John Cena announces John Cena Classic for Dec. 14 at ESPN Wide World of Sports; Cody Rhodes first entrant

John Cena returned on the November 2 edition of WWE Raw in Brooklyn and announced the John Cena Classic will take place on December 14 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. He also revealed broadcast plans for Raw that night and confirmed the first participant in the tournament.

The appearance was his first return since Backlash 2026 in Tampa, where he initially unveiled the tournament. During the Raw segment Cena introduced the championship that the tournament winner will receive, saying the title is designed after his iconic spinner WWE Title, and he confirmed that fan voting will play a role via Club WWE.

Cena said he will personally select some of the competitors for the John Cena Classic and announced former Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes as the first confirmed entrant. He added that he will scout additional tournament participants during his appearance on this Wednesday night’s NXT.

He outlined the December 14 broadcast schedule, stating WWE will air an episode of Monday Night Raw from Perth, Australia, followed by a second live episode from Orlando later that evening where the tournament will take place. According to a WWE social media post, the event will be held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex within Disney World.

Cena also confirmed he will appear at Survivor Series: WarGames, which is set for November 28 in Houston, Texas, and said he will visit additional Raw and SmackDown events as part of assembling the tournament field. He repeated his intent to ensure the John Cena Classic features a stacked roster.

The next confirmed dates from Cena’s announcements are Survivor Series: WarGames on November 28 in Houston and the John Cena Classic on December 14 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, with Raw scheduled from Perth, Australia earlier the same day and the live Orlando episode to host the tournament.