John Cena will be at Middle East Film and Comic Con in Abu Dhabi this September, adding one of the biggest names in professional wrestling and entertainment to the convention’s 2026 line-up.
The WWE star and actor will join a growing roster of celebrity guests at Adnec from September 11 to 13, including One Piece stars Mackenyu and Jacob Romero, Marvel actress Pom Klementieff, KPop Demon Hunters voice star Arden Cho and Star Wars actor Joonas Suotamo.
Mackenyu and Romero play Roronoa Zoro and Usopp respectively in Netflix’s live-action adaptation of One Piece, while Klementieff is best known for playing Mantis in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Cho voices Rumi in KPop Demon Hunters, while Suotamo has played Chewbacca in several Star Wars films.
MEFCC is returning for its 14th outing after its original April dates were pushed back due to the regional conflict.
One of WWE’s defining stars of the past two decades, Cena became a multiple-time world champion and one of professional wrestling’s most recognisable figures before retiring from in-ring competition in 2025. His career has increasingly shifted towards Hollywood, with major titles including The Suicide Squad, F9: The Fast Saga, Bumblebee and Blockers.
While attracting international names demonstrates how the regional convention has developed, organisers say that’s just one element of its evolution. Loy Pinheiro, show director of MEFCC, says its growth has increasingly been shaped by the communities that attend.
“Scale and soul aren’t mutually exclusive; they’re symbiotic when you build with intention,” Pinheiro told The National.
MEFCC welcomed more than 46,000 visitors in 2025, representing a 24 per cent increase since 2022, Pinheiro says.
“But numbers alone don’t define success; the heartbeat of this convention has always been the community that gathers under one roof to celebrate their passions without limits.”
Show caption: John Cena, who retired from in-ring wrestling in 2025, will …
That has meant expanding beyond the traditional comic convention model. Alongside celebrity appearances, the show now includes Artist Alley, Otaku District, TCG Arena, Bookworm Lounge and Collector’s Gallery, as well as short film and student art competitions.
Pinheiro says many of those additions have emerged directly from paying heed to visitor feedback. “The most important piece is that our team is constantly listening, and I mean really listening, to what fans want and innovating by launching new features at the convention.”
The changing shape of MEFCC also reflects a broader shift in what Middle East audiences consider pop culture.
Ayman Akaily, content manager of MEFCC, says established Hollywood franchises remain central to the convention, but no longer dominate the conversation. “I don’t think it’s a case of one replacing the other; it’s more that the fandom landscape has become far more diverse than it was a decade ago.
Show caption: Actor Mackenyu will join the celebrity line-up as MEFCC retu…
“Today’s fans don’t limit themselves to a single genre,” he adds. “They’re just as likely to enjoy Star Wars and Marvel as they are One Piece, Demon Slayer, Final Fantasy or League of Legends.”
Anime has been one of the most visible areas of growth. MEFCC has responded by creating Otaku District, a dedicated area for anime, manga and Japanese pop culture featuring cosplay, karaoke, quizzes and live performances, while also incorporating K-pop.
Gaming and trading card games have also risen in prominence, with the TCG Arena hosting organised competitions around titles including One Piece Card Game, Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering.
Yet the intention has been to position the pop culture event beyond being a showcase for established international brands.
Artist Alley, for example, has become one of the most important platforms for independent creators, with artists selling original work, self-published comics and handcrafted merchandise directly to visitors.
Akaily points to Yasser Alireza and Zaid Hamzeh, who previously appeared at Artist Alley as independent creators before publishing Wayl, an original graphic novel from the UAE.
“What begins as a table showcasing a handful of prints often grows into an established creative business, with expanded product ranges, loyal customer bases and commissions from fans who discovered them at MEFCC,” he says.
The convention’s Short Film Competition is also growing. Its inaugural edition last year received 60 submissions, while 83 films were entered this year, with nine finalists due to be screened during the September event.
The postponement has given organisers additional time to adjust the programme to accommodate newer releases and changing fan interests.
“Having those extra months gave us the opportunity to incorporate more recent content into our programming, refine our guest line-up and develop sessions that reflect what fans are talking about right now,” Akaily says.
Tickets for Middle East Film & Comic Con start from Dh160
