|

John Cena Confirms The John Cena Classic To Take Place In December

ByRebecca Collier
img 0542

John Cena has cleared some of the uncertainty around the unique tournament.

Following his retirement at the end of 2025, John Cena has remained involved with WWE in various roles “The Leader Of The Cenation” was the host of this year’s WrestleMania, continues to speak glowing of his time in the ring, and appears when needed for the company. At Backlash 2026, the star announced the upcoming John Cena Classic tournament, leaving fans speculating on when it will occur. After rumours indicated it would be towards the end of the year, it seems that it is officially set for December.

Speaking on The Today Show, Cena gave a summary of the brand-new WWE concept while confirming it’ll happen in December.

“Now this year in December, I’m really excited about announcing the John Cena Classic. We’re gonna do an event based off all the memory, all the nostalgia, and the IP and the core values of the character, which is me. Hustle, loyalty, respect, perseverance, virtue, overcoming the odds, and giving the vote to the people. Our audience is gonna decide our champion that night, so it’s a really unique live event. I don’t even know if it’s gonna work. I’m still taking bold chances in the WWE space, and I’m proud to be helping the John Cena Classic.”

-John Cena

The final match of his career saw him tap out to GUNTHER on a show featuring names from NXT in prominent matches last December. While we didn’t know it then, Cena wanting to showcase younger talent on his retirement show set the tone for what he wants to do with the John Cena Classic.

The 49-year-old is a 17-time world champion in WWE, a record for the company. Cena is also a Grand Slam Champion, having won the World, Intercontinental, United States, and Tag Team Championships across his run.

For more WWE news, you can click here.

As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on the John Cena Classic as soon as we hear more.

If you use the quote above, please credit the original source with a h/t and link back to WrestlePurists.com for the transcription.