Former WWE star Lance Storm has raised concerns about the potential backstage complications surrounding John Cena’s newly announced “John Cena Classic” concept.
During WWE Backlash 2026, Cena revealed plans for a new WWE event and championship built around “the best of today vs. the best of tomorrow,” with fans helping determine winners through a voting process.
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Live via F4WOnline.com, Storm questioned how that type of format could realistically work behind the scenes from a talent and business perspective.
“If I’m a $500,000 main roster talent and I’m in there with a $75,000 a year NXT guy, why would I use my skill and my experience to make him look good?”
Storm argued that a fan-driven format could create concerns among higher-paid established stars if younger or cheaper developmental talent begin surpassing them in popularity and positioning.
“If he wins the popularity contest and wins and gets the push to the championship, I could lose my job. Because there is going top be a TKO executive saying, ‘well why are we paying this guy that lost the fan vote and is less over than this NXT guy that works for way less money?’”
Storm also explained that wrestlers are generally willing to help elevate younger talent when creative direction is clearly established ahead of time, but uncertainty surrounding legitimate fan voting could complicate that dynamic.
“If I know ahead of time, ‘Hey, you’re getting a push, we wanna protect this guy,’ I’ll make him look good. But if I don’t know who’s winning or losing the actual fan vote, it’s no longer in my interest to make the guy look good.”
At this stage, WWE has not finalized the official format for the John Cena Classic. Dave Meltzer recently reported that the project remains a “work in progress,” with WWE still determining whether the concept will involve a tournament structure, individual showcase matches, or another type of fan-interactive format entirely.
