The long-discussed John Cena Classic now has a date and a few more details. Cena announced the plans during Monday Night Raw in Brooklyn, saying the event will take place during a special two-part episode on Dec. 14.
While some WWE wrestlers will be in Perth, Australia, competitors in the Classic will meet at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World. They’ll be competing for a new championship.
Cena said the event reflects the values he has tried to represent throughout his career, including perseverance, hard work, loyalty and respect. He also revealed the first person invited to take part: Cody Rhodes.
The two were rivals for much of 2025. Cena beat Rhodes at WrestleMania 41 to win a record 17th world title, but Rhodes reclaimed the championship later that year at SummerSlam.
During the announcement, Cena told Rhodes he had been wrong to doubt whether Rhodes could handle the pressure of being WWE’s top star. Rhodes, he said, was doing a better job of it than Cena ever could. Cena then formally invited him to the Classic, saying the event represented what Rhodes stood for.
Cena is expected to appear on Monday Night Raw, NXT, Friday Night SmackDown and Survivor Series: WarGames to announce additional participants.
The event’s format hasn’t been explained yet. Cena did say that people who have signed up for Club WWE will have a say in how it unfolds.
He first announced the Classic at Backlash in May, describing a competition featuring wrestlers from WWE’s top brands. At the time, he said fans would vote on the champion, and that a wrestler who lost an individual match could still go on to win the overall event.
More information is expected in the coming weeks. Cena has previously summed up the concept as WWE’s version of an All-Star Game.
