{"id":128273,"date":"2024-11-15T09:00:11","date_gmt":"2024-11-15T14:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=128273"},"modified":"2024-11-14T18:48:22","modified_gmt":"2024-11-14T23:48:22","slug":"aew-continental-classic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/11\/15\/aew-continental-classic\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Things AEW Should Do in This Year\u2019s Continental Classic"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The AEW Continental Classic returns in two weeks (at the time of writing)! Buzz around the tournament and speculation go beyond who will be participating. The inaugural tournament last year, <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2023\/12\/26\/aew-tournament-2023\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">the best tournament in a year crammed with tournaments<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, proved a turning point for the company during a creative identity crisis.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It was not a magic bullet to AEW problems, many of which have persisted (and I\u2019ve written about <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/06\/14\/aews-polarising-present-the-limitations-of-where-the-best-wrestle\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">here<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">). However, the tournament has succeeded in engaging fans, allowing AEW a chance to address criticism, deliver some strong moments, and lead to multiple wrestlers\u2019 storylines and character development. It also spoiled us with plenty of excellent matches.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">AEW loves traditions, foreshadowing, and making fans wait a long time to receive those much-desired payoffs. The roster is overfilled with potential candidates who could benefit from the competition\u2019s twelve slots. As always, the potential is there.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Compared to last year, AEW is in a more secure place in terms of its future and TV rights. Yet under the stewardship of Jon Moxley, the company again seeks another (gradual) paradigm shift in its identity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The AEW Continental Classic could <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">serve again<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> as a bridge between phases. With that in mind, here are five things AEW should do with <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">the AEW Continental Classic<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> to aid this transition.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EV-DRnjamZA?si=JKYoqB9Xfo1ZpAPx\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Big Stakes<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Last year\u2019s tournament established the prize of the Continental Crown. An American Triple Crown championship, a nod to All-Japan. Combining the ROH World Championship, the NJPW Strong Openweight Championship, and the newly created AEW Continental Championship set a high bar.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The problem this has created is that the winner of the tournament now cannot just receive the AEW Continental Championship.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The championship is barely a year old. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Alone, it<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> doesn\u2019t have the legacy and prestige to carry the tournament alone as its prize.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Although the current and second Continental champion, <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Kazuchika Okada<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> has been an extremely credible champion, and holding the belt has <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/03\/22\/kazuchika-okada-winning-the-aew-continental-championship\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">added his character and story arch<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> as \u201cThe Bitchmaker<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201d,<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> the reign hasn\u2019t been flawless.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Some excellent defenses against Claudio Castagnoli and PAC earlier this year were excellent but live in a reality where other best-in-the-world wrestlers have stolen our short <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">and<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> long-term attention.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Okada\u2019s more recent (lack) of defenses work for the character and story, but not perception. Some believe AEW has too many belts. As <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/10\/11\/aew-wrestledream-what-if-will-ospreay-loses\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">I pondered with Konosuke Takeshita before WrestleDream<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, could the destination be a title unification?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Beyond titles, there are other ways to add stakes. With Okada, the prospect that The Rainmaker can equal Masahiro Chono\u2019s five G1 tournament wins, by winning this American round-robin tournament has been teased.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">What about other personal stakes and reasonings <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">that go beyond just<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> winning the championship?\u00a0 A wider tie-in to the Death Riders&#8217; attempts to remake AEW in their image?<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Develop Various Storyline <\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The first Continent Classic was a success beyond wrestling due to its multiple personal and rivalry-based storylines that occur through the group stages. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Beneath Eddie Kingston\u2019s determination to rise and claim a mantle parallel to that of his Japanese heroes, there was the arc of rediscovery for Daniel Garcia.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The wrestler re-emerged and grew with defeat. Jay Lethal began to turn <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">face<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> and teased splitting with Jeff Jarrett and friends (that didn\u2019t go anywhere). Swerve Strickland\u2019s rise continued, and Jay White <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">began to rebound<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> after the disastrous booking of Full Gear.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">There are already seeds teased. Takeshita now the International Champion gets a chance to prove he is the Alpha. What about Claudio Castagnoli getting the <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">chance<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> to prove he is a better man than Okada? Or Okada himself, now without The Bucks, rediscovering himself?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Or go wider. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Having<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> Castagnoli and PAC in the tournament <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">to<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> push the Death Rider agenda and potentially consolidate more power by winning another championship. Conclude The Don Callis Family drama in the group stages or semi-final.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Win, lose or draw.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">As many falls as possible should be used to mark the progression of individual and collective stories for their participants. Winner and loser alike get set up for 2025<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. Book<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> for short and long-term gains.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Short-Term &#8211; A Star Ascends<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Last year, Kingston finally got his flowers. Subsequently, beating Bryan Danielson silenced both the critics in Kingston\u2019s head and the locker room. Strickland lost the semi-final but still ascended after proving his main event caliber potential.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Whether it&#8217;s Okada winning and retaining, Takeshita getting that well-earned career-defining moment, or a surprise winner like a returning Kenny Omega, the winner needs to be front and center in 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">If the Continental Classic\u2019s legacy is to become GOATed, and a true American counterpart to the G1, winning must change the wrestler\u2019s card position and character.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Kingston ascended to a level of focused invincible before Okada cheated. Injury stopped the follow-up. At least one or two runners-up after strong performances likewise need to find their roles altered. But the same is also true for some wrestlers whose characters might have to play the long game.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Long-Term &#8211; Someone Breaks Out\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Last year, Daniel Garcia through defeat resolved his inner conflict. \u201cHe\u2019s a wrestler!\u201d Mark Briscoe took defeat in his \u201crookie\u201d singles year well. Briscoe became the ROH champion and a regular feature of Dynamite. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Not everyone can or should break out of the pack, but at least two or three players should.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Yet consider the previously mentioned losers. Garcia could be about to win his first AEW championship after re-signing with the pro wrestling company.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">There has been progression with his character, but in terms of promos and microphone skills, Garcia has not had the time to develop in the way others have.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Briscoe has taken Eddie Kingston\u2019s pre-Continental Classic mantle as the wrestler people want to be pushed to the moon<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. The<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> ultimate-utility man who can fit anywhere on the card and gets himself over on the microphone.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Yet ROH is not presented as equal to AEW and as its champion, like Kingston, holding that championship has felt secondary.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Both men will <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">get surely<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> their time and progress. However, AEW is taking things at a glacier pace. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Long-term<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> is great, but sometimes AEW makes <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/06\/09\/aews-polarising-present-wrestling-nirvana-potholed-creative\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">the road to nirvana a potholed hell<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">This year, break the pattern. Speed up the progression. Let that young wrestler more than impress fans. Go all in on them within that calendar year.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Address Criticism <\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">To clarify, AEW is and will never satisfy all its critics. Confirmation bias runs deep. No matter that the inherent story built into each match in the AEW Continental Classic is about winning the tournament, some folks will say there\u2019s no story.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/06\/17\/aews-polarising-present-aew-is-under-attack\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">AEW \u201cunder attack\u201d narrative<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> is real. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The tournament like last year is definitely an opportunity to <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">win back the trust <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">of lapsed fans.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Make changes and developments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Death Riders need to grow beyond beatdowns. The AEW locker room and management will need to set boundaries. The Continental Classic is a vehicle for the next stage of division.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The divide within the locker <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">room,<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> those who side with Jon Moxley and those who oppose. Spread that sense and need for change further across the card. Avoid the mistakes of <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/04\/25\/the-corporate-elite-is-the-aew-faction-whats-best-for-business\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Elite\u2019s heel run. <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Go further. Change the stagnant formula of ultra-competitive matches and heelish cheating finishes that have become clich\u00e9 again. Vary how stories are told. Simplify or re-navigate the storytelling in a way built on the wins-and-losses mentality of AEW\u2019s heyday without the tropes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Learn lessons to address other long-term issues. Finally, introduce a women\u2019s version of the tournament for another point in the year to deal with the underrepresentation of women on Dynamite.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The tournament is not a magic bullet or instant reset. Like last year, it can be used to address problems, but only consistency and maintenance will help both legacies of the AEW Continental Classic and AEW\u2019s future.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/h3>\n<p><em>Header photo \u2013\u00a0AEW\u00a0\u2013 Stay tun<\/em><em>ed to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" data-linkindex=\"1\" target=\"_self\">Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/a>\u00a0for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world. As well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.\u00a0 You can catch AEW Dynamite on Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TBS. AEW Rampage airs on TNT at 10 PM EST every Friday night. AEW Collision airs Saturday at 8pm Eastern on TNT. More AEW content available on their\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@AEW\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">YouTube<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The AEW Continental Classic returns in two weeks (at the time of writing)! Buzz around the tournament and speculation go beyond who will be participating. The inaugural tournament last year, the best tournament in a year crammed with tournaments, proved a turning point for the company during a creative identity crisis. It was not a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4960,"featured_media":128286,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4677,2192],"tags":[9052,962,501,4909],"class_list":["post-128273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aew","category-wrestling","tag-continental-classic","tag-eddie-kingston","tag-kazuchika-okada","tag-konosuke-takeshita"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128273","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4960"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128273"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128273\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/128286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}