All Elite Wrestling’s prestigious new tournament, the Continental Classic, officially kicked off during last week’s episode of . The action will continue into the World’s End pay-per-view at the end of the year, meaning that Wednesday’s new episode of the AEW flagship series centers on another exciting round of matches.
Videos by ComicBook.com
The Continental Classic matches featured on Dynamite this week are all part of the Gold League side of the round-robin tournament. They include Jon Moxley vs. Jay Lethal, Mark Briscoe vs. RUSH, and the highly anticipated bout between Jay White and Swerve Strickland. In that final match, both competitors won their first fight in the tournament, giving them both a chance to begin the Continental Classic with six points.
The action began with Jay Lethal taking on Jon Moxley to try and earn his first points of the tournament. Unfortunately for him, Moxley proved too tough an opponent, forcing Lethal to tap out with a chokehold.
In the second match, both RUSH and Jay Briscoe aimed to make up for their opening losses last week and get their first points on the board. At the end of a roller coaster, back-and-forth match, RUSH was able to pin Briscoe for the victory. RUSH now sits with three points, while Briscoe has yet to score.
The final Continental Classic match on Wednesday came in the main event, and the fight between Swerve and Jay White could’ve easily been considered one of the tournament’s most highly anticipated matches heading into the group stage. The match certainly lived up to the hype, especially when Jay White kicked out at the count of two after a Swerve Stomp. With under five minutes to go in the match, it seemed like the Continental Classic was heading for its first draw. Swerve stole a victory in the closing moments, however, earning him six points and tying Jon Moxley at the top of the standings.
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.
Heading into Wednesday, everyone in the tournament had fought in one match, with the exception of Bryan Danielson and Andrade El Idolo.
