According to Joey Votes of WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select, John Cena has been directly involved in deciding who will compete in the John Cena Classic. The event is set for December 14 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
“Additionally, we’ve learned that Cena himself has had direct input on the participants with the company presenting him ideas throughout the process,” the report stated.
Speaking to The Takedown on SI in an interview published on Monday, Cena explained why he invited Cody Rhodes and Zilla Fatu first and also discussed the NXT talent who received an invite.
“Some of the folks we invited are three, four years in the NXT system, and they’re finally getting a shot,” Cena said.
WrestleVotes added that WWE has internally discussed the idea of including multi-person matches, allowing more talent to be featured on the show. Cena has said that the John Cena Classic will not be a traditional tournament.
WrestleVotes also said that WWE is currently setting up separate travel for some of the talent and production crew who will work Wrestlepalooza on December 12 in Perth, Australia. They will then return to the U.S. for the John Cena Classic two days later. The John Cena Classic will be the second episode of Raw on December 14 because the first one will be held in Perth.
As of now, Cena has invited five wrestlers in Rhodes, Fatu, Noam Dar, Romeo Moreno, and NXT Women’s Champion Kelani Jordan. While Rhodes is the only one from the main roster, Cena has said every match will pit main roster stars against NXT talent.
Cena, who has said more participants will be revealed during his upcoming appearances, is set to appear on tonight’s SmackDown in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at 8 p.m. ET on USA Network. He’s also scheduled for Monday’s Raw in Raleigh, North Carolina, before Survivor Series: WarGames on November 28 in Houston.