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More Details on the John Cena Classic

The John Cena Classic was announced at WWE Backlash, but when can we expect to see it?
Matt Black|
John Cena
John Cena | WWE

The John Cena Classic is coming to WWE later this year.

In the weeks leading up to WWE Backlash, John Cena was teasing a "history-making" announcement that would "shock the very foundation of WWE." While many fans chalked this up to an announcement regarding Club WWE, Cena had an ace up his sleeve to announce something that no one could have possibly expected: The John Cena Classic.

Prior to the main event of Backlash, Cena addressed the WWE Universe and announced the event, which would pit the stars of NXT against the stars of Raw and SmackDown. While the tournament winner will be rewarded with a new championship title, the Vince Russo-like swerve is that they won't even need to win their match, as the winner will be decided by the fans.

The John Cena Classic is still a work in progress

If you thought the details and explanation behind this event sounded incomplete, you're not alone. More details behind the John Cena Classic were revealed on WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select, noting that, as of this week, no date or venue has been locked down for this upcoming event.

However, one source told WrestleVotes that a December date for the event would make the most logistical sense for WWE's calendar and would also allow the company to coincide the event with the one-year anniversary of Cena's in-ring retirement.

Despite what Cena said at Backlash, very little of the event's concept has been 100% locked in yet. And while Netflix has reportedly already expressed interest in hosting the event on its streaming platform, that has yet to be finalized.

John Cena
John Cena | WWE

Is the John Cena Classic just a popularity contest?

If the John Cena Classic concept takes place exactly how Cena described it, is this event anything more than a popularity contest in the eyes of the WWE Universe? If wins and losses don't matter, what's the point of having this event to begin with? Let alone the "winner" of the Classic being awarded a championship.

If this is the direction for the event, a December date would be greatly beneficial to the NXT brand, as that roster has been essentially gutted over the last several months. Shawn Michaels is now tasked with getting multiple men and women to a point where they can believably compete with the current stars of Raw and SmackDown, while having enough support behind them to receive votes from fans.

If Michaels is unable to make new top stars out of the NXT roster in time for December, perhaps a tournament that pits the stars of tomorrow against the stars of today won't necessarily be that intriguing at all.

We'll find out soon enough.

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Published
Matt Black
MATT BLACK

Matt Black got involved in the wrestling media industry over two decades ago, covering WWE video games released by Acclaim, THQ, and 2K. He has been covering professional wrestling for multiple digital outlets since 2019. He is the former Senior Editor of WrestleZone and has extensive knowledge of the entire wrestling industry. In his spare time, Matt enjoys cheering for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Los Angeles Lakers. He's also a diehard comic book movie fan and doesn't pick sides when it comes to the endless debates of Marvel versus DC.

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