It's been nearly eight months since John Cena officially retired from wrestling, and despite a handful of on-screen appearances since his loss to GUNTHER at WWE Saturday Night's Main Event in December 2025, Cena is staying true to his word. This has had some people wondering what Cena's status with WWE is, and according to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select, Cena is still very much under contract in a non-wrestling capacity. Cena was last seen at the WWE Backlash 2026 Premium Live Event in May, where he made an announcement that was promised to shock the WWE Universe. The announcement was the introduction of the "John Cena Classic," a tournament designed to pit the current WWE roster against up-and-coming stars, but there has been no further information since Cena's appearance at Backlash. Sources in WWE told Sapp that the tournament is still penciled in for December of this year, which would see the competition run alongside AEW's Continental Classic tournament, but that date could change.