Matt Cardona was originally talking about the Royal Rumble as his big comeback target, but apparently that isn’t soon enough anymore. Now that WWE has revealed the John Cena Classic, Cardona suddenly has a much earlier date circled on his calendar — and the fact that it’s happening at Disney World makes this almost too perfect for him.
On November 3, Cardona took to Twitter and revealed that he’s going to try to get medically cleared by December 14, the same date WWE will hold the John Cena Classic at Disney World in Orlando.
“I’m going to try to get cleared by December 14”
That would be a pretty aggressive turnaround for Cardona, who underwent surgery for a torn triceps. Shortly after the operation, he was already talking about beating the recovery timetable doctors had given him, but his initial target was considerably further away. Speaking with Katie Nolan alongside Chelsea Green, Cardona previously floated the February 2027 Royal Rumble as a possible return date.
“Yeah, the plan is to be back shorter than the surgeons say. Maybe come back to the Royal Rumble. Who knows? That’s February next year. So, I got some time.”
Then John Cena went and changed the equation. During the November 2 episode of RAW, Cena officially announced that the John Cena Classic will take place December 14 at Disney World in Orlando and unveiled a special championship for the tournament winner. Cody Rhodes was also revealed as the first participant.
There’s obviously a massive difference between wanting to be cleared by December 14 and actually receiving medical clearance. But Cardona has now moved his personal target up significantly from the Royal Rumble, and if his recovery cooperates, there probably couldn’t be a more fitting place for him to make his return than the happiest place on Earth.
Could Matt Cardona actually get cleared in time to compete in the John Cena Classic at Disney World? Let us know what you think in the comments.
