John Cena delivered his major announcement at WWE Backlash.
Appearing live at the Premium Live Event in Tampa, Florida on May 9, the 17-time World Champion introduced fans to The John Cena Classic. The show will feature stars from WWE’s main roster and NXT competing for the John Cena Championship.
Cena added that he is looking for a certain level of skill, as it is his name behind the new show and title. Interestingly, the show won’t follow a traditional pro wrestling format focused on wins. Instead, the fans will vote to crown the champion. This means that even if someone loses their match, if they impress the fans they may still have a chance to win the title.
Details on when this show will take place were not announced by Cena.
Closing out his segment, Cena thanked the fans in Tampa to segue to the main event, which saw Roman Reigns defeat Jacob Fatu to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.
Ahead of Backlash, Cena heavily hyped the announcement on social media, stating that it would be historic for WWE. While some speculated that this might be related to a future WrestleMania location, this was later disproved by a backstage report.
Analysis: John Cena Announces New Concept At WWE Backlash
The new concept is one that hasn’t been seen in WWE before, but there is a reason for that. Pro wrestling is supposed to be built on wins and losses, with those who consistently win being able to fight for a championship, much like legitimate sports competitions. The show could make for some interesting matches between main roster and NXT stars, but the voting will determine how successful this will be. If someone who barely wins any matches becomes a champion, the concept might be dead on arrival.
Some fans have called for a show similar to Taboo Tuesday or Cyber Sunday to return, but this is not the same. Although previous voting was legitimate according to multiple wrestlers and backstage officials who worked those events, it remains to be seen if this will be the case in 2026.
While many will wait and see how this plays out, there is a danger that this could go the way of WWE Speed and the 24/7 Championship of a gimmick that has a short shelf life.
Featured image: WWE
