Randy Orton expected to miss upcoming events; John Cena Classic trialled; Rhea Ripley set to travel to Australia
Backstage developments involving Randy Orton, John Cena, Rhea Ripley and other WWE talents emerged after Crown Jewel 2026 in Riyadh, according to reports published on November 10, 2026. The updates cover Orton’s anticipated absence, the trial phase for the John Cena Classic tournament, Ripley’s possible travel to WrestlePalooza and creative plans for Tiffany Stratton.
John Cena told Sports Illustrated he pitched the John Cena Classic to Paul “Triple H” Levesque and Nick Khan as an experiment and that the concept must earn its place with fans. He said: “I gotta thank Paul Levesque, and I gotta thank Nick Khan for being like, ‘Yeah, man, we’ll try it. So, what do we got to lose? We’ll try it, and if it stinks, like, whatever. We don’t have to do it again next year.” The event will stage exhibition matches pitting WWE main roster stars against rising NXT talent, with confirmed participants including Cody Rhodes and Zilla Fatu, and members of the Club WWE subscription service voting on top performers in an American Idol-style format. The top-voted male and female competitors will each receive a John Cena Classic Championship, meaning a wrestler could lose their match and still win the title.
Reports indicate Randy Orton is expected to be absent from television until after the holidays following his Last Man Standing defeat to Cody Rhodes at Crown Jewel, when Rhodes put The Viper down with a punt kick and Orton could not answer the referee’s ten-count. Fightful reported Orton is not expected to return until after the holiday season, and WrestleVotes reportedly responded to a fan by saying: “Randy will be back after the holidays. He will miss Survivor Series and WrestlePalooza.” Orton has not announced a specific return date but addressed fans after the loss, assuring them that he would return sooner or later.
Rhea Ripley has been sidelined since undergoing surgery for a torn meniscus in August, and Cageside reports she is currently expected to travel with WWE to Australia for WrestlePalooza in December. Cageside wrote: “Rhea Ripley — all signs indicate she’s part of the traveling roster to WrestlePalooza. Couldn’t tell you if she will get cleared in time. All we know is she’s getting on a plane and getting to Australia. She’s scheduled to travel.” Ripley was previously seen using crutches and wearing a knee brace after surgery, though footage of her walking without the brace in September raised hopes; her medical clearance to wrestle by the event remains uncertain.
Tiffany Stratton’s Money in the Bank cash-in at Crown Jewel — executed moments after Chelsea Green defeated Liv Morgan to win the Women’s Crown Jewel Championship — resulted in Stratton defeating Green to capture the WWE Women’s Championship and generated substantial negative reaction online. Reports state WWE intended the moment to signal a character shift back toward a heel turn for Stratton, and WrestleVotes wrote: “That’s the direction they wanted to go down once again — make Tiffany Stratton a heel and see if it works better than this babyface run.” The company appears willing to tolerate fan backlash as part of that creative direction.
Mike Johnson of PWInsider outlined the roster’s travel arrangements around Crown Jewel, saying most performers flew to Bahrain before the show and then completed a five-to-six-hour bus journey to Riyadh, while some travelled directly to the Saudi capital on private aircraft. Johnson reported the roster flew out of King Khalid International Airport after Crown Jewel, travelling from Riyadh to Bahrain and then onward to Greenville, South Carolina, where they arrived on Sunday afternoon. The quick departures meant the majority of the roster was already out of Saudi Arabia when a missile attack was reported in Riyadh on November 8; some production personnel reportedly remained to dismantle the arena and equipment, and there were no reports of WWE personnel being affected.
Survivor Series: WarGames is scheduled for November 28 at Daikin Park in Houston, while WrestlePalooza is set for December 12 in Perth, Australia; reports suggest Orton will miss both events and that Ripley is scheduled to travel with WWE to Australia on December 12 but may not be medically cleared to wrestle. WWE has not officially confirmed Orton’s return timeline or Ripley’s clearance status.