John Cena Moves Umaga’s Son to Tears During WWE NXT Appearance
Wrestling legend John Cena made an emotional appearance on WWE NXT on Wednesday, paying tribute to his former rival Gunther and inviting Zilla Fatu to the upcoming John Cena Classic.
The 17-time world champion appeared at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, where he announced that Fatu, son of late WWE star Umaga, would compete in the first-ever John Cena Classic.
During the appearance, Cena spoke about his long-standing relationship with the Anoa’i wrestling family, mentioning stars such as Rikishi, The Rock and Roman Reigns.
He also shared emotional memories of Umaga, explaining how much the late wrestler meant to him. His words moved Fatu to tears as he spoke about the importance of family and their contribution to professional wrestling.
Cena then officially invited Fatu to join the competition. The young wrestler accepted and thanked Cena with an emotional hug in the ring.
Fatu becomes the second confirmed participant in the competition after Cody Rhodes, whose involvement was announced on Monday Night Raw.
Before entering the ring, Cena also paid tribute to Gunther, who defeated him in his final WWE match in December 2025. Cena stopped backstage to tip his hat to a poster of the Austrian wrestler.
The John Cena Classic is scheduled for December 14 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World in Orlando. The competition will feature wrestlers from Raw, SmackDown and NXT, with fans expected to have a say in the event.
