John Cena announced the John Cena Classic on Monday's Raw, a tournament scheduled for December 14 at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Wrestling Inc and PWTorch both reported that WWE will present two editions of Raw that night, one from Perth, Australia and one from Orlando.
The reveal came during Cena's segment on the November 2 show from Barclays Center in Brooklyn. He unveiled a new gold John Cena Classic Championship, a belt bearing his name and image and styled after his old spinner title. PWTorch reported that Cena described the event as encapsulating perseverance, hustle, loyalty and respect, and that a "Who? Who?" chant broke out during the presentation.
Cody Rhodes was named the first participant and came to the ring to join Cena. Wrestling Inc reported that Cena put Rhodes over on the microphone, and the two embraced in the ring.
Cena also addressed how the rest of the field will be chosen. "The power to vote will live at Club WWE," Cena said, according to PWTorch, which reported scattered boos from the Brooklyn crowd. Wrestling Inc wrote that Cena framed the vote as a way to show respect to the loyal fans.
No participants beyond Rhodes have been announced, and no bracket or full list of entrants has been released. It is not yet known how the Club WWE vote will factor into the field, or when WWE will explain the voting process to fans.
As it stands, the John Cena Classic is set for December 14 in Orlando, with Rhodes as its first entrant and the new championship unveiled.
