John Cena Classic set for Dec. 14, 2026 at ESPN Wide World of Sports; Cody Rhodes confirmed

John Cena announced the John Cena Classic during his return on the November 2 edition of Raw, stating the tournament will be held on December 14, 2026 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Disney World, Orlando, Florida. He unveiled the championship belt for the event and said fan voting via Club WWE will factor into the outcome.

WWE will air two episodes of Monday Night Raw on December 14, beginning with a show from Perth, Australia and followed by a second live episode from Orlando where the John Cena Classic will take place. Cena presented the tournament title, which is designed after his spinner WWE Title, and explained that Club WWE subscribers will be able to vote. The event will not use a conventional bracket or elimination format.

Instead of elimination rounds, every match will pit a WWE main roster Superstar against an NXT Superstar in a single exhibition bout. Each competitor will take part in just one match, and a victory in that exhibition will not automatically decide the overall champion. The format places the ultimate decision in the hands of the voting mechanism rather than match results alone.

The winners will be chosen by fans: final selections will be made through voting exclusively open to Club WWE members. After the exhibition matches conclude, Club WWE subscribers will receive the opportunity to cast votes during a commercial break. The tournament will produce two separate champions, one from the men’s division and one from the women’s division.

For participants, Cena has been inviting names from both the main roster and WWE’s developmental brand, and he will personally select some entrants. Cody Rhodes has been announced as the first confirmed participant. The publisher has stated the participant list will be updated as further names are revealed.

For ongoing coverage and participant announcements, readers are directed to follow Khel Now Wrestling on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App, or join the outlet’s Telegram and Whatsapp communities.

The John Cena Classic is scheduled for December 14, 2026 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, and Khel Now will update its participant list as additional competitors are announced.