WWE is currently targeting December 12 as the date for the John Cena Classic, according to a report from False Finish. While the date is being discussed internally, a venue for the event has not yet been finalized.
The reported date aligns with WWE&#8217;s internal timeline following Survivor Series. John Cena previously confirmed during San Diego Comic-Con that the company was actively working toward hosting the event before the end of the calendar year.
Cena originally announced the John Cena Classic at Backlash in May. The concept is expected to involve an in-ring tournament with interactive fan elements to crown the inaugural John Cena Classic Champion.
Full details regarding the tournament format, participant lineup, and official location remain unconfirmed as WWE continues to finalize plans for the event.

Targeted Date For The John Cena Classic Revealed

All Elite Wrestling reportedly suffered a financial loss of at least $30 million on its debut console video game, AEW: Fight Forever. The significant deficit helps explain why the promotion has hesitated to launch another major gaming project.
According to a report from Insider Gaming&#8217;s Mike Straw, the financial loss was caused by extended development delays and poor commercial performance. The game was initially targeted for a 2022 launch but was delayed until June 2023, which drove up production costs. Additionally, Fight Forever reportedly sold only about half of AEW&#8217;s original sales projections.
AEW currently does not have an active agreement with Yuke&#8217;s, the developer behind Fight Forever. However, AEW owns the underlying game engine, meaning the company could potentially hand the technology to a different development studio for a future title.
While AEW remains interested in eventually returning to the console gaming market, there are currently no concrete plans or active projects in development. Sources also refuted recent rumors claiming AEW was in talks to license its wrestling game rights to a third party.

AEW Reportedly Lost Over $30 Million On Fight Forever Video Game

Ilja Dragunov is officially free to wrestle anywhere he chooses after parting ways with WWE over contract negotiations.
The former United States Champion was nearing the end of an expensive WWE deal and wanted another high-paying contract to stay with the company, according to the Wrestling Observer.
While management viewed him as an exceptional in-ring talent, they felt his salary expectations were too high for someone who did not draw large enough ratings, viewership numbers, or merchandise sales.
Because the two sides were miles apart on money, WWE decided all the way back in April to pull him from TV for the remainder of his deal. 
Since his contract simply expired naturally, there is no waiting period or non-compete clause holding him back from signing with a new promotion immediately.

Why WWE Decided To Stop Using Ilja Dragunov On TV

Stephanie McMahon recently shared a story about an incident involving Triple H following Donald Trump’s first presidential inauguration, where people attempted to provoke him into a confrontation while recording on their phones.
Speaking on her &#8220;What’s Your Story?&#8221; podcast, Stephanie explained that she and Triple H were in Washington, D.C. for the event because her mother, Linda McMahon, had been appointed as head of the Small Business Administration. While waiting at a crowded train station after the ceremony, a group at a nearby table recognized Triple H and began trying to incite him over her family&#8217;s political ties.
Stephanie noted that the individuals had their phone cameras out, hoping to catch Triple H losing his temper. However, Triple H stayed calm, refused to react, and kept the situation from escalating.

Stephanie McMahon Says People Tried To Provoke Triple H Following Donald Trump’s Inauguration, HHH’s Reaction

This week&#8217;s TNA iMPACT took place at Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Below are the results:
&#8211; Mustafa Ali said he talked to Daria Rae (Sonya Deville) and he got John Skyler booked in a non-title match against TNA International Champion Jason Hotch.
&#8211; Rich Swann def. Mr. Elegance
Mr. Elegance&#8217;s undefeated streak in singles matches is over.
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THE STREAK IS OVER!!! <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/TNAiMPACT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TNAiMPACT</a> <a href="https://x.com/RichSwannTNA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RichSwannTNA</a> <a href="https://x.com/AJZiggy1818?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AJZiggy1818</a> <a href="https://t.co/Mlk6FYO70O">pic.twitter.com/Mlk6FYO70O</a>
&mdash; TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) <a href="https://x.com/ThisIsTNA/status/2090609261634015611?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8211; TNA Knockouts TV Championship Tournament Semi-Final: Jada Stone def. Heather by Elegance to advance to the Final
&#8211; TNA Knockouts World Champion Xia Brookside promised to embarrass Elayna Black (Cora Jade) at Lockdown.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="525" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://x.com/ElaynaBlack?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ElaynaBlack</a> promises there&#39;ll be no more fun and games when it comes to her match against <a href="https://x.com/XiaBrookside?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@XiaBrookside</a> at <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/TNALockdown?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TNALockdown</a>. <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/TNAiMPACT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TNAiMPACT</a> <a href="https://t.co/9iLsIWESwe">pic.twitter.com/9iLsIWESwe</a>
&mdash; TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) <a href="https://x.com/ThisIsTNA/status/2090614312570069202?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8211; Lethal Lockdown Advantage Match: Brian Myers def. Fabian Aichner
&#8211; TNA International Champion Jason Hotch def. John Skyler via DQ after Special Agent 0 attacked Hotch
After the match, Mustafa Ali posed with the International Title.
&#8211; Harley Hudson def. Alisha Edwards to save her TNA career
After the match, Alisha attacked Harley and Eddie Edwards helped Alisha in doing so. This led to Jada Stone making the save and she took out both Alisha and Eddie.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="525" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://x.com/harleyhudsonx?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@harleyhudsonx</a> BEATS <a href="https://x.com/MrsAIPAlisha?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MrsAIPAlisha</a>! <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/TNAiMPACT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TNAiMPACT</a> <a href="https://x.com/TheEddieEdwards?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheEddieEdwards</a> <a href="https://x.com/JadaStoneee?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JadaStoneee</a> <a href="https://t.co/SmtyPOYz37">pic.twitter.com/SmtyPOYz37</a>
&mdash; TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) <a href="https://x.com/ThisIsTNA/status/2090626601784324434?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8211; TNA World Tag Team Champions The Hardys (Matt and Jeff Hardy), Elijah, and Moose def. The Nemeths (TNA World Champion Nic Nemeth and Ryan Nemeth), Frankie Kazarian, and AJ Francis
Jeff Hardy pinned AJ Francis after hitting a Swanton Bomb for the win.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="525" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://x.com/MATTHARDYBRAND?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MATTHARDYBRAND</a>, <a href="https://x.com/JEFFHARDYBRAND?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JEFFHARDYBRAND</a>, <a href="https://x.com/TheMooseNation?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheMooseNation</a> and <a href="https://x.com/FrankieKazarian?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FrankieKazarian</a> have all the momentum heading into <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/TNALockdown?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TNALockdown</a>! <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/TNAiMPACT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TNAiMPACT</a> <a href="https://x.com/NicTNemeth?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NicTNemeth</a> <a href="https://x.com/ryrynemnem?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ryrynemnem</a> <a href="https://x.com/AJFrancis410?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AJFrancis410</a> <a href="https://x.com/FrankieKazarian?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FrankieKazarian</a> <a href="https://t.co/8ylBlMnA4W">pic.twitter.com/8ylBlMnA4W</a>
&mdash; TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) <a href="https://x.com/ThisIsTNA/status/2090635501891907815?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

TNA iMPACT Results (August 20) – Undefeated Streak Ends, Harley Hudson Saves Her Career

Ilja Dragunov&#8217;s WWE contract has expired and he has left the company. False Finish noted that WWE officials wanted Dragunov to re-sign and stay with the company, but Dragunov opted to let his deal run out.
AEW&#8217;s International Champion Kyle Fletcher teased Dragunov coming to All Elite Wrestling by posting a photo of his match against Ilja from 2019:
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2019 <a href="https://t.co/s29XgNs6Mr">pic.twitter.com/s29XgNs6Mr</a>
&mdash; “Protostar” Kyle Fletcher (@kylefletcherpro) <a href="https://x.com/kylefletcherpro/status/2090499806846124475?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 20, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Tommaso Ciampa also teased the same:
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Tommaso Ciampa teases Ilja Dragunov&#39;s AEW debut <a href="https://t.co/bLc7V0zaG0">pic.twitter.com/bLc7V0zaG0</a>
&mdash; WrestleFeed (@WrestleFeedApp) <a href="https://x.com/WrestleFeedApp/status/2090585396761731342?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 20, 2026</a></blockquote>
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2 AEW Stars Tease Ilja Dragunov Coming To All Elite Wrestling