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On Tuesday, Tony Khan announced on Twitter that due to Juice Robinson’s injury he would no longer be competing in the 2024 Continental Classic.
Due to injury, Juice Robinson cannot complete the #AEWContinentalClassic.
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) December 3, 2024
Aiming to prove that he can hang with the world’s very best, high flying rising star @KomandercrMX will join the field as Gold League first alternate, + the upcoming schedule will be adjusted accordingly.
Robinson had lost to Will Ospreay on AEW Collision. He was spotted on crutches at WrestleCade over the weekend and according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer they were fearing a broken foot. This would be Juice Robinson’s second major injury in All Elite Wrestling, the first a back injury that required surgery at the end of 2023.
Replacing Juice Robinson in the Gold League as an alternate is Komander. Komander’s last match in All Elite Wrestling was a loss in a four way match won by Buddy Matthews at the Zero Hour of Full Gear 2024.
AEW having alternates instead of just making Juice Robinson’s upcoming matches to be losses means AEW’s booking plans for the Continental Classic were not going to have Juice Robinson going 0-5. It’s possible he still might have since they picked someone who isn’t believable to win any of his next matches (Do you see Komander defeating Darby Allin? Claudio Castagnoli? Brody King? Ricochet?) but I feel like Juice was either going to win or go to a draw on one of those matches and they didn’t want to completely rework what they had already agreed to.
An Alternate Issue
Running alternates is going to be something that differentiates AEW’s Continental Classic from New Japan Pro Wrestling’s G1 Climax, and it’s interesting they went with someone without much momentum behind them for the first alternate choice.
It’s very possible this was a logistics issue. They needed someone on short notice and Komander was already available to work Ricochet at the Dynamite/Rampage tapings and would be attending GalaxyCon in Columbus so he could be there for the Collision taping as well. Komander has already been scheduled to face Darby Allin at the show.
I’ve already seen people asking, “Why not have a stronger alternate?” and I get it. The most obvious one on the mind should be Buddy Matthews, who won that four way match on Zero Hour that Komander was in. Was that really just a meaningless match? They could have turned it retroactively into, “Buddy Matthews was fighting for the first alternate spot in the Continental Classic” but now that’s gone.
The problem with a stronger alternate is that the Continental Classic is a nightmare of agreements between wrestlers. You need guys to agree to losses before the tournament begins. You can’t have anyone on the fence. That’s why Andrade El Idolo in the 2023 Continental Classic was initially a surprise but eventually made sense based on who he lost to and who he beat. He was given a “good showing but not a finalist” run that he was happy with.
So these 12 wrestlers have all agreed on who they will lose to or draw to and then someone gets hurt it means you have to bring someone new in. That new person, if they are supposed to get any wins or draws? The people they are facing have to agree to it or the whole C2 falls apart. And the person you select for the alternate? They have to agree to the losses.
Better on Paper
As lovely as it would be on paper to add Buddy Matthews, Malakai Black, PAC, Powerhouse Hobbs, or anyone else? You have to maintain the delicate balance of what you originally booked. That’s why the G1 Climax just has the person forfeit all of their matches and tries to assemble something to resemble the original results agreed to afterwards.
If you ask me, who should have worked the alternate spot? I would have approached Ricky Starks. Hey Ricky. You said you want to wrestle. You said you don’t know why you’re not on television? Come do AEW a solid. Enter the Continental Classic replacing Juice Robinson and work the matches he had agreed to. With the results he agreed to. Prove this isn’t about your ego and be a team player.
I would have also used Fenix, someone who is still under AEW contract but wants to leave. Fenix has always been a team player and it would have been good to see him in some of those matches. Unfortunately he’s iced as well. We don’t know if he has refused doing jobs or if Tony Khan is just upset he wants to leave.
There’s a few other guys who could work in the role like Brian Cage but he’s the current ROH World Television Champion and building up a tag team with Lance Archer. AEW really needs to stop putting champions in matches they could lose without it building a story. A lot of the other options are going to be similar to Komander. Guys who lose but might be preferred in the spot.
If Tony Khan had asked me who to add? I would have immediately suggested AR Fox. He can lose, he can wrestle anyone, and he can have a strong match with anyone. He’d have to get out of the dog house for that, and he’d still not be a “quality” choice who you could believe could win, but I think he would work.
Ultimately? Tony Khan went with Komander. So why did he go with Komander?
Don’t Sleep on Komander
Komander has been in AEW and ROH since March of 2023. He’s still only 25 years old, and has been usually used for HonorClub, Rampage, and when someone needs a quick win on Dynamite. Originally he was the “Rope Walk” guy and had a reputation for average to mediocre lucha matches, being easily outshined by the likes of Fenix, Hologram, or any lucha coming from CMLL. I remember the disappointment when he won a four way for a shot against Orange Cassidy for the AEW International Championship at the beginning of the year.
He’s a young guy though, and seems to be liked enough to keep getting these opportunities. I emphasize his age because at some point this year he went from an average lucha guy to something a bit better. He started putting it together and rewarding the time he’s got in the ring and on TV.
His improvements started after a match with Konosuke Takeshita, but anyone could have a good match with Takeshita. He’s one of the best wrestlers alive today. He then had a good match with Penta on Collision and looked good in the High Flying 4/20 Elimination match. His match with Rush looked back to the usual Komander, but a four way on Rampage with Takeshita, Lio Rush, and The Beast Mortos ended up one of the best matches on Rampage this year.
Since October, Komander has been mostly working singles matches instead of the four ways and that’s where you can see the improvement. His match with Hologram on Dynamite was good. His match on Rampage with Lio Rush was good. And then his match with Kyle Fletcher on Collision? It’s honestly one of the best television matches in AEW this year.
I would implore anyone who questions Komander in the C2 to watch the match with Kyle Fletcher. That’s two men in their mid 20s proving Tony Khan right to put so much time into them on television. It’s a great match.
Good matches with Lio Rush, Shelton Benjamin, and Hechicero (we will ignore the Rocky match which I put on Rocky) just emphasize that there’s something with Komander. There’s a reason why Tony Khan keeps giving him opportunities, even if he isn’t always giving him wins.
AEW has really tried to develop Hologram in the wake of Penta and Fenix looking to exit the company, and it’s my belief that Tony Khan is using the Continental Classic here to really develop Komander going forward as another lucha option the company has going forward. It disappoints me because Fenix could still be out there, and could be helping Komander get to that next level. But this is why Komander is in the C2.
Komander versus Darby Allin? Komander versus Claudio Castagnoli? Komander versus Brody King? Komander versus Ricochet? There’s great opportunities in all four of these matches for Komander to have the same stand out performance he had with Kyle Fletcher back on November 2nd.
That’s why he’s the choice as the alternate. It isn’t about whether he can string four wins and get to the final. It’s about using the alternate to spotlight someone who is always ready for an opportunity, and has been improving with opportunities given. It’s why The Beast Mortos got a spot in the Blue League.
It would be nice if a bigger name got that spot, but in today’s wrestling landscape? It’s getting harder and harder to get people to agree to jobs. The path of least resistance is the best course of action for an alternate in a round robin tournament.
Get well soon Juice Robinson. Good luck Komander.
