WWE NXT participants for the John Cena Classic: Three prospects who could compete at the inaugural event

WWE

There has been a lot of speculation about plans for the WWE John Cena Classic, which is expected to be taking place at the end of the year.

John Cena announced this event at Backlash in May, stating that NXT and main roster names will compete, and that fans will vote to crown the inaugural John Cena Classic Champion.

While WWE hasn’t officially announced a date, location or even format for the event, John Cena recently told Today that this event will take place in December, and will be “based off of all the memory, all the nostalgia, the IP and the core values” of his WWE character.

Given that NXT showcase matches were a big focus at the “John Cena’s last match” edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event in December 2025, there has been a lot of talk about developmental names potentially set to be featured at John Cena’s upcoming show.

Here are three NXT stars who could potentially compete at the John Cena Classic event.

Mason Rook

If he’d be able to compete, Mason Rook would be the ideal NXT star to compete at the event paying homage to John Cena.

The 17-time world champion has publicly endorsed Rook on several occasions since his WWE debut, notably referencing Rook’s chant from the independent scene in reaction to the former Will Kroos’ first NXT appearance in April.

Clearly a fan of the British star, it would make sense for John Cena to give Mason Rook his first exposure to main roster audiences on his upcoming show.

While there has been some uncertainty surrounding Rook’s status and health, if he’s cleared to compete, he’d be a top candidate to represent NXT.

Saquon Shugars

Saquon Shugars recently got the opportunity to test himself against one of Raw’s top stars.

Shugars faced Chad Gable at the September 25 NXT house show in South Carolina, unsuccessfully challenging for the Intercontinental Championship. 

After sharing the ring with a main roster talent at a non-televised live event, we could see Shugars get the opportunity to face a Raw or SmackDown name on WWE TV, at the John Cena Classic event.

With the company willing to give Shugars these opportunities to shine, it’d make a lot of sense for him to be the NXT star showcased in December.

Zilla Fatu

Zilla Fatu’s WWE debut was presented as a big deal by the company, with footage of his appearance on the August 11 NXT episode also shown on main roster programming.

Following rumors that the Bloodline family member could be fast-tracked to the main roster to join his real-life cousins, he could make his first appearance in front of a main roster audience at the John Cena classic event.

John Cena shared the ring with a number of Anoa’i family members throughout his career, including Zilla’s father, Umaga, who was a major rival for The Champ from 2006 to 2008.

It’d be a full-circle moment to see John Cena shake hands with Zilla Fatu and give him the opportunity to prove that he can hang with the best.

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• John Cena
• John Cena Classic
• nxt
• wwe

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