AEW’s inaugural Continental Classic tournament is almost over. At the Worlds End pay-per-view on Saturday night, AEW will host the final match of the round-robin tournament, crowing the company’s first-ever Triple Crown champion. Heading into the latest episode of AEW Dynamite on Wednesday night, five competitors remained. Jon Moxley, “Switchblade” Jay White, and Swerve Strickland for first place in the Gold League, while Bryan Danielson and Eddie Kingston finished the group stage as the two highest scorers in the Blue League. That led to two semifinal matches on Wednesday night, which set the final matchup for Saturday.
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Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite kicked off with the Gold League Semifinal match, which turned into a three-way match after Jay White beat Jon Moxley last week. The two men shared the ring with Swerve Strickland, with only one set to move on to the championship at Worlds End.
While fans might have hoped to see one of the new faces of AEW end up in the Continental Classic final, the win ultimately went to the man who has carried the company through its toughest times. Jon Moxley pinned Jay White to win the Gold League semifinal and advance to Saturday’s championship.
The second and final semifinal match saw Bryan Danielson take on Eddie Kingston. Both men have a deep history with Moxley, setting up exciting possibilities for Worlds End regardless of who won.
Of course, there has to be a winner, and the lengthy match gave fans an exciting conclusion. When it seemed like Danielson was in control, perpetual underdog Eddie Kingston delivered a power bomb and put the American Dragon down for the three-count.
Moxley and Kingston have been very close friends for years, though that relationship has been strained at times, leading to an occasional in-ring rivalry. Worlds End will deliver the duo’s next and potentially most exciting chapter.
Who Is in the Continental Classic?
The 12 competitors in the AEW Continental Classic were split into two groups: the Gold League and the Blue League. Each competitor will face all of the other wrestlers in their league during the group stage, earning three points for a win and one point for a draw (occurring if the 20-minute time limit is reached without a victor).
The Gold League consists of Swerve Strickland, Jay Lethal, Jon Moxley, Mark Briscoe, “Switchblade” Jay White, and RUSH. The competitors in the Blue League include Eddie Kingston, Bryan Danielson, Daniel Garcia, Claudio Castagnoli, Brody King, and Andrade El Idolo.
