John Cena has finally shared some more details about the John Cena Classic and explained how it's going to work. It still sounds a little strange, and his explanation wasn't entirely clear, but let me try to relay what he said and paint a picture of exactly how this thing is going to work.

Explaining The John Cena Classic

Credit: WWE

The John Cena Classic was announced months ago, but neither Cena nor WWE explained what it was. Months of silence followed, leading most to assume the idea had been scrapped. Apparently not. Cena has now confirmed to Sports Illustrated that his Classic will take place on December 14, 2026, and announced the first two competitors: Cody Rhodes and Zilla Fatu.

If you're looking for a bracket right about now to see who will face who and how many other spots need to be filled, let me save you some time - there is no bracket. This isn't even a tournament. The winner of each match won't then go on to wrestle the winner of another. Everyone gets one match each. That's it, and even if they lose, they can still win the Classic.

That's because the winners will be voted for by you, the fans. Well, not all of you, just those who are subscribed to Club WWE. Once all of the exhibition matches in the John Cena Classic have taken place on December 14, the show will cut to commercial break, and Club WWE members will be able to cast their votes for who they think deserves to win the John Cena Classic.

The John Cena Classic Will Have Two Winners

Credit: WWE

No, you didn't misread, nor is that a typo. There will indeed be multiple winners of the John Cena Classic. Not because this will be an everone gets a participation medal situation, but because there will be exhibition matches featuring male Superstars and female Superstars, so a men's Classic winner and a women's Classic winner come the end of the show.

The best part about the John Cena Classic is that it will almost certainly be a show filled with first-time-ever matches. That's because every single bout will pit a main roster star against an NXT Superstar. There may well be an instance or two of wrestlers who have met elsewhere reacquainting, but for the most part, the matches we get will be unique, and potentially matches we don't see again for a while.

Even though only two invitations to the Classic have been extended so far, Cena confirmed he has filmed all of them. He also noted that he has a personal connection to every invitee, although I imagine the defining factors of some of those connections will be a little flimsy.