Leading up to his highly anticipated RAW return, John Cena vowed to share an exciting announcement with the WWE Universe.
“Make sure not to miss #WWERaw next week,” he wrote Oct. 27 on X (formerly Twitter). “SPECIAL START TIME OF 6PM EST! The wait is over, the speculation ends 11/2. Let’s build this “Never Seen” CLASSIC! OUR time is NOW!”
John Cena delivered on his promise on Monday at Barclays Center by unveiling the prize for the forthcoming John Cena Classic: a sparkling new WWE Championship belt.
“This is the center of the world, and if you want to make history, if you have a big announcement, you bring yourself to New York City,” Cena exclaimed during his RAW return. “Tonight is big. Tonight we’re talking John Cena Classic.
John Cena Provides Update on New WWE Tourney
John Cena initially announced at Backlash: Tampa that a new tournament, the John Cena Classic, would soon become an annual WWE staple.
The 17-time World Champion described the forthcoming tournament as an “evening of the best of today competing against the best of tomorrow.”
On Monday night, Cena provided more detail about the titular tournament, including when it will take place.
Cena announced that, for the first time ever, two episodes of RAW will broadcast in one day on Dec. 14.
The first episode will stream live from Perth, which is Australia’s capital city. Later that evening, a special episode of RAW will broadcast from Disney World.
John Cena Unveils New WWE Championship Belt
Cena then turned his attention to the prize for the John Cena Classic winner, which was hidden under a black veil.
“That is the brand new, never-seen John Cena Classic championship belt that I would love to debut for the world right here, right now,” Cena exclaimed moments before unveiling the shiny new belt.
The new championship belt features a silver emblem in the middle of Cena’s iconic salute stance. ‘John Cena Champion’ is engraved in the belt’s design.
“I have my heart and soul in this event,” Cena said. “If you look at this award, there’s me. My name is on this event. This event encapsulates everything I stand for. Perserverance, hustle, loyalty, respect… and right now, I want to show some respect to our loyal fans. That is why the power to vote will live at Club WWE.
Cena added that a championship belt is “the symbol of hard work” and that NXT and WWE stars will both have a shot at the new John Cena Classic championship belt. This includes the American Nightmare, Cody Rhodes, who was announced as the first invitee in the John Cena Classic.
Cena concluded by announcing that he will appear at future RAW and SmackDown episodes, as well as Survivor Series, to recruit participants for the John Cena Classic.
The former Royal Rumble winner is also slated to appear on a special edition of NXT, which will air Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 6 PM ET on The CW.
John Cena Unveils New Championship Belt in Epic WWE Return