For the first time in 647 days, Kazuchika Okada is no longer Continental Champion.
Jon Moxley defeated Okada in the finals of this year’s Continental Classic, drilling the now-former champion with the death rider DDT to secure the victory and the title. The rest of the Death Riders entered the ring to celebrate after the match. Moxley then cut a babyface promo saying this belt wasn’t for him, it was for everyone who participated in the tournament as well as the fans. He says the Death Riders want to be the elite of the elite and they will continue to do so.
In the opening match of the night, Okada defeated Konosuke Takeshita to advance to the finals, pinning the IWGP World Champion after using Don Callis’ screwdriver. Immediately after, Moxley put Kyle Fletcher to sleep in what ended up being a classic back-and-forth battle.
Okada won the title by defeating Eddie Kingston back on the March 20, 2024 edition of Dynamite and would go on to retain the title by winning last year’s Continental Classic tournament. He then unified that title with the International title at All In earlier this year, creating the Unified Championship. Although Okada lost the Continental title, he remains the AEW International Champion.
Following Thursday’s Christmas Collision, the two Continental Classic semifinal matches are now confirmed for this Saturday’s AEW Worlds End pay-per-view and as expected, the Don Callis Family will be well represented.
In a match building for months, IWGP World Champion and Blue league winner Konosuke Takeshita will take on Gold league co-winner Kazuchika Okada. Takeshita defeated Mascara Dorada earlier in the night, but had already qualified while Okada’s main event win over Mike Bailey locked his spot and avoided a four-way semifinal.
The other match will see Blue league runner-up Jon Moxley against Gold League co-winner Kyle Fletcher. Moxley defeated Orange Cassidy to lock up his spot while Fletcher edged out Jack Perry to open the show.
In both cases, they will be first time ever matches.
Okada will try to win his second straight CC while Moxley is trying to get back to the finals for the first time since 2023.
AEW Worlds End 2025 lineup | This Saturday | Hoffman Estates, Illinois
Zero Hour Pre-Show: Hyan & Maya World vs. Sisters of Sin (Julia Hart & Skye Blue)
Mixed Nuts Mayhem: Toni Storm, Roderick Strong, Mark Briscoe & Orange Cassidy vs. Claudio Castagnoli, Marina Shafir, Wheeler Yuta & PAC
Continental Classic semifinal: Kazuchika Okada vs. Konosuke Takeshita
Continental Classic semifinal: Jon Moxley vs. Kyle Fletcher
Continental Classic tournament final: TBD
Darby Allin vs. Gabe Kidd
AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) defend against Bang Bang Gang (Austin Gunn & Juice Robinson) in a street fight
AEW Women’s World Tag Team Champions Babes of Wrath (Harley Cameron & Willow Nightingale) defend against Mercedes Mone & Athena
AEW Women’s World Champion Kris Statlander defends against Jamie Hayter
AEW World Champion Samoa Joe defends against MJF, Hangman Adam Page and Swerve Strickland in a four-way
League play in the 2025 AEW Continental Classic has concluded ahead of this Saturday’s Worlds End pay-per-view and the semifinals are now set.
Thursday’s Christmas Collision featured six CC matches, three spots remaining in the semifinals, and a six-way tie in the Gold league going into the night.
In the opener, Kyle Fletcher defeated Jack Perry with less than a minute to go to earn three points and finish Gold league play with nine points while Perry was eliminated with six points.
IWGP World Champion Konosuke Takeshita, already locked into a semifinal spot, then followed that up with a victory over Mascara Dorada. The match was one a long time in the making as a fan-created graphic on social media that fooled some people caught the attention of AEW head Tony Khan who then said he wanted to make the match. Dorada ends his tournament with six points while Takeshita finishes with 13 points.
For the second straight year, CMLL Heavyweight Champion Claudio Castagnoli was unsuccessful in his final league play bout, losing to Roderick Strong in the Blue league. The win gave Strong his first in league play (three points) while Castagnoli ended his tournament with seven points.
Both PAC and Kevin Knight ended their Gold league action with a 20-minute draw, giving them each a point but leaving them both at seven points.
Former AEW World Champion Jon Moxley and Orange Cassidy renewed their rivalry in the Blue league with a spot in the semifinals on the line. Moxley picked up a pinfall win in the bout’s closing minutes to secure another three points, giving him nine and leaving Cassidy six. That also secured Moxley the runner-up spot in the Blue league and a match with Fletcher Saturday in one semifinal.
In the show’s finale, 2024 Continental Classic Winner Kazuchika Okada also pulled out a win with minutes to go as he pinned “Speedball” Mike Bailey to earn three points and advance to the semifinals with nine points. He now faces fellow Don Callis Family member Takeshita in the other semifinal.
Final AEW Continental Classic Gold League standings
Wrestler
Current Points
Jack Perry
6 points
PAC
7 points
Kevin Knight
7 points
Mike Bailey
6 points
Kyle Fletcher
9 points — clinched spot in semifinals
Kazuchika Okada
9 points — clinched spot in semifinals
Final AEW Continental Classic Blue League standings
Wrestler
Current Points
Konosuke Takeshita
13 points — clinched spot in semifinals
Claudio Castagnoli
7 points
Jon Moxley
9 points — clinched spot in semifinals
Orange Cassidy
6 points
Mascara Dorada
6 points
Roderick Strong
3 points
Final AEW Continental Classic matches (Worlds End):
The AEW Continental Classic has entered its final week of action with both the Gold and Blue leagues up for grabs after the events of Saturday’s Holiday Bash edition of Collision.
The show featured two Gold league bouts with the opener featuring “Jungle” Jack Perry defeating “Speedball” Mike Bailey to give Perry his first three points of the tournament and leaving Bailey with six points.
The other saw an upset as Kevin Knight picked up an impressive win over 2024 tournament winner Kazuchika Okada that leaves both men with six points and a five-way tie going into the last two shows before Worlds End.
There were no Blue league matches Saturday, but the schedule for this week can be found below.
Updated AEW Continental Classic Gold League standings
Wrestler
Current Points
Jack Perry
3
PAC
6
Kevin Knight
6
Mike Bailey
6
Kyle Fletcher
6
Kazuchika Okada
6
Updated AEW Continental Classic Blue League standings
Wrestler
Current Points
Orange Cassidy
6
Konosuke Takeshita
7
Jon Moxley
6
Claudio Castagnoli
7
Roderick Strong
0
Mascara Dorada
3
Next AEW Continental Classic Matches (Wednesday):
Continental Classic Blue league: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Orange Cassidy
Continental Classic Blue league: Roderick Strong vs. Mascara Dorada
Continental Classic Gold league: PAC vs. Jack Perry
Next AEW Continental Classic Matches (Thursday):
Continental Classic Blue league: Jon Moxley vs. Orange Cassidy
Continental Classic Blue league: Mascara Dorada vs. Konosuke Takeshita
Continental Classic Blue league: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Roderick Strong
Continental Classic Gold league: Kazuchika Okada vs. Mike Bailey
Continental Classic Gold league: PAC vs. Kevin Knight
Continental Classic Gold league: Jack Perry vs. Kyle Fletcher
The second week of the AEW Continental Classic is in the books following Saturday’s Collision that featured three Blue league matches and a big upset.
That upset saw Mascara Dorada pick up a big win over league leader and CMLL Heavyweight Champion Claudio Castagnoli, pinning him following a 450 splash. That gives Dorada his first points while Castagnoli remains at six.
The night’s main event featured IWGP World Champion Konosuke Takeshita downing Jon Moxley to earn another three points. With six, he is tied with Castagnoli and fellow Don Callis Family member Kyle Fletcher.
The show opener saw Orange Cassidy pick up his first victory in Blue league action by virtue of his win over reluctant Conglomeration teammate Roderick Strong. Strong remains with the goose egg in terms of points.
Updated AEW Continental Classic Blue League standings
Wrestler
Current Points
Orange Cassidy
3
Konosuke Takeshita
6
Jon Moxley
3
Claudio Castagnoli
6
Roderick Strong
0
Mascara Dorada
3
There were no Gold league matches, but there was a key development as Jack Perry is replacing Darby Allin due to injuries suffered ten days ago in his tournament opener against Kevin Knight.
Updated AEW Continental Classic Gold League standings
Week two of AEW Continental Classic action kicked off on Wednesday’s Dynamite from Fishers, Indiana, with three matches and two front-runners already.
In a rematch from 2024’s Dynasty, Kazuchika Okada got his first Gold league victory after defeating PAC in the show opener. Okada failed to defeat Kyle Fletcher in his opening match while PAC defeated “Speedball” Mike Bailey in his.
Fletcher and Kevin Knight then put on a show in their Gold league bout, one that Fletcher won after pinning Knight. Fletcher is now 2-0 while Knight is 1-1.
The Blue league main event saw two members of the Death Riders do battle as new CMLL World Champion Claudio Castagnoli upended faction leader and a bloodied Jon Moxley following an uppercut and pin.
Castagnoli now has six points and will look to make it nine when he faces Mascara Dorada on Saturday’s Collision while Moxley will face IWGP World Champion Konosuke Takeshita.
Updated AEW Continental Classic Gold League standings
Wrestler
Current Points
Darby Allin
0
PAC
3
Kevin Knight
3
Mike Bailey
0
Kyle Fletcher
6
Kazuchika Okada
3
Updated AEW Continental Classic Blue League standings
Wrestler
Current Points
Orange Cassidy
0
Konosuke Takeshita
3
Jon Moxley
3
Claudio Castagnoli
6
Roderick Strong
0
Mascara Dorada
0
Upcoming Matches (Saturday’s Collision):
Blue league: Orange Cassidy vs. Roderick Strong
Blue league: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Mascara Dorada
The first Continental Classic matches have been announced for Dynamite.
On social media Tuesday, AEW announced the first matches in the tournament, which will run through next month’s Worlds End pay-per-view. In the Gold League, Kyle Fletcher will take on Kazuchika Okada in a battle of Don Callis Family members that have recently begun forming a friendship. In another Gold League match, Darby Allin will take on JetSpeed’s Kevin Knight.
Meanwhile, in the Blue League, Jon Moxley will take on CMLL’s Mascara Dorada. Moxley will look to rebound after losing to Kyle O’Reilly at Full Gear in a No Holds Barred match.
It was also announced that the Opps will celebrate Samoa Joe’s AEW World Championship win, which took place at Full Gear. Hook ended up being the main factor in Joe’s victory, turning against Page and clobbering him with the AEW World Championship.
AEW Dynamite (November 26)
AEW Continental Classic Gold League: Kyle Fletcher vs. Kazuchika Okada
AEW Continental Classic Gold League: Darby Allin vs. Kevin Knight
AEW Continental Classic Blue League: Jon Moxley vs. Mascara Dorada
The Opps celebrate new AEW World Champion Samoa Joe
The field for this year’s Continental Classic has been announced.
During the AEW Continental Classic Selection Show on Monday, Tony Schiavone announced the following participants for this year’s tournament. Notably, Kazuchika Okada and Kyle Fletcher of the Don Callis Family have been placed in the Gold League, while Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli of the Death Riders are together in the Blue League.
Here are the full list of participants:
Gold League
Darby Allin
PAC
Kevin Knight
Speedball Mike Bailey
Kyle Fletcher
Kazuchika Okada
Blue League
Konosuke Takeshita
Jon Moxley
Claudio Castagnoli
Orange Cassidy
Roderick Strong
Mascara Dorada
Schiavone also announced the schedule for the tournament. Action begins this Wednesday and will continue on AEW Collision, which airs on Thanksgiving this coming Thursday. The League Finals, as well as the Championship Finals, will take place at Worlds End on December 27 at the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
Continental Classic schedule:
Week 1: AEW Dynamite (11/26) and AEW Collision Thanksgiving (11/27)
Week 2: AEW Dynamite (12/3) and AEW Collision Galaxycon (12/6)
Week 3: AEW Dynamite Winter is Coming (12/10) and AEW Collision Winter is Coming (12/13)
Week 5 (Round Robin stage): AEW Dynamite on 34th Street (12/20) and AEW Christmas Collision (12/21)
League Finals & Championship Final: AEW Worlds End (12/27)
Last year’s tournament winner was Kazuchika Okada, successfully retaining the Continental championship he has held since March 20, 2024 by defeating Will Ospreay in the finals.
We now know the start date for the 2025 edition of the AEW Continental Classic tournament.
AEW revealed during Wednesday’s Dynamite and Collision three-hour block that the Continental Classic will kick off on the Wednesday, November 26 Thanksgiving Eve edition of Dynamite.
The 2025 Continental Classic will be the third annual edition of AEW’s round robin-style tournament. In the first two years, ten participants were split into two leagues (Gold League and Blue League) with match winners awarded three points for a victory. A draw earns each competitor one point. The top two point totals in each league square off in the semifinals, with the winners of each league then facing off in the finals with the winner crowned the AEW Continental Champion.
Kazuchika Okada currently holds the Continental Championship and must defend it in this year’s Continental Classic. The Continental title is also currently unified with the AEW International title as the AEW Unified Championship.
AEW Dynamite Thanksgiving Eve, Wednesday, November 26 —
