The AEW Continental Championship is a men's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Established on November 18, 2023, the title has a special attribute in that it is defended under Continental Rules in which no one is allowed at ringside and outside interference is strictly prohibited and matches have a 20-minute time limit. The reigning champion is Kazuchika Okada, who is in his first reign, which is the longest reign for the title. He won the title by defeating Eddie Kingston on the March 20, 2024, episode of Dynamite.
| AEW Continental Championship | |||||||||||||||||
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 The AEW Continental Championship belt. | |||||||||||||||||
| Details | |||||||||||||||||
| Promotion | All Elite Wrestling | ||||||||||||||||
| Date established | November 18, 2023 | ||||||||||||||||
| Current champion(s) | Kazuchika Okada | ||||||||||||||||
| Date won | March 20, 2024 | ||||||||||||||||
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The title is also the prize of the promotion's Continental Classic (C2), an annual round-robin tournament that begins at the end of November and culminates at the Worlds End pay-per-view event in late December. The incumbent champion at the time of the tournament is automatically entered and defends the title in the C2. Eddie Kingston became the first-ever Continental Champion after winning the inaugural tournament in December 2023. Kingston was subsequently also recognized by AEW as the American Triple Crown Champion, also referred to as the Continental Crown, as he simultaneously held the ROH World Championship of sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH) and the Strong Openweight Championship of partner promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). After Kazuchika Okada won the Continental Championship in March 2024, it was separated from the Triple Crown.
History
editOn November 11, 2023, the American professional wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) announced a tournament called the Continental Classic (C2). 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 held across episodes of Dynamite, Rampage, and Collision, and then concluding at the Worlds End pay-per-view (PPV) event on December 30.[1][2] It was also announced that the winner of the tournament would become the inaugural holder of the AEW Continental Championship.[3]
Eddie Kingston became the inaugural Continental Champion by defeating Jon Moxley in the final of the C2 at Worlds End.[4] Kingston was also declared the American Triple Crown Champion (also referred to as the Continental Crown) upon winning the Continental Championship, as he simultaneously held the ROH World Championship of sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH) and the Strong Openweight Championship of partner promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). By being part of the Triple Crown Championship, the Continental Championship was recognized by AEW, ROH, and NJPW, allowing it to be defended in all three promotions.[3][5]
On the March 20, 2024, episode of Dynamite, the championship was defended for the first time by itself, where Kazuchika Okada defeated Kingston to win the title. This in turn separated the Continental Championship from the Triple Crown. Tony Khan then clarified the rules of the championship. Title matches are held under Continental Rules, which are the same rules that were used during the C2 in which no one is allowed at ringside and outside interference is strictly prohibited. He also re-clarified that whoever is champion coming out of November's Full Gear PPV, they would automatically be entered into the C2 and would defend the title in the tournament.[6]
Reigns
editAs of December 29, 2024, there have been two reigns. Eddie Kingston was the inaugural champion, which was the shortest reign at 81 days, while Kazuchika Okada's ongoing reign is the longest at 284+ days. Kingston is also the oldest champion at 42 years old, while Okada is the youngest at 36.
Kazuchika Okada is the current champion in his first reign. He defeated Eddie Kingston on the March 20, 2024, episode of Dynamite in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| No. | Overall reign number |
|---|---|
| Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
| Days | Number of days held |
| + | Current reign is changing daily |
| No. | Champion | Championship change | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | ||||
| 1 | Eddie Kingston | December 30, 2023 | Worlds End | Uniondale, NY | 1 | 81 | Defeated Jon Moxley in the finals of the 12-man Continental Classic tournament; Kingston's ROH World Championship and NJPW Strong Openweight Championship were also on the line, and he was dubbed the inaugural American Triple Crown Champion (also referred to as the Continental Crown) for holding all three titles.[7] | [8] |
| 2 | Kazuchika Okada | March 20, 2024 | Dynamite | Toronto, ON, Canada | 1 | 284+ | This match was only for the Continental Championship. | [9] |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Defelice, Robert (November 11, 2023). "Tony Khan Announces AEW Continental Classic Tournament Starts On 11/22, Concludes At AEW Worlds End". Fightful. Archived from the original on November 12, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ Rose, Bryan (November 11, 2023). "AEW announces Continental Classic tournament, Bryan Danielson first entrant". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ a b Renner, Ethan (November 18, 2023). "AEW announces new title & Continental Classic competitors". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
- ^ Nason, Josh (December 30, 2023). "Eddie Kingston wins first-ever Continental Crown at AEW Worlds End". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
- ^ Thomas, Jeremy (November 19, 2023). "Tony Khan Gives More Details on AEW Continental Classic, Will Conclude At Worlds End". 411Mania. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
- ^ Thomas, Jeremy (March 22, 2024). "Tony Khan Clarifies Rules Around AEW Continental Title". 411Mania. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ "AEW Continental Classic Final Set for Worlds End". www.allelitewrestling.com. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Powell, Jason (December 30, 2023). "AEW Worlds End results: Powell's live review of MJF vs. Samoa Joe for the AEW World Championship, Eddie Kingston vs. Jon Moxley to become the first AEW Triple Crown Champion". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
- ^ Powell, Jason (March 20, 2024). "AEW Dynamite results (3/20): Powell's live review of Christian Cage vs. Adam Copeland in an I Quit match for the TNT Title, Eddie Kingston vs. Kazuchika Okada for the Continental Title, Hook vs. Chris Jericho". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved March 20, 2024.