John Cena revealed the next entrant in his inaugural Classic tournament during WWE SmackDown live from Amerant Bank Arena on Friday, November 13. The announcement came amid the ongoing Survivor Series season and Cena’s steady return to WWE programming, which has included appearances on Raw and NXT.
The tournament, dubbed the John Cena Classic, has been unfolding gradually since Cena’s comeback. The "Never Seen 17" has already invited notable wrestlers Cody Rhodes and Zilla Fatu to take part in the December special event. Rhodes, who recently secured a Last Man Standing victory over Randy Orton at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia, is also set to captain Team USA in the traditional 10-man elimination tag match against Rey Mysterio’s Team Mexico at Survivor Series.
Friday’s SmackDown also featured the first expected appearance of the new Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton following her dramatic heel turn. Stratton, who claimed the title after betraying her friend and former champion Chelsea Green, is positioned to begin her second reign with the title on this show. Green had recently won over Liv Morgan at Crown Jewel before Stratton’s surprise attack.
The event included appearances by Jade Cargill alongside Cena, Rhodes, and Stratton, adding to the atmosphere ahead of the upcoming tournament and Survivor Series. WWE SmackDown aired live on USA Network starting at 8 p.m. ET, with fans following along for live updates and match-by-match play-by-play.
Cena’s Classic tournament continues to take shape as the weeks progress, with more participants expected to be revealed in future shows. This latest announcement on SmackDown adds momentum to the December event, which promises to feature top-tier talent from WWE’s roster.
The full line-up for Friday’s SmackDown, including all match results and further announcements, was covered extensively on Uncrowned’s live blog.
According to Yahoo Sports.
