Welcome to the week one review of the AEW Continental Classic 2024 by GrapPro.
You can find all content on the Continental Classic from GrapPro here.
Each wrestler in the Continental Classic will wrestle five matches to determine the top two spots of the Gold and Blue League.
At World’s End on December 28th, 2024 live on pay per view, the winner of the Gold League will face second place of the Blue League. The winner of the Blue League will face second place of the Gold League. The winners of these matches will face each other later on the show to determine the 2024 winner of the Continental Classic and the AEW Continental Champion.
Learn more about the participants of the 2024 Continental Classic here.
The matches for the first week of the Continental Classic:
AEW Dynamite – Thanksgiving Eve 2024
Blue League
Shelton Benjamin (1-0) defeats Mark Briscoe (0-1)
Gold League
Claudio Castagnoli (1-0) defeats Ricochet (0-1)
Brody King (1-0) defeats Darby Allin (0-1)
AEW Collision
Gold League
Will Ospreay (1-0) defeats Juice Robinson (0-1)
Blue League
Kyle Fletcher (1-0) defeats The Beast Mortos (0-1)
Daniel Garcia (0-0-1) and Kazuchika Okada (0-0-1) go to a draw.
Current Results
Shelton Benjamin 1-0
Kyle Fletcher 1-0
Kazuchika Okada 0-0-1
Daniel Garcia 0-0-1
Mark Briscoe 0-1
The Beast Mortos 0-1
Claudio Castagnoli 1-0
Brody King 1-0
Will Ospreay 1-0
Juice Robinson 0-1
Darby Allin 0-1
Ricochet 0-1
Blue League Overview
Kazuchika Okada walked into the AEW Continental Classic as the champion but he didn’t really make a statement in the first match. By going to a draw with Daniel Garcia he avoids defeat but he absolutely loses out on two crucial points. I should have suspected that the two champions would go to a draw, so neither could make a claim on the other’s championship. Even worse was Okada was about to lose the match, so he didn’t really look like the God King he thinks of himself to be.
Gold League Overview
Darby losing his first match is to be expected since he’s likely to play the underdog trying to catch up and gain a spot in the top two. Ending Dynamite as a build up to the massive match between Claudio and Brody King was nice to see. No other surprises in the results.
AEW Dynamite
November 27, 2024
Shelton Benjamin defeats Mark Briscoe for 3 points in the Blue League
Mark Briscoe was the perfect guy to help showcase Shelton Benjamin for the opening contest of the 2024 Continental Classic. For some, Shelton is the replacement for Rush. He might not have Rush’s speed and tenacity but he absolutely brings power with athletic flair.
Good on commentary for pointing out that both men had experience against each other in tag team competition from matches between The Briscoes and World’s Greatest Tag Team in Ring of Honor.
The common story in the match was that Shelton Benjamin had the advantage in match strategy and power but Mark Briscoe was both resilient and refused to let up. Shelton had to constantly cut Briscoe off whenever he started to build some momentum. Briscoe’s best momentum came in a Death Valley Driver reversal, elbow drop, and Froggy Bow. Benjamin cut the momentum going out of the ring but Briscoe tried to keep it up with another elbow drop on the outside and a second Froggy Bow attempt. It was one elbow too many, allowing Benjamin to get back in with suplexes.
After two big thrust kicks (not superkicks but proper leg propulsion) and an Exploder, Benjamin gets the win.
Claudio Castagnoli defeats Ricochet for 3 points in the Gold League
I really was hoping that Claudio and Ricochet would tear the house down as they have experience against each other. It was a good match but didn’t reach the levels I was hoping for.
Ricochet at least wasn’t as disappointing in this match with Konosuke Takeshita and brought a lot more offence. The less said about the bald chants the better. At least they were chanting for wrestlers in the company.
There was a lot more desperation in Ricochet’s pace until later on when he did a slow dive with little impact to the outside. It led to Claudio taking the advantage with high boots and backbreakers. Ricochet would try again and think this properly hit the dive. Ricochet would follow with a turnbuckle springboard flying clothesline and a lionsault.
After a few kicks which reflected Ricochet’s inability to stay aggressive on the offence (he just hit two big flying moves and let Claudio get up to do two weak kicks instead of doing something big again), Claudio would take the offensive and hardly let it go. From a European uppercut to a Sharpshooter and a Crossface, Claudio went right back to a big uppercut. Claudio stayed on offence with a Ricola Bomb attempt which was reversed, leading to Claudio throwing Ricochet out of the ring.
Smashing up Ricochet to the outside and forcing Ricochet to make it back to the ring on his own volition, Claudio would finish off Ricochet with a simple clothesline.
Brody King defeats Darby Allin for 3 points in the Gold League
One of the best matches under 10 minutes you’ll see this year. Darby had arguably one of the best television matches of the year (and in AEW history at under 13 minutes against Konosuke Takeshita back in January. The problem is those shorter matches often mean Darby is getting the L.
Brody King I need write more on soon. He is the modern day Bam Bam Bigelow. The problem is that Bam Bam in the 90s was a guy who deserved far more success and didn’t have it. Brody King feels like he might end up the same unless he can get away from House of Black and get some gas in his engine.
Darby Allin was clearly selling the effects of the car crash from the end of Full Gear and was hardly in condition to perform in this match, but his absolute refusal to ever back down from a challenge is both why he’s one of the heroes of All Elite Wrestling and also why he struggles to get to the top of the mountain.
Brody King’s cannonball that knocked out the broadcast, including the commentary, was a memorable moment in the match, with Excalibur coming right back in for the Code Red off the top for a two count. Darby following with his suicide splash and two Coffin Drops to the outside which really felt like could have been his way to get back into the match and maybe take a victory.
But a third Coffin drop was one too many leading to a Brody chokehold turned into a Gonzo Bomb. Brody shook his head with little celebration on winning the match. That wasn’t like the match at WrestleDream or other battles they had. The three points are what matters most, but Brody wasn’t looking like a man who beat one of the best in the company but more like he had to do a mercy killing.
At the end of the match, Claudio Castagnoli looked like he wanted to inflict some more violence on Darby Allin, who he had beaten prior to Full Gear. Brody King however, despite just destroying Darby? Had no interest in seeing Claudio do it. AEW then announced that was going to be the C2 match on Dynamite.
AEW Collision
November 30, 2024
Will Ospreay defeats Juice Robinson for 3 points in the Gold League
There was a lot of, “Wish x was in C2 instead of Juice” talk so Robinson has the right guy to prove doubters wrong in Will Ospreay. Ospreay selling the damage from Kyle Fletcher, which is essentially having more KT tape on holding body parts after big spots.
Juice absolutely controlling the pace in the match and making sure Will Ospreay works his style. For anyone who prefers the Ospreay style the might be finding this a little slow but if you’re tired of the Will Ospreay style? This is a breath of fresh air and proof Ospreay can work styles outside of the gogogo.
Juice Robinson hits a neckbreaker in this match which Ospreay sells better than almost anyone I’ve ever seen. The snap he puts in the recoil was just exemplary.
There was a slip up on a powerbomb to reverse a hurricanrana but it ended up working out because Juice kept the control. Excellent DDT to the outside for a countout win attempt.
Good nearfall by Juice after a leg lariat and left arm lariat. Tony Schiavone not told that Juice is an Illinois native. Ospreay almost winning with the Styles Clash.
Ospreay finishes the match with a not so Hidden Blade (Juice was looking right at him) to end a pretty good match. Perfect TV match. Ospreay sells his arm after the match. Juice Robinson rumoured to be legitimately injured. Not sure if AEW replaces him or goes typical round robin to make all of his matches a loss.
Kyle Fletcher defeats The Beast Mortos for 3 points in the Blue League
I was looking forward to this match and neither man let me down.
Kyle Fletcher is probably sick of people underestimating him and saying he isn’t there yet and I’m glad he is because every week he takes a major step in getting to the point where we have to stop saying he isn’t there yet. He’s figuring out his style, his promo, his physique, his facial expressions, and his pacing in a match.
Fletcher and Mortos actually have similar styles in the mixture of speed and power, with Beast Mortos maybe a little faster but Fletcher a little stronger. The move of the match was absolutely the Crucifix Bomb off the middle rope from Beast Mortos.
Kyle Fletcher using a sheer drop brainbuster to win, either on loan from MJF or just outright stealing it. Damn good match. Glad to see the Beast Mortos getting some spotlight in the C2.
Daniel Garcia and Kazuchika Okada go to a draw for 1 point each in the Blue League
Kazuchika Okada once again not taking his competition serious. He’s still thinking he’s the God King of professional wrestling and nobody in AEW has really given him enough competition for him to think anything otherwise.
Had Okada faced Garcia last year his confidence would have been justified. But Garcia is a new man as TNT Champion with a lot more aggression and a better gameplan every time he enters the ring. This wasn’t a title for title match but Garcia was absolutely treating it like a TNT Championship match.
In some ways, Okada was also treating it like a Continental Championship defence, but more in how he paced himself and looked to just try to survive instead of going for the win. It hasn’t really clicked yet that these matches mean the difference between being champion and not. He better be waking up after that draw.
Okada spent pretty much an entire commercial break relaxing on the ropes, giving Garcia insulting little kicks, and essentially telling the crowd that everything was beneath him. Garcia responded with fire, big clotheslines, big stomps in the corner, and never stopping on his offence until a sleeper hold on Okada. Garcia later tried the Sharpshooter to set up Red Death, which was likely a mistake to think he could get a submission victory on Okada in only a 20 minute match limit.
Okada got the advantage back with the corner of a chair and a DDT to the outside before blowing kisses to the screen. With five minutes remaining Kazuchika Okada still wasn’t showing any real sense of needing to finish this, playing up a Rainmaker Pose to instead dance and shoot a middle finger in Daniel Garcia’s face.
After a double clothesline and both men down, Okada would slowly lift Daniel Garcia in Rainmaker position and powder him with one, keeping wrist control. When he tried to go for a second Garcia ducked only to eat a dropkick. Garcia would reverse to go for the Sharpshooter as there was one minute remaining, Garcia unable to sink in deep for the Red Death. Garcia finally sunk back in but it was too late. Okada survived for the 20 minute draw.
Okada then went for a handshake only to instead give a middle finger and limp away. Garcia just watched with dead eyes.
Tune in next week for our coverage of Week Two.
