John Cena and WWE will stage the first John Cena Classic on Dec. 14 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World in Florida. The show will air as a special Raw, after a Perth, Australia, episode that day. Cena told The Takedown on SI the card will be exhibition matches, not a bracket, pitting main-roster stars against NXT talent. Cody Rhodes and Zilla Fatu are the only named invitees. Cena has not said whether any entrant will wrestle more than once, so the three Rhodes pairings below may compete for one spot on the card.
Cody Rhodes Vs. NXT Champion Grayson Waller
On the Nov. 2 Raw, the John Cena Classic Championship was unveiled, and Rhodes was named the first invitee. Club WWE members will vote for one men’s and one women’s winner, and Cena has said a loser can still take the title. Cena told SI the opening pick needed to be “a cornerstone, franchise player, and a global name.” Rhodes beat Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing match at Crown Jewel in Riyadh on Nov. 7.
Grayson Waller returned to NXT on July 28 and has held the brand’s top title since Aug. 30. Rhodes beat Waller one-on-one in the main event of the Feb. 26, 2024, Raw. Waller had called for that match after Rhodes appeared on The Grayson Waller Effect at Elimination Chamber in Perth two days earlier. Rhodes was a guest on The Grayson Waller Effect again on the Aug. 23, 2024, SmackDown, ahead of a title defense against Kevin Owens at Bash in Berlin.
Cody Rhodes Vs. Zilla Fatu, The First Two John Cena Classic Invitees
On the Nov. 4 NXT, Cena named Fatu the second invitee, and the two shared the ring. Fatu is the son of the late Umaga, and Cena spoke about the family during the segment. Rikishi, Fatu’s uncle, “was such a mentor to me,” Cena told SI.
Fatu has beaten Lexis King on the Oct. 6 NXT and Charlie Dempsey at Halloween Havoc on Oct. 31. The Dempsey bout was a Very Nice, Very Evil Match, contested under anything-goes, falls-count-anywhere rules. Before WWE, Fatu trained mainly under Booker T and debuted at a Reality of Wrestling show in July 2023.
Rhodes is captaining Team USA against Rey Mysterio’s Team Mexico at Survivor Series: WarGames on Nov. 28 in Houston. Rhodes represents the main roster, and Fatu represents NXT. SI reported that the remaining NXT invitations were filmed in Orlando the week before the interview was published.
Cody Rhodes Vs. Former NXT Champion Tony D’Angelo
On the Oct. 8, 2024, NXT, Tony D’Angelo won the North American Championship from Oba Femi. D’Angelo returned to NXT at Deadline in December 2025. At Stand & Deliver on April 4, D’Angelo won the NXT Championship in a four-way match with Joe Hendry, Ethan Page, and Ricky Saints.
D’Angelo lost the title in another four-way at NXT Heatwave on Aug. 30, when Waller pinned D’Angelo. In a one-on-one rematch at Halloween Havoc on Oct. 31, Waller retained after using a crowbar on D’Angelo. During that match, Waller taunted the wife and infant son of D’Angelo, who were in the crowd.
CM Punk Vs. Grayson Waller
CM Punk set up a Nov. 4 NXT Championship match with Waller through a video message that aired after Halloween Havoc on Oct. 31. Late in the Nov. 4 match, Owens distracted Punk, and Waller won with a rollup. On the Nov. 6 SmackDown, Owens beat Punk in a No Holds Barred match after a punch with a chain-wrapped fist. On the Nov. 9 Raw, Punk joined Team USA for Survivor Series. Punk works on the main roster, and Waller works in NXT.
Zilla Fatu Vs. Cruz Montana
Fatu debuted on the Aug. 11 NXT by attacking Waller and Cruz Montana during a No. 1 contender’s match, which ended in a no contest. Montana called out Fatu on the Aug. 18 NXT. Fatu and Montana competed in the Heatwave four-way in which Waller won the title.
On the Nov. 2 Raw, Montana attacked Roman Reigns in a mask, then removed it and joined The 946. Shawn Michaels congratulated Montana on X the next day. Fatu belongs to the Anoa’i family, which also includes Reigns. Reigns challenged The 946 to WarGames on the Nov. 9 Raw, and WWE.com lists The Bloodline vs. The 946 as official for Survivor Series.
