There remain more questions than answers about John Cena’s history-making announcement from WWE Backlash a couple weekends back. The company’s newest ambassador’s news from May 9 was The John Cena Classic, a new event featuring a one-night tournament pitting today’s main roster WWE stars against the rising stars of NXT.
Sounds a lot like Cena’s retirement match at Saturday Night’s Main Event last December, and it is — but this night will have a winner, who will receive the new John Cena title. That
winner will be determined by a fan vote, and winning your match is not a requirement for being on the ballot.
It’s those details about The John Cena Classic that have received the most criticism and ridicule. In responding to criticism in an interview with CBS Sports Shakiel Mahjouri last week, Cena again admitted the fan vote concept needed some more time in the lab:
“I’ve heard the perspective that ‘wins and losses don’t matter.’ That’s a very valid point. I love listening to feedback. We have to figure out the fan votes. There’s still a lot to be done.”
Beyond that, the Never Seen 17 tried out a few new pitches that probably aren’t going to excite too many people — especially since the analogy he choses is a concept that’s pretty out-of-favor with most sports fans these days:
“To sum it up in a sentence, it could be a version of WWE’s All Star Game. It’s a night of exhibition. So we don’t need to build any long lead stories into it. It’s the present competing or paired with the future of the company — superstars from NXT.”
Maybe this is just because I am largely in the internet bubble, but I rarely hear anyone wanting more story-free matches. Cena seems to be counting on a reality competition-like element providing the story as “the future of the company” fights for a spot on the main roster. But will adding stakes that only look tame in comparison to The Running Man or Squid Game really hook people? Cena is also likely overestimating his pull at WWE/TKO if he thinks the Dante Chens and Josh Briggs of NXT will be getting a PLE singles match out of the Classic, will sticking to the fan-vote:
“I know how these NXT talents might feel. They’ve been down there for a year, two years, three years. ‘When am I going to get my chance?’ Well, for one night, if you can come up and drop your business card, see what happens.
“Show the world what you have. On top of it, if you steal the show — maybe you’re not lucky enough to get the 1-2-3 and get your hand raised — every participant qualifies for a fan all-star vote. So you could be recognized as the night’s champion.”
Check out Cena’s entire conversation with Shak at CBS Sports here. And now that debate’s begun, let us know where you stand on The John Cena Classic — and if that stance has changed at all since Cena’s “foundation-shaking” announcement.
