John Cena Classic still work in progress, despite announcement at WWE Backlash 2026 - Report

John Cena revealed his major announcement last week.

The 17-time WWE World Champion John Cena made his first appearance since WrestleMania 42 in Tampa, Florida, during the 2026 edition of WWE Backlash at the Benchmark Arena last Saturday.

For his appearance at Backlash, Cena had teased a massive announcement, stating, “shake the very foundation of WWE, from its fans to its superstars, to Champions, down to its rookies…” As promised, the 17-time World Champion then revealed the highly teased announcement.

The tournament will be a fan-driven affair

Cena announced a new tournament called the ‘John Cena Classic.’ “The best of today competing with the best of tomorrow, in the hopes of being crowned a Champion.“

He also added that the WWE Universe’s voice will be heard louder than ever as the fans will vote to crown the Champion of the ‘John Cena classic’. Every participant who qualifies may not win the match, but the fans can still crown them Champion. 

After the announcement at Backlash, Cena took to his social media on Sunday to further explain his thoughts on the tournament.

“When asked to give advice, especially with WWE, I often reply ‘be authentic’, ‘do not fear failure’, ‘know your why,’ The John Cena Classic may not be perfect by any means yet it’s authentically me (I am not perfect either) and reflects my values and beliefs. I’m aware that there is the risk it might be a total failure and I’m not afraid of that and believe it’s still worth stepping ‘in the arena.‘

Cena further stated that he aimed to contribute as much as possible by opening up new opportunities for NXT talents.

My ‘why’ in WWE is to consistently be as useful as possible for as long as possible, with my in ring career at an end, my ‘why’ is to use whatever energy or relevance I have left in hopes to create a launchpad of opportunity for all talent to show their skills while simultaneously creating a unique experience for our dedicated fan base.

At the very least..we all learn something. At the very best..we all create something. I’m ready for wherever the road takes us. Thank you WWE for this opportunity. More details to come as we figure all this out!”

Now, a new report from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer has shed more light on the announcement and WWE’s plans.

The tournament is still a work in progress

According to Metlzer, the John Cena Classic remains a work in progress, as WWE wanted to announce the tournament despite not yet finalizing its exact format.

“Regarding the details of the John Cena Invitational, we were just told today that this is a work in progress. They wanted to make the announcement but as far as what it is, that is not decided so any speculation of tournament vs. individual matches or how the champions will be set up is just speculation.”

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