John Cena made an appearance at WWE Backlash 2026 to unveil a brand-new WWE project centered around the next generation of talent.
During the segment, Cena officially announced the creation of the “John Cena Classic,” a new WWE event that will feature crossover matches between WWE main roster stars and talent from WWE NXT.
The WWE legend reflected on his retirement match against GUNTHER at Saturday Night’s Main Event back in December and specifically pointed to Oba Femi’s breakout appearance on the same show as inspiration for the concept. Cena praised Femi’s rise over the past several months, noting that the powerhouse has since become one of the top stars on Raw and famously retired Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 42.
According to Cena, the goal of the John Cena Classic is to continue giving younger talent major opportunities on a big stage while allowing established WWE stars to help elevate the next wave of performers.
Cena also announced that the event will introduce a brand-new championship with a unique twist attached to it.
In one of the more surprising details of the announcement, Cena stated that fans will have direct input in determining the champion regardless of the actual in-ring result. He explained that the WWE Universe will be able to vote on who becomes champion, meaning a wrestler could potentially lose their match and still walk away with the title.
While Cena shared the overall concept for the event and championship, he did not reveal additional details about how the voting system will work. WWE also did not unveil the championship belt itself during the segment.
No official date for the inaugural John Cena Classic was announced at Backlash.
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