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John Cena Shares More Details About The John Cena Classic
Image Credit: WWE
John Cena continues to provide more details about the inaugural ‘John Cena Classic.’ As noted, the 17-time World Champion announced last Monday that the inaugural event will take place at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, on Monday, December 14.
During a recent appearance on The Takedown on SI, Cena revealed his inspiration and motivation behind the concept and shared more details. Cena clarified that the setup for the show will be very much like last December’s Saturday Night’s Main Event, where main roster wrestlers competed against NXT talent, squashing speculation about it being a tournament-style event. John further confirmed that both men’s and women’s champions will be crowned on December 14. Here’s what he said:
On his inspiration for the concept
“This is where I see, hopefully, my future in WWE lying, as a beacon of opportunity. I wanna try to create [something like] an Arnold Classic. I took a lot from the Arnold Classic. I took a lot from fan appreciation nights. I took a lot from All-Star games, but I wanna create that situation where fans can come to an event they know every year, they know what the situation is, and we’re in the pilot.”
On whether the John Cena Classic will be a tournament-based concept
“They’re all gonna be current [main roster stars] versus NXT. It’s very much like Saturday Night’s Main Event, and I love that December 14th is the date, because that’s one year and one day from my last match. And as soon as I retired, on the way home, I was thinking about how I can [stay] involved.”
Cena confirms both men’s and women’s champions will be crowned on December 14
“Hopefully, if we have the technological acumen to do this, as soon as the last match is over, it’s kinda like American Idol… voting’s open now to Club WWE members. And when we come back from the commercial break, we’re gonna award the women’s champion of the night, and we’re gonna award the men’s champion of the night.”
As of this writing, only Cody Rhodes and Zilla Fatu have been confirmed for the John Cena Classic. Cena is set to make several appearances on WWE TV in the coming weeks to possibly extend more invitations.
