WWE’s Backlash 2026 PPV is officially in the books, and it is a very mixed show. There were some good moments, but others that were extremely questionable. One of those moments was this special announcement that was made by WWE Legend, John Cena. What was this announcement? Well, it was the beginning of a new tournament called the John Cena Classic.
What Is The John Cena Classic?
The John Cena Classic is a tournament that focuses on “the best of today vs the best of tomorrow”. Basically, the focus is on NXT talent taking on main roster talent. This clearly was a Cena idea, as his last match ever on Saturday Night Main Event had a similar philosophy. The focus was on the future, which is why a lot of NXT talent was featured on that show to face current stars. That’s how a lot of fans got to first see superstars like Oba Femi, Sol Ruca, Zaria, Leon Slater, and Je’Von Evans.
While not confirmed, it sounds like it will be a tournament-style show. The winner gets a John Cena-branded championship. Many fans have been questioning why another belt has been added in WWE, as there are way too many belts in the promotion. This Cena championship likely will be to similar standards as the Greatest Royal Rumble Championship Braun Strowman won at the first ever Saudi Arabia PPV. As a consolation prize, it was never defended. Also, too many belts in a wrestling company is an industry problem that is an epidemic.
Here Is Where Things Get Dumb
This idea of the John Cena Classic on paper sounds like a great idea, until Cena went further in his description of the classic. Apparently, the match results are determined by WWE fans, not in-ring results. How does that make any sense whatsoever? A wrestler can lose their match and still be voted champion, which screams wins and losses don’t matter. What is this, a participation trophy award? What are the stakes involved here, because this feels like a meaningless tournament that TKO can do to cash grab off of John Cena’s name?
How is the WWE gonna calculate who won the match? Is it sort of like how the calculation on those old Cyber Sunday PPVs went? That whole PPV idea did not even work. Why are they trying this fan voting again? WWE claims those votes on Cyber Sunday were legitimate, but that is a full-blown lie. WWE clearly altered the voting to get what they want story-wise. Nobody is going to trust WWE that these votes are going to be legit.
It Gets Worse, Apparently The Classic Is Still A Work In Progress
What makes this even more bizarre is that the John Cena Classic Is Still In development as a “work in progress”. Heck, Founder of the Wrestler Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer, even confirmed this by saying the following.
“Regarding the details of the John Cena Invitational, we were just told today that this is a work in progress. They wanted to make the announcement but as far as what it is, that is not decided so any speculation of tournament vs. individual matches or how the champions will be set up is just speculation.”
Why the heck would WWE make an announcement of this without confirming what the details of the John Cena Classic are? Announcing a match or event with it still being a work in progress is just a bad idea. Hopefully this one won’t blow up in their face after the Travis Scott and Pat McAfee disasters.
WWE Better Have A Firm Plan Here
Look, one of the most underrated parts about pro wrestling is tournaments. A lot of these tournaments are memorable, including NJPW’s G1 Climax, AEW’s Owen Hart Cup, WWE’s King/Queen Of The Ring, etc. When it comes to the John Cena Classic, it’s a mixed bag after the announcement. The Classic feels rushed, and WWE better know what the heck they’re doing with this. Especially paying tribute to one of the greatest wrestlers in WWE History.
