John Cena Is Ready To Scrap The John Cena Classic If The First WWE Show Fails To Deliver

John Cena's December event could crown a champion who loses their match.© NDTV Library

John Cena says he's fine with killing the John Cena Classic if the first show doesn't work. The 17-time world champion and Hollywood star admitted the idea might flop, and he isn't treating it as just another annual WWE event. He also cleared up how the format will run. Cena wants main roster and NXT wrestlers to get a platform here, but the concept has to prove itself before WWE thinks about bringing it back every year and sustain it.

John Cena Makes It Clear That WWE Won't Get Another Classic If The First Edition Fails

Speaking to The Takedown on SI, Cena thanked WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque and company president Nick Khan for agreeing to try his idea.

He pointed back to last year's Saturday Night's Main Event, where younger names like Sol Ruca, Je'Von Evans and Oba Femi got a shot to work alongside established WWE talent.

“I gotta thank Paul Levesque, and I gotta thank Nick Khan for being like, ‘Yeah, man, we'll try it,'”Cena said.

His stance on the Classic itself was pretty blunt. If the show falls flat, he doesn't see why WWE should run it again in 2027.

“So, what do we got to lose? We'll try it, and if it stinks, like, whatever. We don't have to do it again next year.”

It's a simple approach, honestly. Cena wants to test the concept first, not assume WWE has found another permanent spot on the calendar.

The Event's Format Raises Questions As WWE Plans Fan Voting To Decide Its Champions

The voting system is the other thing WWE has to get right. Cena has now said the John Cena Classic won't be a traditional bracket tournament. Main roster wrestlers will face NXT talent in individual exhibition matches, and Club WWE members will vote for the men's and women's champions.

The first show is set for December 14 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida. Cody Rhodes and Zilla Fatu are the first two confirmed participants.

Cena wants voting to open right after the final match, with both champions named before the broadcast ends. He compared it to American Idol, where viewers pick the contestant they like best.

But there's one obvious catch. A wrestler could lose their match and still take title home if enough members vote for them. WWE is basically asking fans to judge performances beyond the final result, and that might not go down well with viewers who expect match wins to decide championship honours.

Cena has called the first edition a pilot. Whether it becomes a regular event depends on how this experiment turns out.