Subhojeet Mukherjee on May 11, 2026
John Cena’s new WWE project may already be one of the company’s biggest talking points — but according to a new report, WWE apparently still hasn’t fully figured out exactly what the John Cena Classic is going to look like.
After Cena revealed the John Cena Classic during WWE Backlash, fans immediately started debating the concept online. Some liked the idea of a fan-voted WWE and NXT crossover competition, while others were completely confused about how the format would even work.
Now, according to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer daily update, the confusion may exist because WWE itself is still figuring everything out internally. Meltzer reported that the John Cena Classic is currently being treated as a “work in progress,” with WWE wanting the Backlash announcement to happen before major details were finalized.
“Regarding the details of the John Cena Invitational, we were just told today that this is a work in progress.”
According to Meltzer, WWE pushed forward with the reveal first and planned to iron out the actual structure afterwards. Because of that, Meltzer says nearly every fan theory floating around online right now is basically guesswork.
“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.”
The report comes only a day after Cena himself directly addressed the mixed fan reaction online and admitted the concept is far from perfect right now. Instead of pretending WWE already had everything mapped out, Cena openly acknowledged the project could fail completely.
“The John Cena Classic may not be perfect by any means yet it’s authentically me. I’m aware that there is the risk it might be a total failure and I’m not afraid of that and believe it’s still worth stepping ‘in the arena.’”
Cena also explained that his current role in WWE is no longer about his own in-ring career, but about helping younger talent create opportunities moving forward. He even hinted himself that WWE was still trying to figure the entire thing out behind the scenes.
“My ‘why’ is to use whatever energy or relevance I have left in hopes to create a launchpad of opportunity for all talent to show their skills. More details to come as we figure all this out!”
Bottom line — WWE apparently wanted the John Cena Classic announcement out at Backlash before the concept itself was fully finalized internally, which explains why fans still have more questions than answers right now about Cena’s newest WWE venture
Do you think WWE announced the John Cena Classic way too early, or does the unfinished mystery around it actually make fans more curious? Leave your thoughts and feedback below.
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