AEW Continental Classic

The Continental Classic, colloquially abbreviated as the C2, is an annual professional wrestling round-robin tournament hosted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The tournament is held at the end of the calendar year and culminates at the Worlds End pay-per-view (PPV) event in December. Tournament matches are held under Continental Rules in which no one is allowed at ringside and outside interference is strictly prohibited; breaking these rules results in point deduction. The prize of the tournament is the AEW Continental Championship and the title holder at the time of the C2 is automatically entered into the tournament and defends the title.

The inaugural tournament was held in November—December 2023 and took place across episodes of ''Dynamite'', ''Rampage'', and '' Collision'', culminating at that year's Worlds End PPV on December 30. Eddie Kingston won the inaugural tournament and was crowned the inaugural Continental Champion. In winning the inaugural tournament and championship, he additionally retained the ROH World Championship of sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH) and the Strong Openweight Championship of partner promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) with Kingston subsequently recognized as winning the American Triple Crown Championship, also referred to as the Continental Crown.

In the final week of the inaugural tournament, the C2 was also promoted as the Tournament for Tots in support of charity.

History

On November 11, 2023, the American professional wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) announced a tournament called the Continental Classic. AEW president Tony Khan and AEW wrestler Bryan Danielson announced that the tournament would begin on the November 22, 2023, episode of ''Dynamite'', lasting six weeks and concluding at the Worlds End pay-per-view (PPV) event on December 30.

The Continental Classic was revealed to be a round-robin tournament consisting of two groups of six wrestlers. The first four confirmed participants were Bryan Danielson, Andrade El Idolo, Mark Briscoe, and Eddie Kingston. It was also announced that the winner of the tournament would become the inaugural holder of the AEW Continental Championship. Kingston also announced that his ROH World Championship of sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH) and his Strong Openweight Championship of partner promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) would be on the line, with the winner of the tournament holding all three championships and declared the first American Triple Crown Champion, also referred to as the Continental Crown, representing AEW, ROH, and NJPW. It was also revealed that the champion at the time of the next Continental Classic would automatically be entered into the tournament and defend the title in the tournament.

The inaugural tournament's matches were scheduled to be held across episodes of ''Dynamite'', ''Rampage'', and '' Collision'', with the semi-finals (promoted as the "League Finals") held on December 27 at ''Dynamite'': New Year's Smash and the tournament final (promoted as the "Championship Final") held at the Worlds End PPV. All 12 participants and their groupings in the inaugural Continental Classic were revealed during the "Selection Special" that aired midday on November 22 across AEW's social media. The two blocks, or leagues, were named Gold League and Blue League, with the Gold League matches beginning that night on ''Dynamite''.

During the inaugural tournament's final week, it was given the secondary name of "Tournament For Tots" as AEW and their action figure manufacturer partner Jazwares, donated $1 million dollars worth of toys for the Toys for Tots charity for underprivileged children.

Overview

Format and rules

Round Robin format:
*Two group blocks, Blue and Gold League, with six wrestlers each;
*Each match has a 20-minute time limit;
*Three points for a win, one point each for a draw, and zero points for a loss;
*No one is allowed at ringside; violation of this rule may result in a one-point deduction;
*The top two wrestlers in each group progress to the League Finals
**There is no time limit for the League Finals or Championship Final.
**If wrestlers are tied on points, the tie is broken by their head-to-head results.
**If there is a tie for either of the top two spots which cannot be separated by head-to-head results, the wrestlers concerned all progress.
*The two group winners advance to the Championship Final at Worlds End, with the winner of the final winning the AEW Continental Championship.

Venues

2023

Leagues

2023

See also

* List of All Elite Wrestling tournaments

References

{{All Elite Wrestling

All Elite Wrestling
Professional wrestling tournaments