AEW announces the 2023 Continental Classic competitors
It’s been cited by some as the most exciting wrestling tournament of the year, and now the field for the 2023 AEW Continental Classic has been revealed.
It was announced on the Nov. 11 edition of AEW Collision by the company’s President Tony Khan that All Elite Wrestling would finally be giving fans the tournament they had always been asking for: The Continental Classic. A round-robin tournament similar to the G1 Climax in New Japan Pro Wrestling, and the famed Champions Carnival in All Japan Pro Wrestling, pitting the best the company has to offer against each other.
Khan also announced that, despite recently suffering a broken orbital bone, Bryan Danielson would be the first entrant into the tournament, with the American Dragon stating that he had always wanted to compete in a competition like the Continental Classic, but never got the chance. But who will join Bryan as the inaugural participants?
The Blue League:
12 of AEW’s top stars will be split into two leagues, the Blue League and the Gold League. The Blue side of the bracket will wrestle primarily on Collision, and it is a stacked line-up, to say the least.
Bryan Danielson will compete in the Blue League, as will his Blackpool Combat Club stablemate Claudio Castagnoli who will obviously give everything he has to the competition, regardless of who his friends are. Someone who is going to be very happy that he’s in the Blue League is ROH World and NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston, who announced that he will be forming the western equivalent of the “Triple Crown Championship” as his titles will be on the line.
Another performer who was announced ahead of this week’s opening round was Andrade El Idolo, who was entered by his new manager CJ Perry on the Nov. 17 edition of Collision. Speaking of Collision, a group who have become synonymous with Saturday nights on TNT is The House of Black, with Brody King being the group’s representative in the C2.
Rounding out the Blue League will be Daniel Garcia, the former ROH Pure Champion who has been trying to convince himself as of late that he’s less of a sports entertainer and more of a professional wrestler.
The Gold League:
While the six men in the Blue League will fight it out on Collision, the Gold League will be mainly contested on Dynamite, but that doesn’t mean it will be any less competitive.
The only competitor in the Gold League announced ahead of time was Mark Briscoe, who confirmed that he would be in the tournament at the Full Gear pay-per-view on Nov. 18. On the topic of Full Gear, Jay White was on the losing end of the AEW World Championship main event against MJF. However, he will get the chance to redeem himself, as he will be Bullet Club Gold’s representative in the Gold League (I mean there isn’t a Bullet Club Blue so he had to be in this league).
Two other men who will be looking to bounce back from a loss at Full Gear will be Jon Moxley and Rush, who were both defeated in their matches for the AEW International and Tag Team Championships, respectively.
As will Jay Lethal, who was beaten by Eddie Kingston on the Zero-Hour portion of Full Gear for the ROH World Championship, so a strong performance in the Continental Classic will do him the world of good. Finally, the man who walked out of Full Gear covered in his own blood but still managed to get his hand raised, Swerve Strickland will be the final entrant into The Gold League.
The AEW Continental Classic kicks off tonight on Dynamite!:
With the finals being contested at the World’s End pay-per-view on Dec. 30, there is no time to waste in getting the AEW Continental Classic underway, so why not kick it off with a bang this week on Dynamite?
The first round of matches in The Gold League will take place on the “Thanksgiving Eve” edition of Dynamite at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Ill., and what a way to start. Jon Moxley will go one-on-one with Mark Briscoe, Rush will face Jay White for the first time ever and Swerve Strickland will face Jay Lethal.
The Blue League will get underway this Saturday on AEW Collision, with Claudio Castagnoli taking on Daniel Garcia, and Eddie Kingston going one-on-one with Brody King. By the process of elimination, that means that the remaining match will be Andrade El Idolo vs. Bryan Danielson, but that hasn’t been officially announced at the time of writing.
Are you excited for the AEW Continental Classic? Let us know in the comments section, and don’t forget to follow Vendetta Sports Media on all of your favorite social media platforms!
