During Saturday night’s WWE Backlash event in Tampa, pro wrestling legend John Cena made a historic announcement about a brand-new event he’s sponsoring.
The John Cena Classic will pit the best WWE wrestlers against the best NXT wrestlers, per Cena, in a battle of present and future. Cena said he’ll be heavily involved in the new event and added that the new event will have a unique twist. WWE fans will get to vote on who gets crowned champion of the John Cena Classic.
That last bit drew roars from the crowd, who will now get to play a huge role in determining a WWE champion. Cena even revealed that the John Cena Classic champion doesn’t even need to win their match to be crowned champion; he said the audience would determine which wrestler they deemed most worthy for their effort in the ring.
.@JohnCena just announced the John Cena Classic! 👏
Stream WWE Backlash LIVE RIGHT NOW on the @espn App with ESPN Unlimited!
▶️ https://t.co/kzS0cxoAzDpic.twitter.com/4z08kgZmPm
— WWE (@WWE) May 10, 2026
Obviously, this is a huge deal for WWE fans, who now get to play an active role in determining a champion in an event that bears the name of one of the sport’s biggest legends. How’s that for a reveal?
This article originally appeared on For The Win: What is the John Cena Classic? Historic WWE event revealed with fan vote