John Cena Responds To Critics Of WWE’s “John Cena Classic”
The WWE legend, John Cena sent a message to all the critics of the ‘John Cena Classic.’
Since announcing his in-ring retirement after his last match in December last year, John Cena has completely abandoned his ring gear. He showed up at WrestleMania 42 as the show’s host in a suit. Cena made his next appearance at Backlash 2026, where he announced the ‘John Cena Classic’ tournament.
In this tournament, fans could vote for their own winners regardless of the result. The concept of the tournament received some backlash, as fans complained, ‘What’s the point of the match results if the winners are voted by fans.’
John Cena’s response to critics of the ‘John Cena Classic’
In an interview with US Weekly, John Cena addressed the backlash regarding the ‘John Cena Classic’ by first explaining the whole concept of the tournament:
Great point. I dropped so much information on the audience, and I didn’t … it’s not complete. There’s still more information to give. We’re gonna have a new event. We’re gonna crown a new champion, and everyone qualifies for the vote, and there’s going to be a vote. What does that mean? Well, if you want to vote for the winners, vote for the winners. That’s fine”
Cena further explained his point with the following statement:
I just want to let you know that if somebody busts their hump and wins your heart and wins your vote, you can vote for them. That’s an important piece to get out, because we’re trained that only winners qualify. So that, in itself, is a landslide of questions: “Oh, this just turned my world upside-down. I don’t even know if this is gonna work! Neither do I, but I think it’s bold enough to try, because in the early stages of my career, I lost a lot, but people would walk away being like, “That’s that rapping guy.”
Cena concluded by assuring fans that they will get his hundred percent in the tournament:
So I really won; I won their heart and I won their vote because they kept showing up. I’m literally trying to encapsulate the early stages of my journey into one night of exhibition contests. So we’ll see. I can promise you this: You will get my all for this thing, absolutely.”
John Cena has provided more details on the upcoming John Cena classic:
– Tournament is still a work in progress
– Will be seen as WWE's All Star Game
– Tag matches as well as singles matches are possible
– Brackets are possible
– Cena may make future appearances on RAW, SD & NXT… pic.twitter.com/UPT530FTNN— Wrestle Features (@WrestleFeatures) June 12, 2026
It remains to be seen when the ‘John Cena Classic’ will commence this year.
Also read: John Cena Warned Ex-WWE Divas: “Never Do That Again”