John Cena Classic Complete Breakdown And Predictions

Young performers like Femi and Trick Williams aren't good choices. They are already over. You could make the argument Je'Von Evans could still use the help. As for established Superstars, Becky Lynch, Asuka, Bayley, CM Punk, Charlotte Flair, Drew McIntyre. As for NXT stars, Myles Borne, Tony d'Angelo, Tatum Paxley, Izzi Dame, Kali Armstrong, Jaida Parker, Kelani Jordan, Kendal Grey are names that come to mind. That kind of mix is what makes the format actually work. The whole pitch falls flat if WWE just stacks the card with names already over — there's nothing to learn about Oba Femi's audience pull when his Raw run already has the building behind him. The Classic earns its premise by putting NXT names with real upside next to established main-roster acts whose audience temperature WWE creative legitimately wants to test.

What Does The Fan-Vote Format Mean For Booking?

This format still allows WWE creative to manipulate the fanbase, but that's what pro wrestling has always been. Fans will predictably rally behind favorites who lose or they will cheer hard for their favorites who go over. WWE can strategically bet on their favorites to go over in the voting based on these details. Cena's framing — "the biggest superstar in the WWE is the WWE Universe" — is the on-air explanation, but the real story is what gets baked in behind it. Decoupling the championship from match results creates real tension between booking decisions and audience preference, and that tension is exactly the kind of thing WWE creative will use as a built-in talking point heading into year two. It's a low-risk way to feed the WrestleMania-style "did the fans get it right?" debate every single year.

What's Cena's Long-Term Plan With The Classic?

Long-term, the Classic gives WWE an annual measuring stick for NXT readiness and a status check on which main-roster acts the audience actually rides for when fans hold the pen. That's a real piece of infrastructure, not a nostalgia play. WWE creative gets a yearly checkpoint that tells them who's connecting at NXT, who's plateauing on the main roster, and who actually moves the needle when crowd response is the only metric that matters. For Cena, it's the cleanest possible post-in-ring role — he doesn't need to wrestle, he doesn't need to host, he just needs to keep his name attached to a show that turns into a star-making engine. Brock Lesnar's farewell at WrestleMania 42 was a goodbye. Cena's John Cena Classic is a goodbye that keeps building. *This article was originally published on Forbes.com*