Photo by Diego Serrano, cropped (CC BY)
The Lowdown
WWE and Disney are turning the week before Avengers: Doomsday into a wrestling crossover. WWE will take over ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando for two days: the John Cena Classic on Monday, Dec. 14, then a Marvel Studios Avengers: Doomsday-themed Worlds Collide with WWE, NXT and AAA stars on Tuesday, Dec. 15 (WWE.com; Disney; Variety). The movie opens Dec. 18, and WWE will sell co-branded Doomsday title belts (WWE.com; Variety).
Key Takeaways
- Dec. 14: the first John Cena Classic, a Raw-and-SmackDown-vs.-NXT night streaming on Netflix as a special Raw. Club WWE members vote on the night’s top Superstar (WWE.com; Variety).
- Dec. 15: an Avengers: Doomsday edition of Worlds Collide with talent from WWE, NXT and AAA (WWE.com; POST Wrestling).
- Two-day combo tickets go on sale Friday, Nov. 13, at 10 a.m. ET on Ticketmaster, with a general presale Thursday, Nov. 12, at 10 a.m. ET (WWE.com; Variety).
- WWE and Fanatics will run WWE World fan events both days, and Doomsday co-branded gear, including title belts, will be sold at WWE World, WWEShop.com and select Disney stores (WWE.com; Variety).
- Where Worlds Collide will stream hasn’t been announced (POST Wrestling).
The Story
WWE and The Walt Disney Company announced the plan Tuesday morning, Nov. 3, calling it an expansion of the partnership that started in 2025, when the ESPN App became the domestic home of WWE’s premium live events (WWE.com; Disney). It builds on Monday’s Raw in Brooklyn, where John Cena announced his Classic and named Cody Rhodes as the first entrant (@WWE on X; Variety).
The John Cena Classic, @MarvelStudios’ "Avengers: Doomsday”-Themed #WorldsCollide and #WWEWorld head to ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex for a 2-day takeover on Dec. 14 & 15!
— WWE (@WWE) November 3, 2026
Combo tickets on sale Nov. 13 at 10am ET.
And don’t miss @Avengers: Doomsday, in theaters everywhere pic.twitter.com/TtdVJOprFH
What an “Avengers: Doomsday” Worlds Collide means
WWE hasn’t said much yet beyond the theme, the talent pool and the merch. The release promises the “biggest Superstars from WWE, NXT and AAA” and says more event details are coming in the coming weeks (WWE.com). The best guess is Marvel-flavored presentation: entrances, video packages and those co-branded belts, landing three days before the film’s U.S. release (WWE.com; Variety). Worlds Collide is WWE’s showcase with AAA, the lucha libre promotion it bought in 2025 (Variety).
A brutal week on the calendar
POST Wrestling points out how packed that stretch is. WWE will be coming off three shows in Australia (SmackDown, Wrestlepalooza and Raw), plus an NXT TLC special on Dec. 12, and Dec. 14 will be the first time two episodes of Raw air on the same day: one live from Perth and then the Cena Classic in Florida (POST Wrestling). NXT also has a show on Dec. 15, the same day as Worlds Collide (POST Wrestling).
Our Take: The Most Disney Thing WWE Has Ever Done
This is opinion. WWE has done movie tie-ins before, but a full themed show at Disney World, sponsored by the company that owns ESPN, is a whole new level. Sure, it’s an ad. It’s also kind of fun. The Marvel hype machine for Avengers: Doomsday has been rolling for weeks, from the World Series teaser to Patrick Stewart’s final on-screen role, and the Doctor Doom and Mister Fantastic costume swap made it clear that Robert Downey Jr.’s Doom is the main event.
The thing to watch is the belts. If WWE puts Avengers-branded title belts on actual champions, even for one night, that will be the image everyone shares. And putting a lucha-heavy Worlds Collide on a superhero-movie show makes sense, since masked heroes are basically what AAA does.
The Background
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Our hero image shows John Cena making his entrance at WrestleMania 39 in April 2023.
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People in This Story
Bios from PCP’s Who’s Who. Tap a name for the full profile.
Actor · Professional Wrestler
American actor and rapper John Cena played Peacemaker in The Suicide Squad (2021).
Professional Wrestler · Actor
American professional wrestler Cody Rhodes competes for WWE.
Actor · Stage & Screen
English stage and screen actor who led Star Trek: The Next Generation as Captain Jean-Luc Picard and played Professor Charles Xavier across the X-Men films.
Actor · Producer
American actor who plays Victor von Doom / Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday (2026). Credits also include Avengers: Endgame (2019), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and The Avengers (2012).
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More Context
- WWE.com — WWE & Walt Disney Company expand partnership with two-day takeover of ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex ↗
- The Walt Disney Company — WWE & The Walt Disney Company Expand Partnership with Two-Day Takeover of ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex ↗
- Variety — WWE, Disney Team for ‘Avengers: Doomsday’-Themed Worlds Collide, John Cena Classic ↗
- POST Wrestling — John Cena Classic & ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ themed Worlds Collide added for Dec. 14 & 15 ↗
- X — The John Cena Classic, Avengers: Doomsday-themed Worlds Collide and WWE World head to ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex ↗
- X — John Cena announces the John Cena Classic for Dec. 14 ↗