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John Cena teased “history-making news” at WWE’s upcoming premium live event Backlash on Monday, as he is set to appear on the show in some form.
Cena ended his in-ring career in December, losing his retirement match against Gunther. It was possible that Cena might be done with WWE for a while, but he reappeared at WrestleMania 42 as the host. He posted on social media that he was going to perform at Backlash.
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John Cena will host WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 19, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
“It’s official! I’m headed to #WWEBacklash,” he wrote on X. “After months of planning and effort, I’m SO excited to break some history-making news! I can’t promise it will be perfect, but I can promise it will change the WWE experience for Superstars and fans!”
Backlash is set to take place at the Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida.
Several matches are already set for Backlash.
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Danhausen and John Cena celebrate during WrestleMania 42: Night 2 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 19, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)
Roman Reigns will defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Jacob Fatu, Trick Williams will defend the US Championship against Sami Zayn in a WrestleMania rematch, Seth Rollins will take on Bron Breaker, Iyo Sky will battle Asuka and Danhausen and a mystery partner will take on The Miz and Kit Wilson.
Cena was involved in last year’s Backlash show after he won the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 41.
John Cena and Triple H watch during 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 that, he hadn’t appeared at Backlash since taking on Edge. He lost the World Heavyweight Championship in a Last Man Standing match.
