The 2024 Continental Classic got underway this past Wednesday on “AEW Dynamite” and has featured three first-round matchups, with Shelton Benjamin defeating Mark Briscoe, Claudio Castagnoli overcoming Ricochet, and Brodie King getting the better of Darby Allin. This year’s event features a selection of both returning and new competitors with the winner being crowned the Continental Champion, currently held by Kazuchika Okada, at Worlds End on December 28.
In a recent edition of “Wrestling Observer Radio,” Dave Meltzer announced his predictions for the tournament beginning with the Blue block, and also provided his thoughts on the main event for next month’s ROH Final Battle.
“From an action standpoint, it may wind up being the best month of the year for AEW televised matches. From TV, I’d sense Chris Jericho vs. Mark Briscoe as the ROH Final Battle main event, but still, I think Blue comes down to Okada, Fletcher, and maybe Garcia. If Fletcher doesn’t at least finish second, or get a win over Okada, the win over Ospreay will not have been worth it,” Meltzer said.
Meltzer continued by assessing the Gold block, where he explained that although there’s a clear favorite to emerge first, there are several options that could advance to the final two.
“On the Gold block side, Ospreay is the favorite, but if Allin is getting a title match at any point, he should do well,” he added. “Aside from Robinson, I could see any of the others also be in the final two.”
Meltzer compares the Continental Classic to the G1 Climax
Dave Meltzer then spoke about the differences between the Continental Classic and the G1 Climax held by NJPW, explaining that the G1 often features the company’s top stars, while AEW President Tony Khan chooses to select a variety of main-eventers and mid-carders for the Continental Classic. He also questioned why The Beast Mortos is featured in the tournament, stating that there’s another AEW star who would’ve possibly been a better choice.
“It’s supposed to be like G1, but it’s not. G1 is to create a top contender for the title and also has every top star in it. If you go with the idea that Moxley, Christian, Page, and White can’t be in it because they are going for the world title, you still have Takeshita, Pac, Adam Cole, MJF, Lashley, Strickland, Jericho, Jack Perry, Malakai Black, Cassidy, and Rush. The only real question is that if Mortos was to be in this tournament, why didn’t he win the four-way? The funny thing is that the crowd really liked Buddy Matthews who won, and if that’s the case, why is he not in, while Mortos, who didn’t win, is?” questioned Meltzer
He also felt that AEW’s advertising for the Continental Classic has been poor, suggesting that Tony Khan likely has already booked the entire tournament. But he believes AEW should’ve announced more matches in advance for the coming weeks. Meltzer used the most recent episode of “AEW Dynamite” from Chicago as an example, explaining that AEW didn’t advertise any matches until the day before their Thanksgiving eve-themed program.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Wrestling Observer Radio” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
