John Cena has been absent from WWE television since making the mega announcement about the tournament named after him, the John Cena Classic. He made the announcement at the Backlash pay-per-view, which took place in May. Cena was expected to make another appearance soon after Backlash, but he and WWE have stayed silent on it. The 17-time world champion has finally provided an update on the tournament and hinted that the tournament will be held towards the end of the year.
“I gotta withhold the updates. What I can tell you is we are working forward, and I cannot tell you how excited I am about it. The event, what it stands for — I wanna do something great for WWE fans toward the end of the calendar year,” Cena told ExtraTV at the San Diego Comic Con.
“Man, I wish I could give you spoilers but I gotta be loyal to my company. What I can tell you is we’re working on it, and I am gonna give you my absolute best. If an event is gonna wear my name, especially in the WWE realm, I’m always giving my best to WWE, the Classic would be no less,” he added.
A championship belt will be awarded to the winner. The public votes will decide the winner of the tournament, which is likely to start at the end of the year.
John Cena has now retired
John Cena ended his WWE in-ring career in December 2025. The WWE legend lost to Gunther in his last match at the December 11th Saturday Night’s Main Event. Cena had a complete farewell tour, which started at Royal Rumble 2025.
After failing to win the Rumble, Cena won the Elimination Chamber match to earn the main event of Wrestlemania 41. He defeated Cody Rhodes at Wrestlemania to become a 17-time world champion. He dropped the title back to Cody at SummerSlam.
Cena became a grand slam champion with a win over Dominik Mysterio in November 2025. He dropped the Intercontinental Championship back to Dominik at the Survivor Series. For the first time in two decades, Cena lost via submission in his last match.
