For the first time since the November 17, 2025 episode, John Cena will be making his return to WWE Raw next week in Brooklyn, NY on November 2.
Cena’s tweet promoting the appearance suggests that we will finally be hearing concrete details regarding his and WWE’s plans for the inaugural John Cena Classic – which was announced by the “Greatest of All Time” himself at Backlash 2026.
While the format or idea may have changed, Cena originally suggested we would see WWE NXT stars involved in the proceedings, so it’s time to look at four names that may make the cut.
Here are four WWE NXT stars to potentially enter the inaugural John Cena Classic:
Zilla Fatu
There is probably nobody with the same amount of momentum as Zilla Fatu in WWE NXT right now.
His Bloodline ties have many fans intrigued about his future prospects on WWE’s main roster, and the John Cena Classic could be a great way to introduce him to a wider audience before that eventual call-up comes.
If WWE want to make things extra interesting they could also have Zilla come face-to-face with one of his family members in the John Cena Classic, or even a member of the rival 946 faction.
Jackson Drake
If John Cena’s retirement show could elevate the stock of Je’Von Evans, perhaps the John Cena Classic can do the same for Evans’ former tag team partner on the indies: Jackson Drake?
Drake is one fourth of WWE NXT’s Vanity Project faction alongside Brad Baylor, Ricky Smokes & Myka Lockwood, as well as the reigning NXT North American Champion, and he is definitely someone with a very bright future in WWE beyond just NXT.
The John Cena Classic could help put a spotlight on Drake and the entire Vanity Project group as a whole before an eventual main roster call-up in 2027 or 2028.
EK Prosper
Like Jackson Drake and the rest of Vanity Project, EK Prosper graduated from the WWE ID program to earn a full-time NXT contract earlier this year.
While he has yet to capture his first title on the brand, he has put in many show-stealing performances that have seen him earn praise on NXT TV from William Regal and even Logan Paul on his vlog.
With a high-flying in-ring style, Prosper would be a great talent for WWE to showcase with the John Cena Classic as he would make for a perfect underdog opponent for almost any heavyweight on the main roster.
Shiloh Hill
With his fondness for the dark-web and missing tooth, Shiloh Hill is one of WWE’s most unique characters on the roster right now.
This makes his future transition to the WWE main roster and intriguing prospect; will the fans of Raw and SmackDown ‘get’ Shiloh Hill in the same way the fans at the Performance Center do?
While that remains to be seen, WWE could test the waters of Hill’s future move to Raw or SmackDown by having him compete in the first-ever John Cena Classic event.
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