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John Cena teased “historic news” during WWE’s upcoming premium live event Backlash on Monday as he prepares to appear on the show in some form.
Cena ended his in-ring career in December, losing his retirement match to Gunther. It was possible that Cena had been done with WWE for a while, but he reappeared at WrestleMania 42 as host. He wrote on social media that he was going to appear at Backlash.
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John Cena hosts WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 19, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
“It’s official! I’m heading to #WWEBacklash,” he wrote on
Backlash is scheduled to take place at the Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida.
Several matches are already planned for Backlash.
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Danhausen and John Cena celebrate WrestleMania 42: Night 2 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 19, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)
Roman Reigns will defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Jacob Fatu, Trick Williams will defend the United States Championship against Sami Zayn in a WrestleMania rematch, Seth Rollins will face Bron Breakker, Iyo Sky will face Asuka and Danhausen and a mystery partner will face The Miz and Kit Wilson.
Cena was involved in last year’s Backlash show after winning the undisputed WWE title at WrestleMania 41.
John Cena and Triple H attend Saturday Night’s Main Event at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC on December 13, 2025. (Rich Freeda/WWE)
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He defeated Randy Orton to retain the title. Prior to this, he had not appeared at Backlash since facing Edge. He lost the World Heavyweight Championship in a Last Man Standing match.
