The 2025 AEW Continental Classic tournament kicked off on the Thanksgiving Eve edition of “AEW Dynamite” with 4 league matches that had the fans in Nashville, Tennessee on their feet.
The reigning AEW Continental Champion, and last 12 months’s winner of the tournament Kazuchika Okada kicked the 2025 competition off against his fellow Don Callis Member of the family Kyle Fletcher, who each tried to remain friendly within the early going, but that did not last long. “The Protostar” had the early advantage and even went for a lackadaisical cover, but Okada’s experience got him back within the league by kicking Fletcher off the highest rope with the help of referee Rick Knox.
Nonetheless, Fletcher gave Okada a taste of his own medicine by kicking “The Rainmaker” off the highest rope, allowing him to hit an enormous Superplex. Fletcher tried to maintain the momentum but Okada took control and looked to hit The Rainmaker which Fletcher escaped from, but Okada would goal the neck after hitting a DDT on the skin. Each men exchanged kicks and Okada looked to complete the match off with a Tombstone Piledriver, but when he tried to follow up with a Rainmaker, Fletcher countered with a Michinoku Driver. With five minutes left on the clock, each men threw every thing at one another, and in the long run, it was Fletcher who snatched a surprise roll-up on Okada to attain the primary win of the tournament. Fletcher walked away with the three points, and a win over Okada within the Continental Classic for the second consecutive 12 months.
The Gold League match saw “The Jet” Kevin Knight tackle Darby Allin. The match that began very even, but Knight was given an enormous advantage when he performed a Monkey Flip and Darby’s leg caught the ring rope upon landing. Darby would attempt to sustain with Knight but together with his knee bothering him, Knight was capable of stay one step ahead of his opponent. Throughout the business break, Darby would briefly get back into things, but Knight delivered a tough Irish Whip into the corner, to which Darby took the bump face first.
Darby would even things up on the skin with a Shotgun Dropkick off the ramp to the ground and tried to grab a fast win with The Last Supper to no avail. After a double down, Knight tried to get a count out win after hitting a DDT on the ramp, but he would leap excessive with a Lariat. With that said, Knight missed the UFO Splash to permit Darby to hit the Code Red. Darby went for the Coffin Drop but ended up within the Tree of Woe, resulting in Knight landing an enormous Coast-To-Coast Dropkick, which he followed up with the UFO Splash and an upset victory. Knight joins Fletcher at the highest of the Gold League with three points each, while Darby and Okada now have an uphill battle.
Could Jon Moxley Turn His Fortunes Around?
Over within the Blue League, Jon Moxley looked to show his run of bad form around with a win in his opening match against CMLL’s Mascara Dorada. Each men began on the mat, and despite being known for his high-flying, Dorada actually got the higher of Moxley on the bottom. Mockingly, Moxley used a high-flying move to take the early advantage with an enormous Tope Suicida, and even used Dorada’s aerial offense against him by elbowing him out of the air on the skin. Moxley would proceed to ground the Mexican star, using submissions, strikes, and the ringside area with loads of anger and confidence.
Nonetheless, Dorada would get back into things with a Cutter over the barricade, and once things were back within the ring, Dorada would bombarde Moxley with a wide range of moves. Moxley would hit a Cutter of his own and a few corner punches, but Dorada took advantage of Moxley’s confidence and almost got a submission win with an Armbar. He then almost got a pinfall win with a 450 Splash but Moxley kicked out, but when he went to the well again, Moxley got the knees up on the Shooting Star Press, secured a Darce Choke and picked up his first three points of the tournament.
Within the major event of the night, Claudio Castagnoli looked to make it two wins out of two for the Death Riders as he took on Orange Cassidy. “Freshly Squeezed” wanted revenge for what happened to Kyle O’Reilly at Full Gear by the hands of Moxley, but he couldn’t compete with the ability of Castagnoli within the early going. Cassidy did get some moments of hope, but he was thrown across the ringside area, even receiving the Giant Swing into the barricade.
Cassidy remained defiant, which only frustrated Castagnoli, who began treating Cassidy like his own personal ragdoll. Nonetheless, Cassidy would eventually get back into things and landed an enormous DDT on the skin. A Stundog Millionaire led to Cassidy going up top, but Castagnoli hit an Uppercut for a two count before landing the Hammer and Anvil elbows. With that said, two Orange Punches, one other DDT, and a Beach Break looked to have won the match for Cassidy, but Castagnoli kicked out. Cassidy went for one more Orange Punch but missed, which ultimately led to a pop-up European Uppercut from Castagnoli, securing one other victory for the Death Riders as Moxley and Castagnoli sit atop the Blue League with three points each.