{"id":149251,"date":"2025-12-24T04:37:58","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T09:37:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=149251"},"modified":"2025-12-24T04:37:58","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T09:37:58","slug":"aew-continental-classic-week-4-recap-and-week-5-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/12\/24\/aew-continental-classic-week-4-recap-and-week-5-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"AEW Continental Classic Week 4 Recap and Week 5 Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We are officially in the Endgame of the 2025 Continental Classic. This is the last week of the round-robin portion of the tournament, and by Christmas night, we will know who will be heading to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">World\u2019s End <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in the semifinals. Merry Christmas to us all. A total of nine matches are scheduled (pre-taped) for <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dynamite <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Collision<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which will take place at the historic Hammerstein Ballroom and could become an annual tradition.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Everyone, except for Roderick Strong, is still alive in the Continental Classic.\u00a0 That means that there are dozens of scenarios that could happen depending on the results of the matches. Could we see Kazuchika Okada repeat as champion? Or, will we have Claudio Castagnoli be crowned with his most outstanding AEW achievement? Regardless of what happens&#8211; if we&#8217;re one of the lucky ones to avoid all of the spoilers&#8211;we are in for an excellent finish to the greatest wrestling tournament in the world.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u200bSo much has happened in the 2025 Continental Classic that it might be hard to keep up with what all of the results can mean for the tournament. Here is what happened in week 4 and what to expect as it affects the final week of the AEW Continental Classic.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>MVP of the Week<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><b>PAC <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">had the best performance and match of the week. Now with two wins over two of the most outstanding performers of the tournament (Bailey and Fletcher), Pac has a legitimate case to make it to the semi-finals. The chances of that happening to PAC increase if he can beat at least one of his last two matches. He is undoubtedly in if he wins both. All of that is possible because of his major win over Kyle Fletcher.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u200bIt was the style in which he won the match as well. PAC put on one of the best matches of the tournament and his career. He has already been an International Champion (All-Atlantic); adding a Continental Championship would look great on his resume. If he can do that again, we might have an all-Death Riders final.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Results:<\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AEW Dynamite<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Blue: Jon Moxley (6) def. Roderick Strong (0)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gold: Pac (6) def. Kyle Fletcher (6)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AEW Collision<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Blue: Orange Cassidy (6) def. Mascara Dorada (3)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gold: Jack Perry (3) def. Mike Bailey (6)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gold: Kevin Knight (6) def. Kazuchika Okada (6)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>What Do the Results Mean for Week 5 of the AEW Continental Classic?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gold League<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is a five-way tie for first place. Even Jack Perry, who is in last place, is only three points behind with a match in hand. It really is anyone&#8217;s league to win. There is not one single competitor who has blown open the league, as everyone has positioned themselves to win the Gold League. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even Kevin Knight, who lost two of his first three matches in the tournament, got a big win over Kazuchika Ozada, making him a major contender to pull this off.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The advantage goes to Pac and Jack Perry, who still have two matches left, while everyone else only has one. Perry, even after joining the tournament late, still has a chance to win the Continental Classic. With matches against Kyle Fletcher and Pac still on the docket, Perry is still very much alive in this tournament. The same thing goes for PAC. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He wins his two matches he is in the semifinals. That is the built-in advantage for wrestlers who have the tournament back-ended. They can have a more straightforward path to the finals than those who wrestled a lot at the start of the tournament. Regardless of who ends up in the top two, those who come out of the Gold League will have gone through a gauntlet and earned their spot.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Blue League<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This next week will be heavy on the Blue League. Unlike the Gold League, this league still requires everyone \u2014 except Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli \u2014 to complete two matches. Speaking of which, the leader of the Death Riders was able to stay alive with a massive win over Roderick Strong, officially ending his tournament. Eliminating Strong leaves us with five wrestlers competing for two spots, with two clearly ahead of the rest.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u200b<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The favorites right now are Castagnoli and Konozuke Takeshita. Castagnoli has one match left against Strong \u2014 who I can see playing spoiler \u2014and Takeshita still has to face off against Mascara Dorada and Orange Cassidy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One person to keep an eye on as a late contender to make it to the semifinals is Orange Cassidy. He still has two matches against Takeshita and Moxley. It would be poetic justice for Cassidy to end the Death Riders, as the man who has been fighting against them the longest. Also, Takeshita has yet to lose in this tournament. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Everyone, even the IWGP Champion, is susceptible to losing in this tournament. That loss is more likely to come at the hands of OC than Mascara Dorada. However, this tournament has had its fair share of upsets.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>If the AEW Continental Classic Ended Today, Who Would Fight at World\u2019s End?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gold League No. 1 Kazuhika Okada vs Blue League No. 2 Konosuke Takeshita\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Blue League No. 1 Claudio Castagnoli vs Gold League No. 2 Kevin Knight<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There was A LOT that changed in these standings after week 4. According to the official AEW standings <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.allelitewrestling.com\/continental-classic\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">website<\/a>, whichever tiebreaker formula they use, Okada is first, and Knight is second. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PAC, by virtue of having six points in one fewer match, should be ahead of both of them. However, once there is a five-way tie, all of the logic goes out the window. That would give Okada a chance to repeat and Knight an opportunity to propel himself into superstardom in AEW. Not a bad combination of Gold League winners.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The only change in the Blue League is that Takeshita and Castagnoli flipped spots. Again, the tiebreaker should be that Takeshita has the same number of points with fewer matches. However, in a competition as stacked as this, you will face off against an absolute stud, regardless of seeding.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Predictions for Week 5<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With nine (!) matches slated in the final week of the round robin, these predictions will be short and to the point.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Gold League<\/b><\/h2>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AEW Dynamite<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PAC (6) vs Jack Perry (3)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u200bPAC got his big win last week against Fletcher, which will make this loss more tolerable. I don&#8217;t believe Tony Khan wants to unveil any unannounced tie-breakers this year, so he will need Pac to lose here to avoid a tie-breaker.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>\u200bWinner:<\/strong> Perry (6)<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u200bAEW <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Collision<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cSpeedball\u201d Mike Bailey (6) vs Kazichika Okada (6)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u200bMike Bailey has had a tournament of a lifetime. However, it ends at the hands of the greatest tournament wrestler of all time. Okada gets the chance to repeat as champion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u200b<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Winner:<\/strong> Okada (9)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u200b<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PAC (7) vs Kevin Knight (6)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With one last gasp to make the semi-finals, Pac and Knight fight to a tie.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Winner:<\/strong> Pac (8), Knight (7)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u200b<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jack Perry (3) vs Kyle Fletcher (6)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With a massive win over Pac, Jack Perry will be looking to make it to the next round over last year\u2019s semifinalist, Kyle Fletcher. The Protostar is on a trajectory to repeat advancing, so that will not happen. Expect the Australian superstar to win and advance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Winner:<\/strong> Kyle Fletcher (9)<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Blue League<\/b><\/h2>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AEW Dynamite<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Konosuke Takeshita (7) vs Orange Cassidy (6)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">OC puts on a strong match against Takeshita; however, the IWGP proves to be too much and wins the match.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Winner:<\/strong> Takeshita (10)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u200b<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Roderick Strong (0) vs Mascara Dorada (3)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u200b<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is where Strong gets his win in the CC.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Winner:<\/strong> Strong (3)<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u200bAEW Collision<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Konozuke Takeshita (10) vs Mascara Dorada (3)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u200b<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Takeshita gets the most points out of any wrestler in any league\u2014leaves with only dropping two points in the draw against Castagnoli. The 13 points set the record for most in the CC.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Winner:<\/strong> Takeshita (13)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jon Moxley (6) vs Orange Cassidy (6)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Orange Cassidy officially ends Jon Moxley\u2019s tournament. He also ends his reign as Death Rider leader.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u200b<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Winner:<\/strong> OC (9)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u200b<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Claudio Castagnoli (7)\u00a0 vs Roderick Strong (3)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u200b<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It will be interesting, but Castagnoli goes through.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u200b<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Winner:<\/strong> Castagnoli (10)<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Who Wins Now?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Takeshita will be the wire-to-wire winner of the tournament. <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/12\/17\/aew-continental-classic-week-4-preview\/\" target=\"_self\">Nothing has changed<\/a>, and he will be a belt holder in NJPW and AEW.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>\u200bWinner of the Continental Classic: Konosuke Takeshita<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><strong><b>More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em><i>Header photo \u2013 AEW\u00a0\u2013 Stay tuned 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> for more on AEW Continental Classic 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 Collision airs Saturday at 8 pm Eastern on TNT. More AEW content available on their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@AEW\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">YouTube<\/a><\/i><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We are officially in the Endgame of the 2025 Continental Classic. This is the last week of the round-robin portion of the tournament, and by Christmas night, we will know who will be heading to World\u2019s End in the semifinals. Merry Christmas to us all. A total of nine matches are scheduled (pre-taped) for Dynamite [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4155,"featured_media":147032,"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":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-149251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149251","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\/4155"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149251"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149251\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":149260,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149251\/revisions\/149260"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/147032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=149251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}