
Neville: Disallowed West Ham goal the biggest moment in VAR history
Gary Neville labels disallowed West Ham goal as the biggest moment in VAR history.
John Cena's recent announcement at WWE Backlash 2026 revealed a new event called the 'John Cena Classic,' which is poorly defined and has not generated much excitement. The hype surrounding the announcement led to disappointment among fans expecting something more significant.

Another WWE PLE, another "history-making" moment that proved to be nothing of the sort. In the end, John Cena's much-hyped appearance Saturday at WWE Backlash 2026 turned out to be the announcement of a new event — loosely based on last December’s special Saturday Night’s Main Event, in which NXT upstarts collided with their WWE main roster counterparts. Naturally, it didn't exactly set the internet alight.
It didn't help that the concept itself wasn't the easiest to explain. We know that it will be called the "John Cena Classic," but while the man himself implied that it would be some kind of structured contest — note that he didn't actually use the word "tournament" — he also told us that the ultimate winner would be defined by some kind of public vote. So as clear as mud then.
Having some kind of special show in which one NXT talent is given a fast-track pass to the main roster isn't a bad idea (particularly given the fuss they're currently making over Will Kross/Mason Rook). Though this being TKO, you can bet that public vote will have some conditions — perhaps they'll limit participation to members of Club WWE, or just give mega-votes to celebrity types, the wrestling equivalent of super-delegates.
Anyway, I digress. What really rankled about the whole announcement wasn't necessarily the convoluted nature of the nascent John Cena Classic, but the fact that the announcement had been hyped up so much in the first place — to the extent that you even had some people speculating Cena might be about to declare he was un-retiring.
Of course, the problem about this kind of hype-and-deflate cycle is that it only takes the shine off the event itself — which is a particular downer given that, as our review on Saturday night made clear, Backlash itself was a pretty solid event. Not least as it culminated in a ferocious match between Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu, which practically radiated "big fight feel" from start to finish.
The John Cena Classic is a new event where NXT talents compete for a fast-track pass to the main roster, but its structure remains unclear.
Fans were disappointed due to the high expectations set by the hype, which suggested a major announcement, but it turned out to be a vague event concept.
The winner of the John Cena Classic will be defined by a public vote, although the specifics of the voting process are not yet clear.
The announcement did not generate significant buzz on social media, leading to criticism about the lack of clarity and excitement surrounding the event.

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So why march everyone up and down the hill with another much feted announcement? Presumably, it's largely down to ratings. When one of your smaller PLEs is going out on a sunny Saturday evening — and up against both the UFC and the NBA playoffs to boot — you presumably want to do everything you can to make sure those casual fans actually tune in.
Among the wrestling regulars, though, these tactics have become a bit of a running joke. We've become wise to the tactic of being promised a "game-changer" ahead of a minor PLE, only for the whole thing to go up in smoke on the night itself. "How many 'new eras' have we had now?" asked one post on social media, poking fun at the stock phrase used by Triple H when he is in P. T. Barnum mode.
In fact, Cena's appearance wasn't the only damp squib of a surprise: There was also Danhausen's mystery partner. Once WWE had told us that the "very nice, very evil" sensation would be getting a surprise accomplice to take on the team of Miz and Kit Wilson, speculation ran rife online — in just the way that WWE would have hoped.
Would it be Joe Hendry? Jelly Roll? Perhaps even Danhausen's real-life friend and backstage hype-man CM Punk might don the face-paint and make an appearance. Some fans were even rooting for Oba Femi — very much the man of the moment right now — even if his appearance would have made no sense storyline-wise.
Instead, the big reveal was "Minihausen," a shorter Danhausen clone played by the Mexican wrestler El Torito. That setup then culminated in a troop of other mini-estrellas making their returns to help Danhausen get the win. Their whole skit at WrestleMania became the first comedy segment in history to get a rematch on the very next PLE.
There was no Kairi Sane either, though in fairness the speculation on that one didn't come directly from WWE. But if you'd hoped that "The Pirate Princess" might make her final appearance alongside Iyo Sky and Asuka before sailing off into the sunset, you were left disappointed. Her release from the company looks very much final for now.
Again, it feels churlish to complain about the lack of surprises on what was — by anyone's measure — a solid night of pro-wrestling. Had any of last night's matches taken place at WrestleMania 42 (and the Iyo Sky vs. Asuka match really should have done) they would have been among the better offerings. Hell, Reigns vs. Fatu would have stolen the show on Night 1.
But that doesn't detract from the irritating problem of WWE constantly hyping up the unexpected, only to underdeliver on the night. Like the time we were told there would be "epic" returns at this year's Royal Rumble — only to end up getting Mr. Iguana and Nikki Bella, rather than Chris Jericho or Bianca Belair. Or the time we were told that last year's Survivor Series would be "history-making" (it wasn't). And don't get me started on Wrestlepalooza …
It's that kind of stuff that sticks in the craw, and ends up casting a long shadow, even when the matches are decent. It's also unfair on the talent themselves — they end up having to perform against over-hyped expectations. We end up anticipating something like the end of last year's Elimination Chamber — a genuine WTF moment by anyone's standards — and then get disappointed when it doesn't happen.
Look, we get that ratings matter and wrestling runs on hyperbole. But could WWE just consider laying off with the crazy overpromising next time? Let the likes of Jacob Fatu and Bron Breakker do the talking, rather than the excessive marketing hype. Not every show has to be sold as "historic" — particularly since so few of them actually are.