Add as a preferred source on Google The John Cena Classic, billed as one of WWE‘s major new projects, already has an internal target window for when it will actually happen.
According to PWInsider, the company’s current plan is to hold the first edition in the final months of 2026. As of now, though, no date or city has been officially confirmed.
Cena unveiled the project during Backlash on May 9 in Tampa, Florida. The event will pit main roster talent against NXT stars and will introduce the John Cena Classic Championship.
The most unusual wrinkle in the format: the champion won’t necessarily be decided by match results. Every participant will be up for a fan vote, meaning even a wrestler who loses could still walk away with the title.
Cena has explained that he sees the event as a kind of WWE All-Star Game, with exhibition-style matches pitting the present against the future of the company. The plan is also to turn the John Cena Classic into an annual tradition.
The current plan for the ‘John Cena Classic’ Tournament is to stage it towards the end of 2026.
— PW Chronicle (@_PWChronicle) July 13, 2026
– per @PWInsidercom pic.twitter.com/cWxkkjhv3x
Plenty of details are still being ironed out, though, including the tournament’s structure, the matchups and the voting system itself. Cena has voiced concern about fake accounts and bots potentially interfering with the fan vote.
Netflix, for its part, showed almost immediate interest in broadcasting the event. At the time, WWE still hadn’t locked down a venue or a specific date.
The idea came together after Cena’s final match in December 2025, when that edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event also made room for names like Sol Ruca, Je’Von Evans and Oba Femi.