Injured WWE star Matt Cardona hopes to return early for the John Cena Classic.

Matt Cardona has been out of action since tearing his triceps during a match against Kit Wilson on the September 3, 2026, episode of WWE Main Event (taped on August 21). He later underwent surgery to repair the damage.

In a previous interview, Cardona said he hopes to return to in-ring competition sooner than the surgeons expect, targeting the Royal Rumble in February 2027.

“The plan is to be back shorter than the surgeons say. Maybe come back at the Royal Rumble. Who knows? That’s February this year. So, I got some time. It’s the tricep (when asked what the injury was). Yeah. I was just too muscular that it just ripped right off my elbow,” the WWE star said.

However, Cardona now hopes to return even earlier.

Matt Cardona targets early medical clearance for WWE John Cena Classic

On last night’s edition of RAW, John Cena announced that the John Cena Classic will take place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World on December 14. WWE will bring the event as a special second RAW episode after the first airs earlier that day from Perth, Australia. The Never Seen Seventeen unveiled the championship belt and also announced Cody Rhodes as his first invitee to participate in the tournament.

After John Cena’s announcement, Matt Cardona took to X/Twitter to say, “I’m going to try to get cleared by December 14.”

It will be interesting to see whether Cardona can get medical clearance in time for the tournament. It will also be interesting to learn who else will compete in the WWE John Cena Classic.

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