The John Cena Classic Is Set
The Champ came home. John Cena returned to Monday Night RAW last night, November 2, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn — his first RAW appearance since his retirement in 2025, back in the t-shirt and hat — and he didn't come empty-handed. Cena arrived with three major announcements about the John Cena Classic, the tournament he first pitched at Backlash earlier this year as a stage where the best of today meets the best of tomorrow.
First, the date — and it's a wild one. The John Cena Classic takes place Monday, December 14, 2026, and WWE is doing something it has never done: two episodes of RAW in a single day. One airs earlier in the day from Perth, Australia, and the second goes live that night from the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida — and that Florida show is where the Classic lives.
Second, the prize. Cena unveiled the brand-new John Cena Classic Championship, a spinner-inspired belt in the style of the WWE Title he made famous, and the winner of the Classic takes it home.
Third, the first name in the field: Cody Rhodes. Cena brought Rhodes out, put him over as the standard-setter for the whole tournament, and made it clear the torch is being passed on purpose. The rest of the field is still to come — Cena says he'll recruit it himself, starting on NXT this Wednesday, November 4, and continuing on SmackDown, RAW and at Survivor Series: WarGames on Saturday, November 28 in Houston. A fan vote through Club WWE will play a role in how it all shakes out.
In the newest episode of The Infamous Take, Infamous Jay Moore breaks down the announcement — including the question everybody's asking (does WWE really need another championship?), why that belt looks so sweet, and why two RAWs in one day might be the most John Cena thing ever.