I need to make sure they’re all built up.
  • WWE uploaded the full Tatum Paxley vs. Lizzy Rain NXT Women’s North American Championship match from last night.
  • The Mark Moses Show interviewed NXT Champion Tony D’Angelo.
  • Charlotte Flair appeared on the latest episode of TMZ’s Inside the Ring podcast.
  • Bianca Belair shared photos (part one, part two) of her baby shower, which was attended by many WWE colleagues including Liv Morgan, Nattie, Angelo Dawkins, Alexa Bliss, Ivy Nile, Nia Jax, Lash Legend, Maxxine Dupri, Michin, Solo Sikoa, LA Knight, Omos, IYO SKY, and Jey Uso
  • Netflix released the official trailer for the upcoming John Cena-Eric Andre comedy “Little Brother.” The movie debuts on June 26:
    • Rudd (John Cena) has the perfect life – great job, loving family, and a thriving career as a real estate agent… until his little brother, Marcus (Eric Andre), crashes back into his world as a full-blown agent of chaos, stress-testing every part of Rudd’s carefully controlled existence.
  • To mark yesterday being the 30th anniversary of the “Curtain Call,” WWE Vault uploaded the 2015 documentary “The Kliq Rules.”

Other Wrestling

  • In a feature story for ESPN, Darby Allin discussed potentially becoming a father at some point and whether that would change him:
    • Will having kids of my own change me and make me tone it down? No, I don’t believe so. And I’ll tell you why. Because the moment I have a kid, I want to keep showing them that there’s no age limit that says you must calm down. You have to be that much more inspiring to them, because, who am I if I’m playing it safe with my 5-year-old? That’s not Darby Allin. But if I’m strapping the 5-year-old to a Can-Am and going on some jumps? That’s who I am. I want my kids to have the confidence I never had growing up.
  • The Allin story is the first AEW-focused piece to appear on ESPN’s website in quite some time. It was written by Andreas Hale, who was declined a credential for WWE WrestleMania 42 after covering the Janel Grant/Vince McMahon story for ESPN.
  • MJF made an appearance on SNY’s Baseball Night in NY.
  • Mark Briscoe celebrated today being the 26th anniversary of he and his late brother Jay making their in-ring debuts.
  • The Wrestling Classic interviewed Shelton Benjamin.
  • Will Ospreay praised NJPW wrestler Robbie X, who defeated Kosei Fujita in the main event of today’s Best of the Super Juniors show:
    • Robbie X is legitimately has been the best jr heavyweight for the last 4 years.
    • Seeing him get his flowers and rocking korakuen hall is a different level of special to see!!
  • Wrestling broadcaster Sam Laterna thanked Tony Khan for giving her the opportunity to serve as an on-screen interviewer at this week’s ROH TV tapings in Jacksonville:
    • If there’s one thing I’ll always bet on, it’s myself.
    • Huge thank you to Ring of Honor and Tony Khan for bringing me in for interviews at this round of ROH TV tapings. It was so wonderful seeing old friends, meeting new ones, and getting to work in such a fun environment!
  • Claressa Shields, a top women’s boxing star, showed up for Sukeban in New York City last night and got physically involved by delivering a punch and even earning a pinfall victory during the surprise appearance.
  • Fabian Aichner has filed a trademark for the nickname “Il Gladiatore,” which translates to “The Gladiator.”
  • Former Nexus member Michael Tarver is retiring from the ring with his final shows happening this Saturday and Sunday:
    • This is emotional week
    • This is my official goodbye to the pro wrestling Biz (in ring)
    • I finish my now 22 year journey with the 2 brothers who took me in 22 years ago in Barberton in a little dive bar called the Shamrock night club Josh E Robinson , Lamont Williams my brothers for life. I will be sharing some of my favorite moments of my career over the next week. Drew Jeffrey Andrew Taylor, from my start in UWC, CAPW, AIW, PWU, NWA to WWE / NXT and NJPW
    • From Akron Ohio to Japan to London to India to Puerto Rico to South Africa
    • From signing a @wwe contract homeless to being a part of a WrestleMania main event and main eventing SummerSlam

John Cena classic reportedly being targeted for the end of the year

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

A major new report has emerged on the possible timeline of the John Cena Classic.

Earlier this year at Backlash 2026, Cena returned and shared the announcement of the John Cena Classic, where wrestlers from both NXT and the main roster will compete for a title. The tournament is WWE’s newest addition and comes with a set of unique, new rules.

While Cena announced the concept at Backlash, there was no further information provided on the list of participants or the tournament’s start date. Now, according to a recent report by PWInsider, an estimated timeline has emerged.

As per the report, it was noted during today’s WWE Town Hall that the John Cena Classic is currently being targeted for the latter part of 2026. A person close to PWInsider claimed that the tournament is being targeted to take place by the end of the year.

John Cena comments on the upcoming John Cena Classic tournament

Recently, speaking to CBS Sports and SHAK Wrestling, Cena addressed the recent criticism surrounding the John Cena classic. He shared his belief that the tournament could become WWE’s version of the All-Star Game.

“I was there in the arena, the night rocked. It was great. The crowd was fantastic. Sure, the retirement match had a lot of buzz behind it, but they were on their feet for all the matches. So my brain started working, I’m like, ‘We should do something like this.’ I guess to sum it up in a sentence, I know I dropped a lot of information at Backlash, I think to sum it up in a sentence, it could be a version of WWE’s All-Star game.“

John Cena has ‘no-fall-downs’ policy in WWE retirement

Posted on by Joseph Currier

John Cena loves that he still gets to be part of WWE after retiring from the ring, but fans shouldn’t plan on ever seeing him take another wrestling bump again.

Cena has always maintained that his retirement would be legitimate and that no amount of money could lure him back for another match. That policy apparently extends to any kind of physicality, with Cena telling The Takedown on SI that there will be “no fall downs” from him in his new role.

“It’s great. Honestly, it’s great,” Cena responded when asked how retirement has been. “Physically, I feel great. Gosh, I love watching the product. You saw me, I was having a bunch of fun at WrestleMania. Really looking forward to the future and my future role in WWE. Very excited about the John Cena Classic.

“This was the confusing thing about retirement. First of all, I will stay retired — no fall downs. I will not do anything physical. But that doesn’t mean I’m away from WWE. I mean, anyone who knows me knows how passionate I am about not only the sports entertainment business but WWE as a brand. So it was simply a matter of like, ‘So where do I fit in now?’ And we’re still trying to find out those pieces, but I think we got a clear path.”

Now under WWE contract as an ambassador, Cena hosted both nights of WrestleMania 42, appeared at Backlash, and is part of the launch of the Club WWE fan membership program. He told The Takedown on SI that Nick Khan and Paul “Triple H” Levesque have been “very open-minded” as he figures out his post-retirement role. They have listened to Cena’s ideas and will tell him when something is good, bad, or needs tweaking.

Cena said — after a 4-5 month period of him coming up with the idea and Khan & Levesque digesting the information– they have been working out the details for the John Cena Classic for a couple of months now. It was announced during Cena’s appearance at Backlash, though there is not a date or location locked in yet. The show is an All-Star Game-type event that will pit main roster stars against talent from NXT. It has a fan-voting component where people will be able to vote for the John Cena Classic Champion at the end of the show. Losing their match does not disqualify a wrestler from being voted the champion.

At WrestleMania and Backlash, Cena wore a suit rather than his wrestling gear, which is another policy he has in retirement. He’s vowed to never wear his gear in the ring again.

Nic Nemeth reveals WWE contacted him for return multiple times before John Cena tournament 

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Nic Nemeth opened up about WWE reaching out to him for a return on numerous occasions before his participation in The Last Time Is Now Tournament. 

Nemeth told That Sweet Pop about his tenure on the independent circuit extending longer than he intended too. He discussed Matt Cardona’s quest focusing on a WWE return which eventually happened six years after his release. 

“Yeah, because there’s people out there like one of my best friends, Matt Cardona, he goes, ‘My goal is to be the best independent wrestler and get to WWE at some point.’ He said that for years and he accomplished that goal. My goal was I’ve been here for 19 and a half years. I overstayed my welcome by a few years, but that’s fine. I’m going elsewhere. I want to see if I was in this bubble with just this certain amount of talent or I’ve talked a lot over the years. Can I back it up in other places where I don’t know the opponents?” 

Nemeth stated he had no ill will towards WWE. He reflected positively on his time there and expressed gratitude for his learnings during his 19 year tenure. 

“And so they (WWE) let me out. I didn’t go ‘Oh, can I come back in two years?’ I go ‘Thank you for everything. This is the greatest job I’ve ever had. Not even close. So many moments. Thank you for this. Now I have to go somewhere else because I have to prove to myself that I don’t just fit in WWE that can adapt everywhere.’”

He revealed WWE reached out to him on several occasions for a comeback but the special request for The Last Time Is Now Tournament was unmissable. 

“They had asked me to come back a couple different times for some other things, and I was like ‘I don’t know. It’s been two years. I don’t really want to,’ and then they said, ‘This is for Cena.’ They said, ‘We’ve had a million matches together. Incredible guy. We’ve done so much. We have a story. We have a history, and I know all the good that he’s done.You could roll down a Santa Claus list of names of everything he’s done, what he’s done for us in the back, what he’s done to help out the guys and girls, what he’s done granting those wishes, everything else on the like, come on. He’s the greatest of all time. We get to call him that. And he’s earned so many things that you’ll probably never even hear about. So now come back for this tournament, ‘Yeah, hell yeah.’” 

On the November 17 edition of Raw in 2025, Nemeth returned to WWE for one match against Solo Sikoa – the first round of the tournament. The spectacle also led to Cardona’s full-time return to the main roster after feuding on TNA and NXT’s crossover matches. 

The tournament was designed to determine John Cena’s final WWE opponent in his retirement match. It featured a mix of former and current WWE wrestlers from the roster, including future prospects to compete on the main stage. 

https://twitter.com/BernardCls/status/1990802050519871664/video/1

John Cena compares ‘OVW Four’ to newer young talent in WWE

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

John Cena has opened up and compared the OVW Four to the younger talents in WWE.

In a recent interview with CBS Sports and SHAK Wrestling, Cena opened up on the concept of having new, younger champions in WWE. Bringing up the comparison with the iconic OVW Four, Cena shared how the new talents are going to get the spot after the veterans fade out.

The iconic OVW Four consisted of Cena, Randy Orton, Batista, and Brock Lesnar. “I don’t think one reason points in that direction. It could be someone like me who had an unprecedented stay of 23 years – keep in mind, that’s not the usual career length of a WWE Champion and Superstar. And alongside me, Randy Orton, side by side. Batista, a little bit of a shorter run, and Brock Lesnar in and out. But that class that you spoke of so highly, we had an anomaly of longevity and success, and that takes up time and spots,” he said.

“So now you’re talking about, as we wane out, certainly my chapter’s done, Batista’s chapter’s done, Brock – Randy’s kinda the only one left. Now, new performers are gonna get those spots, and those are going to go to the most seasoned performers that connect with the audience, and they just happen to be a little bit of the older scale. That doesn’t mean I don’t think we’re ruling out the possibility of a young champion in the very near future, because we are loaded with youth, speed, and talent,” Cena added.

Further speaking on the same topic, Cena also addressed his fandom for NXT’s latest addition, Mason Rook. “It’s no secret, I think, to those in the know that I chant with everybody else, ‘He’s big. He’s bad. He’ll bodyslam your dad.’ So if you don’t know who I’m talking about, I want you to go check that out. I’m a fan. – Cena is a fan of Mason Rook.“

Rook recently made his debut in WWE NXT following a career in the British independent scene and has already become a talking point on the roster.

John Cena thinks John Cena Classic ‘could be a version of WWE’s all-star game’

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

John Cena believes the new John Cena Classic could be a version of WWE’s All-Star Game.

At WWE Backlash 2026 in Tampa, Florida, Cena announced the brand new concept of the John Cena Classic, where both NXT and main-roster superstars will compete against each other for a championship. However, Cena also announced that, despite losing, a superstar could still win a title if the fans decide to vote for them and reward their hustle.

However, the concept also attracted a fair bit of criticism online, which Cena recently responded to. Speaking to CBS Sports and SHAK Wrestling, Cena said, “In a business where everybody says every story’s been told before, I want to swing for something new. Of course, I believe in sports entertainment meritocracy, and I believe that WWE is an excellent meritocracy.”

“Now, every statement I say, there’s gonna be multiple sides to that. People will have an opinion that agrees, people will have an opinion that disagrees, there might be apathy, and there might be some in the middle. So when I come up with an event that I’m like, ‘Okay, I wanna do what we did on Saturday Night’s Main Event,’ because I loved the environment around my retirement match.

“I was a small piece of that night. The larger scope, and in the media going into it, was, ‘Oh man, this is kind of a cool thing. Yes, the night could be all about John, but in essence, we’re getting to see John do his thing, but somebody’s gotta earn the right to face John, so that’s cool, you’ve gotta earn the respect to do it. And at the same time, we’re gonna get to see some new faces go against our familiar Superstars,'” Cena said.

He further opened up and shared his belief on seeing the John Cena Classic become WWE’s version of the All-Star Game. “I was there in the arena, the night rocked. It was great. The crowd was fantastic. Sure, the retirement match had a lot of buzz behind it, but they were on their feet for all the matches. So my brain started working, I’m like, ‘We should do something like this.’ I guess to sum it up in a sentence, I know I dropped a lot of information at Backlash, I think to sum it up in a sentence, it could be a version of WWE’s All-Star game.“

John Cena opens up further on the concept of the upcoming tournament

Despite no confirmed date or timeline for the John Cena Classic, the 17-time World Champion shared further insights on the tournament.

“It’s a night of exhibition, so we don’t really have to build any long lead stories into it. It is the current (stars) competing with – and that means they might be paired with, who knows, the bracketology is endless, they could be paired with, they could be up against – the future of the company, Superstars from NXT. This takes me back to 2002 when we had this young class in OVW. Brock was on a path of his own for sure, but I was sitting in OVW going, ‘How am I ever gonna get a chance?’ Because the roster was stacked,” said.

“You had guys like Kane, Triple H, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, and The Rock. And it’s like, ‘Man, I’m never gonna get a chance.’ I felt like that. Sometimes I know how these NXT talents might feel. They’ve been down there for a year, two years, three years – ‘When am I gonna get my chance?’ Well for one night, if you can come up, drop your business card, see what happens, show the world what you have. And on top of it, if you steal the show, and maybe you’re not lucky enough to get the 1-2-3 and get your hand raised, every participant qualifies for kind of fan All-Star vote. So you could be recognized as the night’s champion.”

Responding to the criticism of the lack of the win-loss concept, Cena said, “Now, I’ve heard the perspective of, ‘Wins and losses don’t matter.’ That’s a very valid point. I love listening to feedback. We’ve gotta figure out the fan votes; there’s still a lot to be done. But you can vote for the winners. You just can also vote for everybody. And that’s a first-time.”

The veteran believes this is history being made and wants to give a chance to the NXT wrestlers against the WWE wrestlers in exhibition matches that are just a standalone part of the event.

“And that’s gonna come with praise, it’s also gonna come with critique. And as one of the most polarizing figures in WWE over the past 23 years, it wouldn’t be normal if there wasn’t folks that were cheering and folks that weren’t.”

John Cena admits WWE John Cena Classic still ‘a work in progress’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

John Cena is “fully invested” in WWE’s John Cena Classic, while admitting that the event is still a work in progress.

At Backlash, Cena announced that WWE will hold a show, named after him, where main roster talent will face off against wrestlers from NXT. A fan vote will be held to determine the John Cena Classic Champion, with fans able to vote for whomever impressed them most — even if that person lost their match.

Cena spoke with Adam’s Apple following Backlash and said he’s “super excited” about this idea. He’s looking forward to seeing how everything comes together. Locking in a date and location is the first step in that process.

“Oh my God, I’m super excited. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time,” Cena said. “And, again, we’re still working things out. And I like that, I like that it’s a work in progress. But this is absolutely from me. I can’t tell you how excited I am about it. I am fully invested in this. I can’t wait to see what it is. I can’t wait until we announce the date and location. That’s obviously step one, and we’ll go from there.”

When asked if there are any participants he has on his radar, Cena said he’s trying to shut his radar off and see what everyone can do, because wrestlers like himself, CM Punk, Seth Rollins, and Becky Lynch once weren’t obvious choices to reach the level of stardom they ultimately achieved.

WrestleVotes reported today that Netflix is interested in streaming the John Cena Classic, but there are no concrete plans yet for when and where it will take place.

Cena retired from active competition in December 2025 but still maintains a presence in WWE as an ambassador. He hosted both nights of WrestleMania 42 last month before appearing again at Backlash. Along with that, he’s been involved with the upcoming launch of the Club WWE membership program. There’s no word yet if Club WWE will have any tie-in with the John Cena Classic.

Update on WWE’s plans for John Cena Classic

Posted on by Ian Carey

New details regarding WWE’s plans for the John Cena Classic have emerged.

On Thursday, WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select reported that while no date or venue is currently planned for the show, one source reportedly said holding the event in early December would make “logistical sense” for WWE’s schedule and would also coincide with the one-year anniversary of Cena’s final match against Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

The report also notes that a source at Netflix expressed interest in the event streaming on its platform, but nothing has been determined.

John Cena announces the John Cena Classic

Cena first announced the John Cena Classic at WWE Backlash in Tampa. He said the event would be similar in format to the December 13, 2025 edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event, which featured his final match against Gunther. The undercard that night featured main roster stars against NXT wrestlers.

Cena said the John Cena Classic would also involve a fan vote aspect, with fans voting on the winner of the event regardless of whether or not that wrestler won their match.

Three Big Issues With The John Cena Classic/Cena’s Brawl For All | Opinion

Posted on by Jeff Moss

At Backlash this past weekend, we were told that John Cena would make an announcement that would that would shake the “foundation” of WWE. What we got was more like a powerpoint presentation to a shareholders meeting. 

To bring you up to speed, The John Cena Classic will be an event that features matches that showcase up and coming NXT talent in the ring against WWE Main Roster talent, competing for the ridiculously named John Cena Championship. If it sounds like an interesting idea, it gets worse. The fans will vote to see who wins the title based on performance, not who wins or loses. 

I survived living through the Brawl-For-All in the year of our Lord 1998 and I don’t think I’ve seen an idea more poorly thought out until now. I’m sure there are those that would jump at the chance to directly influence outcomes in WWE (The Road Dogg comes to mind) but there are some glaring issues with this concept that are simply just bad ideas for both talent and the audience. 

There Are Too Many Unanswered Questions

One of the things I’ve had the pleasure of doing over the last two years here at F4W is covering Ring of Honor. Every week, there are some really killer matches from a really good roster that largely flies under the radar because it lacks one simple thing that would put it into an NXT or TNA level: there’s virtually no stories. 

The John Cena Classic is reminding me of that. Granted, we don’t know when this thing is happening or who will be participating in it, but as it stands now there is zero actual reason behind it. It’s just a thing that’s happening that has Cena’s name on it. Which begs the question, why are we doing this? 

What does the “Champion” of this Classic get aside from another belt that everyone will forget about in a month? Will they defend it? How are the matchups determined? Is it a dedicated PLE or will it happen across TV shows? Live? Taped? Are we on the precipice of another Cruiserweight Title/205 Live, 24/7 or SPEED situation? 

In his announcement, Cena stated that the intent was to showcase new and up and coming talent, but if they are being put in the ring with Main Roster talent who are arguably supposed to be at a higher level than them, what reason do I have to watch? To see someone maybe win a match, but then actually lose it because the fans didn’t like their trunks? 

Lance Storm Is Right

When it comes to said Main Roster talent, Lance Storm made an excellent point on this week’s Wrestling Observer Live, saying “If I’m a $500,000 main roster talent and I’m in there with a $75,000 a year NXT guy, why would I use my skill and my experience to make him look good? If he wins the popularity contest and wins and gets the push to the championship, I could lose my job.” 

This absolutely makes sense and puts WWE talent in awkward positions where they are being asked to choose between protecting themselves, and their value as Independent Contractors, or putting over a newer talent. Given the amount of unguaranteed contracts and talent in WWE right now it seems entirely unnecessary to put anyone in a position to willfully lower their perceived value

Plus, as Storm points out “There is going to be a TKO executive saying, ‘well why are we paying this guy that lost the fan vote and is less over than this NXT guy that works for way less money?’”

What is a WWE Talent to do? Refuse to lose and be branded as “difficult?” Or be a team player and put over someone who may not be ready and could potentially replace them? When put in that context, this seems way less like a wrestling event and way more like middle management trying to see who’s a team player. 

Hot Take: I Blame TKO

It’s obvious to anyone watching WWE right now that the TKO corporate entity is what’s driving everything happening in WWE. This is, I suppose, inevitable in our megacorp-driven society. But what makes the proposed The John Cena Classic different is that it  feels like one thing to me: It feels like TKO is saying to WWE fans “you know wins and losses don’t matter because it’s not real, right?” 

TKO is removing all the fun of watching and following wrestling, squandering an opportunity to let WWE potentially make some new stars and doing it under the guise of “putting it in the fan’s hands” in a convoluted manner that says to this fan “fine, how about you decide who wins because it’s all pretend anyways.” Can you imagine them ever taking this kind of attitude with a UFC event? 

Wrestling at its best makes the viewer suspend their disbelief without even realizing they are doing it. When the incredible performers that make up the business can achieve that, wins and losses do very much matter. As a viewer, I would be completely disappointed if I watched a barnburner of a match, but then “the internet” decided someone else won.. 

It’d be like watching the Daytona 500, but in the middle of the winner’s celebration, someone stepped onto the stage and said the person who crashed out on the 30th lap actually won because their crash was more spectacular. 

I would absolutely love a John Cena Classic tournament that was heavily promoted, featured exciting matchups and told a story about what Cena embodies; working hard and not giving up. Unfortunately, his Classic as it stands now doesn’t really feel like it’s about either. 

Jeff Jarrett reveals his issues with John Cena Classic concept

Posted on by Jake Skudder

Former WCW, TNA and current AEW name Jeff Jarrett recently discussed his issues with the new John Cena Classic format, saying that he is a massive fan of Cena as a performer but there are glaring problems with the new concept itse

In comments that were somewhat echoed by Lance Storm earlier this week, Jarrett would note on his My World podcast that the suspension of disbelief needed when watching pro wrestling will become an issue when wins and losses don’t inherently matter. Which is in part of what this new format will entail due to the social voting element determining the “champion.”

Jeff Jarrett on John Cena Classic

“I get it from a business perspective. It’s the funnel to get people engaged and there’s going to be an X poll, there’s going to be a TikTok poll, they’re going to be on every social media platform. There’s going to be all kinds of social custom content and, I don’t know if they announced the sponsor for this, but that’s probably going to be one of John’s VO accounts that he has,” Jarrett would begin.

“But from the storytelling component of this, you can become champion and you don’t have to win your matches…we may be all kind of overthinking this, and it is what it is, because the whole world knows we’re scripted entertainment, but we at least want to get lost in the story, someone trying to WIN the title. It takes that component out, the suspension of disbelief, what matters in our world, as we’re watching this two hour or three hour episode or three hour premium live event. [If we don’t need to] get immersed in the story, why do we care when a hip toss happens or a false finish happens or there’s a spectacular move off the top rope?”

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