Welcome to the week two review of the AEW Continental Classic 2024 on GrapPro.
You can find all content on the Continental Classic from GrapPro here.
Learn more about the participants of the 2024 Continental Classic here.
Update from last week: Juice Robinson of the Gold League is no longer participating in the event due to injury and has been replaced by Komander.
The matches for the second week of the Continental Classic 2024:
AEW Dynamite
Blue League
Kyle Fletcher (2-0) defeats Shelton Benjamin (1-1)
Gold League
Claudio Castagnoli (2-0) defeats Brody King (1-1)
AEW Rampage
Blue League
Kazuchika Okada (1-0-1) defeats Mark Briscoe (0-2)
Daniel Garcia (1-0-1) defeats The Beast Mortos (0-2)
Gold League
Riccohet (1-1) defeats Komander (0-2*)
*Komander replaced Juice Robinson who was 0-1
AEW Collision
Blue League
Kyle Fletcher (3-0) defeats Kazuchika Okada (1-1-1)
Mark Briscoe (1-2) defeats Daniel Garcia (1-1-1)
Gold League
Darby Allin (1-1) defeats Komander (0-3)
Current Results
Kyle Fletcher 3-0
Daniel Garcia 1-1-1
Kazuchika Okada 1-1-1
Shelton Benjamin 1-1
Mark Briscoe 1-2
The Beast Mortos 0-2
Claudio Castagnoli 2-0
Will Ospreay 1-0
Darby Allin 1-1
Ricochet 1-1
Brody King 1-1
Komander 0-3
Blue League Overview
It’s the PROTOSTAR’s world and we’re all living in it.
The Blue League, unlike the Gold League, was able to get three matches from most wrestlers by the end of week two. Only Shelton Benjamin and Beast Mortos are waiting for their third. With most half way through their matches, we can already see that The Beast Mortos is unfortunately winless, Mark Briscoe avoided that fate with a win in his third match, and the two champions are running 1-1-1 records.
Kyle Fletcher is in the driver seat to win the Blue League with matches remaining against Daniel Garcia and Mark Briscoe.
Blue League continues at Winter is Coming: Collision with Kazuchika Okada facing The Beast Mortos.
Gold League Overview
While Claudio sits atop right now, only one person in the Gold League has worked three matches in Komander (one of which was Juice Robinson.) The rest are only at two, with Will Ospreay having wrestled Juice Robinson. It’s too bad we won’t get to see Ospreay and Komander face off. I kinda bugged Tony Khan to do that.
Gold League continues at Winter is Coming: Dynamite with Claudio Castagnoli versus Will Ospreay and Ricochet versus Brody King. The Holiday Bash Dynamite on the 18th has already announced Will Ospreay versus Darby Allin, one of the most anticipated matches of the Continental Classic.
AEW Dynamite
December 4, 2024
Kyle Fletcher defeats Shelton Benjamin to increase his total to 6 points in the Blue League
Opening your television show with a heel versus heel match is usually a recipe for a dead crowd. In Indiana? It wasn’t.
Shelton Benjamin ended up the fans choice as they still absolutely loathed Kyle Fletcher, and to their chagrin, Kyle Fletcher used the ropes to get the win. Cheating against a heel. There’s no honour among thieves I guess.
Oddly, some people didn’t understand why Kyle Fletcher, who had just defeated Will Ospreay, would need the ropes to beat Shelton Benjamin. I guess decades covering pro wrestling can sometimes make it hard to see the forest from the trees. But if you had trouble understanding, I’ll explain instead of recapping the match.
Fletcher beat Ospreay in 25 minutes at Full Gear and used the stairs on the outside in executing a tombstone from the apron. He also had an emotional advantage in the match due to his history as a former friend of Ospreay’s. Against Shelton? It’s just two good pro wrestlers. Shelton is also an experienced veteran.
By the 15 minute mark both men were pretty evenly matched. If it kept going the way it was? They were going to a draw. That’s why Kyle Fletcher took the cheap route to hold the ropes for the pinfall victory. It’s not actually about protecting Shelton Benjamin. It’s about Kyle Fletcher getting more heat from the crowd, establishing himself as the top heel of the round robin, and showing he’s intelligent against someone a lot older and more experienced.
If it was a pay per view with a 30 minute time limit? Fletcher would have probably dispatched Benjamin without the need of ropes. But he didn’t have 30 minutes, and the clock was in the final five. He had to beat Benjamin quick. He didn’t have time to build to a crescendo like he did against Ospreay.
No Callis at ringside, 20 minute time limit? You win any way you can.
Claudio Castagnoli defeats Brody King to increase his total to 6 points in the Gold League
It was a battle of the biggest and strongest as Claudio Castagnoli defeated Brody King.
You won’t find a match better laid out of making two guys evenly matched. The strikes, the slams, the counters. Claudio and Brody were so evenly matched they were doing each others spots. Claudio is usually the guy who knocks you out mid air with a European uppercut. This time it was Brody doing it to Claudio trying a springboard.
After a giant superplex and stuff piledriver it felt like Brody King might be taking the W in this, but Brody took too long to get back on the offence. This allowed Claudio to go to the outside to regain his composure. Claudio kept working the right arm of Brody, but it was Claudio avoiding a giant splash to the outside on a chair that helped turn the match back for Claudio.
Claudio tried to win the same way he did against Ricochet by forcing Brody to get back into the ring to avoid a 10 count loss only to eat a clothesline but Brody was able to reverse for a two count. When Brody King went for the Gonzo Bomb, Claudio got out and used the opportunity for a low blow followed by the Neutralizer to win.
I think this match absolutely positioned Brody King as an equal to Claudio Castagnoli, and I get the feeling we could see them battle it out in the near future. If Darby Allin ever builds an army to go against the Death Riders? I see King on his side.
AEW Rampage
December 6, 2024
Kazuchika Okada defeats Mark Briscoe to earn his first win of the Blue League
Very good match between the two men. Would be the first of two champions Mark Briscoe had to face this week.
Okada and Briscoe have great chemistry since both can essentially work any style you throw at them. Okada is starting to get his tournament legs and confidence after playing it too safe against Daniel Garcia and nearly being tapped out.
Mark definitely looked like he could beat Kazuchika Okada at one point, but the finish came down to the fact that Mark has been loyal to the Jay Driller. He won the ROH World Championship with it. It’s a tribute to his fallen brother. It makes sense for him to be not only sentimental to it but also think it can win him the matches.
His second attempt going for it is why he ended up eating a Rainmaker. Okada on the board. Mark still with a donut.
Daniel Garcia defeats The Beast Mortos to earn his first win of the Blue League
Daniel Garcia has absolutely improved since last year, but he wasn’t the highlight in this match for me.
The Beast Mortos is such a fascinating wrestler. His size, his power, his speed, he essentially does everything with maximum impact. Strikes, dives, moves, even bumping for his opponent. Garcia has never looked deadlier because he was facing Mortos who makes everything deadlier.
After a missed corkscrew but a connected headbutt, Daniel Garcia was able to switch up Mortos and flip him into a jacknife pin for his victory.
Ricochet defeats Komander to earn his first 3 points of the Gold League
People asked why Komander got the replacement spot for Juice Robinson.
Here’s your answer.
Komander and Ricochet were absolutely fantastic. One of the best matches of the tournament. Let’s start with Komander. Komander was lock in every step with Ricochet. He didn’t look beneath him, he didn’t look weaker. He was able to match Ricochet on every flip and every maneuver. There were so many incredible moves by Komander. Komander rope walking, flipping and rebounding, and then turning it into a top rope hurricanrana? Absolutely incredible.
This was quite possibly Ricochet’s best match in AEW. Actually I’ll say it. I liked it better than all of his previous matches and it’s all about the way he worked. Ricochet didn’t play a babyface in peril like against Takeshita and he didn’t try to go beat for beat with Ospreay. Instead he worked a lot like AJ Styles in 2000s TNA, an aggressive cruiserweight style. There was a mean streak to a lot of what Ricochet did in this match which didn’t get to the point where he’d be booed but it was enough for him to stand out against Komander’s pure highlight reel wrestling.
Komander failed on another rope walk then ate a vertical suplex on the apron. Ricochet hit a springboard 450 then finished Komander with an axe kick, running DVD, and Spirit Gun. Komander with a fantastic bump on it. Go out of your way to watch it.
AEW Collision
December 7, 2024
Darby Allin defeats Komander to earn his first 3 points of the Gold League
Darby Allin you beautiful bastard. That dive into a chair spot was absolutely insane. On a Collision at GalaxyCon? You bet. It doesn’t matter the location. Darby Allin will give 100% and he will do whatever it takes to make his opponent look incredible.
Darby isn’t a traditional type of high flyer and because of that? Him working a guy like Komander doesn’t feel like your typical match between two high flying cruiserweights. It doesn’t feel like a plan of spots and instead like two men using their bodies like weapons in a way you rarely get to see.
Komander continues to impress in his poise and replay worthy big spots. I enjoy that even though he isn’t hitting the rope walk moonsault due to people scouting it, he also isn’t looking dumb. He’s landing on his feet and just not being able to catch them on the comeback. Darby wins with the Last Supper in a great match.
Kyle Fletcher is still undefeated in the Blue League defeating the Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada
The biggest upset of the tournament so far.
The pace was pretty slow at first. I could definitely feel like they wanted to stretch it as much as possible and unfortunately it didn’t have the energy I expected from Kyle Fletcher. Kazu loves his pacing and this definitely felt like he was pacing for another 20 minute draw.
The match started to pick up when Kazuchika Okada realized nothing he could do would turn that crowd against him. They hated the Protostar and loved Okada. Even the middle finger instead of a Rainmaker pose didn’t work. GalaxyCon loves The Rainmaker.
Fletcher was a monster in this. That powerbomb on Okada was impressive. There was a bit of a mess up in the corner close to the finish but they did the Rainmaker dance into a low blow well.
Fletcher wins with a brainbuster. Is he losing at all in this Continental Classic? Even if he doesn’t win it, he’s got a win over Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay in only a few weeks. AEW is going with him.
Mark Briscoe gets Cut-Throat to take his first 3 points of the Continental Classic against Daniel Garcia
Going into the match there was a promo between Mark and Daniel with Renee Paquette where Mark Briscoe talked about how much he needed this win. It made me think: was Mark Briscoe going to do something out of character? Was he going to cheat to win?
He didn’t (thankfully) but he did change things up. Going for that Jay Driller one too many times cost him against the AEW Continental Champion. He didn’t make that mistake against Daniel Garcia, this time switching up to the Cut-Throat Driver for the win.
I liked Danny a lot in this, from the running front dropkick onto the chair on the outside to the way he upped his striking game due to it being Mark Briscoe. Garcia is going to be sour about losing this match but he’s a gentleman and I’m sure once the C2 is over he’s going to give a TNT shot to Mark Briscoe. I can’t wait for that match.
Tune in next week for our coverage of week three of the AEW Continental Classic 2024.
