At WrestleMania 42, John Cena served as host just four months after his retirement from being an in-ring performer.
Cena appeared in multiple in-ring segments on both nights involving Bianca Belair on Night 1 and Danhausen, The Miz and Kit Wilson on Night 2.
Less than a month after WrestleMania, Cena is also set to appear at Backlash on May 9 in Tampa, Florida. He announced on social media last week that he’s going to announce something historic at the event.
“It’s official! I’m headed to #WWEBacklash! After months of planning and effort, I am SO excited to break some history-making news! I can’t promise it’ll be perfect but I can promise it will change the WWE experience for Superstars and fans! C U Live Saturday in Tampa or at home on the @espn app!” Cena tweeted.
Cena also has ties in Tampa since he has been long-time resident since the early parts of his WWE career.
John Cena Hypes Backlash Announcement
GettyJohn Cena hosts WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium on April 18, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Less than 48 hours before Backlash, John Cena shared another post on his social media account. Cena is in Tampa already, teasing something shocking regarding his announcement.
“WWE Universe, hey, John Cena here standing in Thunder alley outside of Benchmark International Arena in Tampa Bay,” Cena said. “In just a few days, I have a major announcement inside this building that is going to shock the very foundation of WWE. From its fans to its superstars, from champions down to its rookies.”
He added, “I’m so grateful Tampa is allowing me at their place to make this announcement. Thank you, WWE. See it live on ESPN in the States and Netflix around the world. Don’t miss Backlash. I’m so excited and I’ll see you there.”
It’s unclear what John Cena’s announcement would be, but there’s plenty of speculation about it.
WrestleZone listed several possibilities, including more details about Club WWE, a new behind-the-scenes role for Cena, the location of WrestleMania 44 or even another expansion by WWE.
Backstage Update on John Cena’s Announcement
GettyJohn Cena makes his entrance before the match against Cody Rhodes during the WWE 2025 SummerSlam at MetLife Stadium on August 03, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
According to WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select, John Cena’s announcement is expected to be about Club WWE.
The company hyped Club WWE on the April 13 episode of Raw. It’s a program that allows die-hard fans to get early access to tickets, exclusive merchandise, rewards and bonus WWE content.
Cena might be the perfect face for the program due to his popularity. He was the face of the WWE for more than a decade, from the mid-2000s to the mid
The report also revealed that the location announcement for WrestleMania 44 is unlikely. There are rumors that The Grandest Stage of Them All will be hosted by Nashville in 2028.
Next year’s WrestleMania will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It’s the first-ever WrestleMania outside of North America since Toronto, Canada has hosted WrestleMania VI in 1990 and WrestleMania X8 in 2002.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post John Cena Sends Message Hyping WWE Backlash Announcement appeared first on HEAVY.