Rhodes Calls Cena Classic "Fan Appreciation Meets an All-Star Game"
Summary: Cody Rhodes told ESPN's Big Day the John Cena Classic is "fan appreciation meets an all-star game," per Wrestling Inc. WWE's combo-ticket presale for the Dec. 14 and 15 shows opens Thursday, Nov. 12, at 10 AM ET.
The quick version
- Cody Rhodes called the John Cena Classic "fan appreciation meets an all-star game" on ESPN's Big Day, per Wrestling Inc. The Classic is Monday, Dec. 14, and streams on Netflix as a special Raw, per WWE.
- WWE's general presale for two-day combo tickets (the Classic plus Worlds Collide on Dec. 15) starts Thursday, Nov. 12, at 10 AM ET. Tickets go on sale Friday, Nov. 13, at 10 AM ET, per WWE.
- John Cena is set for SmackDown on Friday, Nov. 13, in Fort Lauderdale, per WWE. WWE has not named any matches.
Cody Rhodes said on ESPN's Big Day that the John Cena Classic is "fan appreciation meets an all-star game," per Wrestling Inc, which published its story on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. Rhodes was the first wrestler Cena named for the Dec. 14 event, on Raw on Nov. 2. Wrestling Inc did not give the date of the interview.
What Rhodes said
Rhodes said the Classic is "unique" because fans vote on the winner through Club WWE, per Wrestling Inc. He tied the format to Cena's own start: Cena walked out as an unknown and slapped Kurt Angle, and the Classic sets NXT newcomers against established stars. Wrestling Inc says Rhodes called it "a seminal event for WWE," and said he hopes it becomes "a tradition, that hopefully goes on for years and years."
On Worlds Collide, the Dec. 15 show, Wrestling Inc says Rhodes admitted he is not sure how it connects to the film "Avengers: Doomsday." He is excited to work Disney's Orlando site for the first time, and will keep saying he was the first person invited to the Classic, per Wrestling Inc.
What WWE has confirmed
- The Classic is Monday, Dec. 14, at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando. It streams live on Netflix as a special edition of Raw. Club WWE members vote in real time on the top performance.
- WWE says the card is Raw and SmackDown stars against NXT's next wave. It has not announced matches.
- Worlds Collide, an "Avengers: Doomsday" edition with WWE, NXT and AAA stars, is Tuesday, Dec. 15, at the same site. The film opens in U.S. theaters Dec. 18.
- Combo tickets: presale Thursday, Nov. 12, 10 AM ET. On sale Friday, Nov. 13, 10 AM ET, through Ticketmaster.com. Registration is at WWE.com/CenaClassic.
- Cena's dates before the Classic: SmackDown on Nov. 13 in Fort Lauderdale (8 PM ET on USA), Raw on Nov. 16 in Raleigh and Survivor Series on Nov. 28 in Houston.
Who is in so far
Five names are public, by our count: Rhodes, Zilla Fatu, Noam Dar, Romeo Moreno and Kelani Jordan. See our story on the NXT invitations and Cena's comments on the format. WWE has not said how many wrestlers will be in the field.
What to watch
Cena's SmackDown visit on Nov. 13 is billed by WWE as a chance to invite more wrestlers. WWE has not said who.
Source: Wrestling Inc's story, read in full, for everything Rhodes said. We did not watch or hear the Big Day interview, so every Rhodes quote is as Wrestling Inc printed it. Wrestling Inc asks that quotes credit "Big Day ESPN" and give a hat tip to Wrestling Inc for the transcription; we do both. WWE.com's three articles were read in full for dates, times and ticket details. PWInsider's list of entrants was read in full. We did not contact WWE or Rhodes. Nothing in this story is a rumor.
Sources
- Wrestling Inc (Daisy Ruth), "WWE's Cody Rhodes Comments On Upcoming John Cena Classic, Worlds Collide: Doomsday", Nov. 11, 2026, 7:47 PM EST (Rhodes' remarks on ESPN's Big Day, with a hat tip to Wrestling Inc for the transcription). https://www.wrestlinginc.com/2314401/wwe-cody-rhodes-john-cena-classic-worlds-collide-doomsday-disney/
- WWE.com, "The John Cena Classic and Avengers: Doomsday-themed Worlds Collide combo tickets on sale Friday", date not shown on the page (the event, format and ticket dates). https://www.wwe.com/article/wwe-walt-disney-company-john-cena-classic-avenger-doomsday-worlds-collide
- WWE.com, "John Cena announces additional live event dates ahead of the John Cena Classic", date not shown on the page (Cena's dates, ticket times). https://www.wwe.com/article/john-cena-announces-additional-live-event-dates-ahead-of-the-john-cena-classic
- WWE.com, "John Cena returns to SmackDown to discuss the John Cena Classic", Nov. 11, 2026 (Cena on SmackDown, Friday, 8 ET/7 CT on USA). https://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/2026-11-13/john-cena
- PWInsider (Paul Jordan), "Updated WWE John Cena Classic Competitors", Nov. 11, 2026, 10:15 AM, no time zone given (the five names). https://www.pwinsider.com/article/213585/updated-wwe-john-cena-classic-competitors.html
- WrestlingNews.com, "Dar, Moreno and Kelani Jordan Join John Cena Classic", Nov. 11, 2026. https://wrestlingnews.com/story/dar-moreno-and-kelani-jordan-invited-to-john-cena-classic/
- WrestlingNews.com, "Cena Says Classic Will Be Exhibitions, Not a Bracket", Nov. 2026. https://wrestlingnews.com/story/cena-says-john-cena-classic-is-exhibition-matches-not-a-bracket/
- WrestlingNews.com staff reporting: read Wrestling Inc's story and WWE's three articles, and checked the entrant list against our earlier stories. We did not watch the interview.
How we credit sources: Editorial standards.