John Cena kicked off WWE SmackDown on November 13, 2026 with a major announcement about the upcoming John Cena Classic. However, things got personal when he invited Charlotte Flair to the ring and revealed that he wants her to be the one who breaks his record of 17 world championships.
Cena started by discussing the December 14 John Cena Classic in Orlando, Florida. He explained that the event will feature a record number of NXT stars making their RAW debuts against established WWE talent, with championship opportunities on the line. He then announced Charlotte Flair as the next participant.
Charlotte thanked Cena and opened up about a difficult period in her career. She revealed that after WrestleMania 41, she was struggling with her confidence and even questioned whether she wanted to continue wrestling. During a backstage conversation, Cena asked her what happened in Chicago, and she admitted that she had failed. Charlotte explained that Cena gave her advice that changed how she approached her career.
“Stop trying to be perfect and own who you are.”
She thanked Cena for believing in her as a person rather than simply seeing her as Ric Flair’s daughter. Charlotte said she plans to win the championship at the John Cena Classic because she considers herself the greatest champion of all time.
Cena then delivered a major statement about Charlotte’s career. He acknowledged that people assumed she had an easy path into WWE because of her family, but argued that she earned everything through her work and helped rebuild the women’s division.
“You never had it easy, you made it look easy.”
Cena then revealed something he had been thinking about since chasing his record-breaking 17th world championship. He explained that he previously said he needed to win number 17 because he wanted to shake the hand of whoever eventually reached 18 championships. Cena made it clear that Charlotte was the person he had in mind all along.
The segment ended with Cena putting his support behind Charlotte as the wrestler he believes can surpass his historic championship record. With Charlotte now entering the John Cena Classic, she has another opportunity to add to her legacy and move closer to that milestone.
Do you think Charlotte Flair should be the one to break John Cena’s 17-time world championship record? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
