John Cena has revealed the date, location, and first confirmed participant for the inaugural John Cena Classic, and unveiled a new WWE championship that will be awarded to the tournament’s winner.
The 17-time World Champion returned to WWE Raw on November 2, 2026, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, to provide further information about the competition, which was originally announced at Backlash in May.
John Cena confirmed that the John Cena Classic will take place on December 14, 2026, at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, as part of a special edition of Raw. The announcement means WWE will air two episodes of Raw that day, with another show scheduled earlier in Perth, Australia.
Although Cena confirmed Walt Disney World as the location, he did not specify which venue within the resort would host the event. The tournament will bring together established WWE main roster stars and emerging NXT talent, giving younger competitors a chance to face some of the company’s biggest names.
Cena also confirmed that Cody Rhodes will be the first official participant, with further announcements expected in the coming weeks.
John Cena Unveils New WWE Championship And Confirms Cody Rhodes
One of the biggest revelations during John Cena’s appearance was the introduction of the WWE John Cena Championship, a brand-new title created specifically for the tournament. Cena unveiled the championship belt in the ring, revealing a design reminiscent of his iconic spinner championship from earlier in his WWE career.
Although the new belt does not feature a spinning centrepiece, its overall structure draws inspiration from Cena’s previous championship design. The winner of the John Cena Classic will receive the title, although WWE has not yet clarified whether the championship will be defended beyond the inaugural competition.
Cena also said Club WWE subscribers could influence the tournament through voting. The involvement of fans was initially mentioned when Cena announced the competition at Backlash, although the precise voting process has yet to be explained.
With Rhodes confirmed as the first entrant, Cena revealed that he would appear on this week’s episode of WWE NXT to announce which developmental talents would participate. Additional main roster competitors will also be revealed in the coming weeks, including during Cena’s scheduled appearance at Survivor Series: WarGames in Houston, Texas, on November 28.
After the announcement, Rhodes entered the ring to join Cena, but Randy Orton interrupted. Orton confronted Rhodes ahead of their Last Man Standing match at Crown Jewel on Saturday, November 7, warning his opponent about the physical consequences of their upcoming encounter.
