AEW Announces Change To Continental Classic Format With Major Worlds End Implications

By Max Everett
AEW Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada AEW/Lee South

This year's Continental Classic kicked off during "AEW Dynamite" with a slight deviation from last year's format. The 2023 tournament saw the inauguration of the AEW Continental Championship, with competitors qualifying from the round robin stage seeded for semi-final bouts during "AEW Dynamite: New Year's Smash" and those winners – Eddie Kingston and Jon Moxley – going on to fight for the title in the final at Worlds End. Kazuchika Okada will be going into this tournament as the reigning champion, and may have a steeper task ahead to retain his title as it was announced that this year both the semi-finals and final will be fought during the Worlds End event on December 28. 

Okada is entering the Continental Classic in the Blue League alongside Shelton Benjamin, Kyle Fletcher, The Beast Mortos, Daniel Garcia, and Mark Briscoe, with Benjamin and Briscoe kicking off the tournament during "Dynamite." On the other side, the Gold League is comprised of Will Ospreay, Ricochet, Juice Robinson, Brody King, Claudio Castagnoli, and Darby Allin. King vs. Allin and Castagnoli vs. Ricochet are scheduled to open that side of the bracket during "Dynamite." Okada vs. Garcia, Ospreay vs. Robinson, and Fletcher vs. Mortos are scheduled to continue the tournament this Saturday on "AEW Collision."

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