By Will Pruett, ProWrestling.net Co-Senior Staffer (@itswilltime)
Last year, very little in wrestling excited me the way AEW’s Continental Championship tournament did. Through a long and arduous story, we saw Eddie Kingston overcome doubts about himself and finally achieve glory, winning the arduous tournament. It was a great story. It was an even better tournament. His reward for winning was the AEW Continental Championship, a belt so pointless we rarely see it on TV.
Throughout last year’s Continental Classic tournament, we were given an amazing variety of stories to buy into. AEW didn’t just give us one or two, but almost every wrestler in the tournament had something to fight for and came out changed. We had Bryan Danielson entering the final year of his career. We had Daniel Garcia breaking out as a singles wrestler trying to find himself and win. We had Brody King asserting his dominance over the field and becoming a force to be reconned with in AEW. We had Swerve Strickland following his career breakout performance at Full Gear with win after win after win becoming the heir to the AEW World Championship. We had Mark Briscoe’s formal transition into being a singles wrestler and his struggles through the tournament acting as growing pains.
I’m not kidding when I say every wrestling in this thing had a compelling story. It was a well booked tournament that brought a smile to my face every Wednesday and Saturday night when I tuned into AEW. Unlike TNA’s old attempt to recreate New Japan Pro Wrestling’s G1 tournament, the Bound for Glory series, AEW actually cared about booking and logic. It was amazing.
Tony Khan and AEW struck creative gold in the first Continental Classic, offering both a tournament and a prize that seemed worth winning. The triple crown AEW created last year was a fun tribute to AJPW and Eddie Kingston’s inspiration in pro wrestling. It felt like a big deal when 12 wrestlers were giving all of themselves to try and win it. It felt like a title (or three) with a strong individual identity. Sadly, a year later, AEW’s Continental Championship is just another belt that should not exist.
I started the year optimistic about this championship, despite it being AEW’s third male mid-card championship (not counting the four or more titles from other promotions AEW regularly features on TV). I felt like the tournament produced such a unique presentation and encouraging atmosphere that the prize they fought for would retain that value. I was wrong.
The AEW Continental Championship has been defended 12 times since the original match for it between Eddie Kingston and Jon Moxley. It has changed hands once, seeing Kingston lose the title to Kazuchika Okada in March. Since that time, the title has been a prop around Okada’s waist as he transitions from being a serious wrestler who ran NJPW for a decade to a man who says “bitch” and jokes around with The Young Bucks. While it is not the championship’s fault Okada has disappointed so far as a major player in the United States, the title has not helped to keep him relevant.
Look at the list of challengers Okada has defeated in one-on-one matches and tell me if you see a world title competitor amongst this bunch: PAC, Dax Harwood, Claudio Castagnoli, Kyle Fletcher (pre-shaved head), and Kyle O’Reilly. This is not an all-star list for AEW. It’s closer to a contenders list for the All Atlantic Championship than it is a quality division someone should want to be on top of. All of these wrestlers are good, but they are not at the top level in AEW and not a one matches the star power Okada brings.
Add to this list of matches that Okada has not defended this title on PPV in a major singles match since AEW Dynasty in April when he made his fist title defense against PAC. I know Okada was signed to say swears in English and have multi-man weapons matches, but this is a criminal misuse of a once-in-a-generation talent. Once again, the poor booking of Okada can not be blamed on the prop around his waist, but a championship worth winning would be elevated to the level of at least the TNT Championship, if not the International Championship in AEW.
AEW’s creative triumph – The Continental Classic tournament – is for AEW’s worst prize. Wrap your head around that. Wrestlers, even current champions, are begging to be in the tournament, but they are fighting for a title that is pointless. How long can the Continental Classic matter if this title continues to exist? How much worse will next year’s tournament seem if they continue to fight over a title that matters less than any title in wrestling today?
I do have a solution, and it’s not a difficult one. Instead of AEW’s Continental Classic granting the winner the worst prize in all of wrestling, it should grant them a shot at AEW’s World Championship. What could matter more? If the AEW World Championship matters (and it does), shouldn’t the best tournament in US wrestling be for a shot at it? In fact, that shot at the title should be at AEW’s Revolution show every March. While it will feel a bit like WWE’s Road to WrestleMania and happen at the same time, this would be great.
Not only would this give AEW a bit multi-month build to a PPV other than All In, it would also give Revolution an identity and a built in story. The Continental Classic works because it brings us on a wrestlers’ journey in a very personal way. Continue that journey into a pay-per-view match with AEW’s biggest star and you have something truly special.
I cannot wait to see what stories come out of this year’s Continental Classic. Tony Khan booked last years’ tournament beautifully. Sadly, that effort did not follow the championship itself. AEW does not need this title to exist and would be a more exciting promotion without it. So why not just make the best tournament for a shot at the best belt?
Will Pruett writes about wrestling and popular culture at prowrestling.net. To see his video content subscribe to his YouTube channel. To contact, check him out on Bluesky @itswilltime, leave a comment, or email him at itswilltime@gmail.com.
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