SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
AEW has gotten more and more violent in recent months. The escalation of violence has seen tasers, flame throwers, fish tanks, fire, glass, thumbtacks, and just about every weapon possible short of a gun or a knife used on AEW TV and PPV. Jack Perry does carry a knife with him, but he hasn’t used it.
Last Sunday AEW offered up a super serving of blood and weapon infused matches that frequently featured outside interference or cheating with the Jon Moxley vs. Darby Allin, Mark Briscoe vs. Kyle Fletcher, and Samoa Joe vs. Hangman Page overshadowing much of the other action on the card where the wrestlers were left to rely on traditional wrestling to get by and engage the live crowd.
The start of the AEW Continental Classic tournament set to begin tonight and play out over the course of the next several weeks leading to the conclusion of the tournament at the Worlds End PPV at the end of the month will allow AEW fans to see the roster in a different light each week. The Continental Classic Rules dictate that nobody will accompany a wrestler to ringside and any outside interference during a match could result in a permanent ban from AEW. Each tournament match also has a 20 minute time limit and wrestlers receive three points for a win, one point for a draw, and zero points for a loss.
Since the tournament round robin style tournament began two years ago in AEW, there have been a number of great wrestling matches in the tournament. The tournament has served as a welcome break for the signature violence the company is known for and has offered the members of the roster a way to stand out in a different way in the ring. It is similar to NJPW’s G1 Climax, but the schedule isn’t as grueling.
The Gold League features Pac, Darby Allin, Kevin Knight, Mike Bailey, Kyle Fletcher, and Kazuchika Okada. The big intrigue for me on this side of the bracket is just the sheer amount of talent and how the prospects of the wrestlers in the Gold League matching up where the rules are abided by for the most part and there’s no outside interference is intriguing. The most intriguing match to me on this side of the field is Okada vs. Fletcher.
We’ve seen Okada and Fletcher form a bond inside the Don Callis Family as Okada’s relationship with Konosuke Takeshita has seemed to fall apart. It will be interesting to see if they are able to get through their match and still get along or will there be even more turmoil in the Callis Family after that match. Of course, anytime we can see Pac wrestle in straight up wrestling matches, the result is usually good.
The Blue League features Jon Moxley, Konosuke Takeshita, Claudio Castagnoli, Orange Cassidy, Roderick Strong, and Mascara Dorada. The intrigue for me on this side of the bracket lies with Jon Moxley. Will his performances in the tournament effect his standing in the Death Riders? He’s lost two big matches in a row to Kyle O’Reilly via submission last week, as O’Reilly finished him off via submission at Blood and Guts and in their singles match at Full Gear. Does Moxley lose several matches during the tournament and finally fall out of favor in the Death Riders?
As for the performer to watch, much like Pac, I’m also looking forward to seeing Mascara Dorado wrestle multiple times on TV in the coming weeks. He probably won’t have as good of a showing as Pac from a wins and losses perspective, but he’s going to be a lot of fun to watch in the ring, especially against wrestlers that can go at a fast pace and there’s really not a bad matchup for him in that regard in the entire block. m ready to sit back, relax, and enjoy some good in-ring wrestling where the results in the ring matter and the storylines told within the tournament will highlight several wrestlers on the road to the finals at the end of December without all of threat of weapons, violence, and outside interference.
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