WWE main roster participants for the John Cena Classic: Raw & SmackDown names who could compete at the upcoming event

WWE

While there is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding the event, there has been a lot of talk recently about the WWE John Cena Classic, which is expected to take place at the end of the year.

Announced by the 17-time world champion at Backlash in May, the John Cena Classic will see stars from Raw, SmackDown and NXT compete, with a fan vote set to decide the inaugural John Cena Classic Champion.

With John Cena recently indicating that this event will take place in August, there has recently been speculation about the NXT stars will be showcased during the upcoming special.

However, similarly important is the decision surrounding which main roster names will participate, with Raw and SmackDown names having to both support younger stars in the ring, while also being viable contenders for the John Cena Classic Championship themselves.

Here are three main roster stars who could be set to compete at the John Cena Classic event.

Cody Rhodes

If anyone has filled John Cena’s shoes in his absence, it’s Cody Rhodes.

Rhodes has always named John Cena as one of his idols, but a true passing of the torch moment took place during the latter star’s retirement tour, when the American Nightmare won the Undisputed WWE Championship back from The Champ at SummerSlam 2025.

Rhodes would be a great name to have compete at the John Cena Classic event, facing off against a rising NXT prospect, like when he clashed with Oba Femi during the December 2025 Saturday Night’s Main Event special.

While Cody Rhodes has recently been teasing a character change, it’d feel like a missed opportunity if the American Nightmare didn’t compete at the show paying homage to one of his biggest inspirations.

Bayley

WWE has yet to confirm whether there will be a separate John Cena Classic title for the women’s division, or if female stars will be eligible for the vote to crown the one titleholder.

Either way, it’d make a lot of sense to have Bayley compete in the match, given her experience in WWE, and her contributions to women’s wrestling away from the company with her Lodestone training camps.

Like Cody Rhodes, Bayley also faced an NXT prospect during the “John Cena’s final match” edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event, coming up short against Sol Ruca, who went on to join the Raw brand in April.

While Bayley and Tatum Paxley previously teased facing off in the John Cena Classic back when Paxley was still in NXT, there are many stars still in the developmental system for the Role Model to potentially share the ring with.

CM Punk

There are a number of John Cena’s former rivals who could compete at the December special, with CM Punk being an especially fitting candidate.

Punk has proven that he is dedicated to helping the next generation of WWE stars since returning to the company, visiting the Performance Center on several occasions and recently competing at the August 15 NXT house show.

With Punk also previously stating that retirement is on his mind but won’t happen any time soon, it almost feels like the former Undisputed WWE Champion is following in John Cena’s footsteps, just a number of years behind.

Given his history with John Cena, it’d be a full-circle moment to see CM Punk compete at the event honoring hustle, loyalty and respect.

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• wwe
• John Cena
• John Cena Classic

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