PARKS’S TAKE: Whose stock went up and whose went down in AEW’s second-annual Continental Classic tournament?

AEW’s Continental Classic is in the books for 2024, and while it didn’t generate the kind of interest the 2023 version did, it once again provided a solid foundation for AEW television shows over the past month. I wrote a Parks’s Take about all of the participants back when they were announced at the end of November, so I thought I’d take a quick look back on how each performed in the tournament, and what they have coming out of it now.

Blue League

Shelton Benjamin: Benjamin proved that at 49 years old, he still has what it takes to hang with some of the best in-ring performers AEW has to offer. Though he garnered just six points, his profile was raised and with MVP’s prodding, it felt like his wins and losses mattered.

Mark Briscoe: As expected, Briscoe improved upon his 2023 performance, finishing third in the Blue League with nine points, including an upset over Kyle Fletcher. As part of the ill-defined Conglomeration, Briscoe could use an opportunity to break out on his own.

Kyle Fletcher: In November, I referred to Fletcher as “one of the top contenders to win his league.” Indeed, Fletcher led the Blue League with 12 points, losing just one match (to Briscoe) along the way. Though he lost in the semi-finals to Will Ospreay, his win over Ospreay prior to the tournament, and then his performance in the tournament, is just the springboard he could use to continue his rise up the ranks.

Daniel Garcia: Like much of his AEW tenure, it felt like Garcia was lost in the shuffle. He picked up seven points and his most impressive showing no doubt was a draw with the eventual winner of the tournament, Kazuchika Okada. Personalities like Briscoe and Fletcher overshadowed Garcia in this one.

The Beast Mortos: The only winless entity in the tournament, Mortos still gathered a cult following as he went. Will his booking moving forward acknowledge that, or is his gimmick too limiting to do anything substantial with him in AEW?

Kazuchika Okada: Billed as the best tournament wrestler, at least of this generation, Okada finished second to Fletcher in the Blue League but won it all at Worlds End. It’s a nice feather in his cap and hopefully means there’s more in store for him in 2025 than being the sidekick to the Young Bucks. The tease with Kenny Omega seemed to indicate the former.

Check out the latest episode of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-show covering the latest episode of Dynamite: CLICK HERE (or search “wade Keller” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)

Gold League

Darby Allin: For someone interacting with the top heel faction in the company, it was somewhat surprising that Allin had a middling performance (seven points). A tournament isn’t necessarily where his strengths as a character lie.

Claudio Castagnoli: In hindsight, I wonder about adding a Death Rider member to this tournament, since the group’s whole mantra seems to be anti-AEW. Why would they then agree to be in such a tournament, and more importantly, why would AEW brass ask members of a group intent on tearing AEW down to be in it?

Brody King: King’s size once again offered a nice contrast to others in the tournament, but the stop-and-start nature of the push of House of Black makes it difficult to envision where he goes from here.

Will Ospreay: A good argument could be made that Ospreay should’ve won this tournament over Okada. Perhaps if he was to lose, he at least should’ve won the Gold League. Alas, he finished second in both, though I see no hesitance in AEW pushing him as a big star despite the losses, and no hesitance from the fans in embracing him.

Ricochet: In my Parks’s Take on this topic, I wrote that no one has more to prove in the tournament than Ricochet. He ended up winning the Gold League with 10 points and also honing a surprisingly effective heel persona. It was win-win for him here despite the ultimate loss in the semifinals.

Juice Robinson: An injury led to an early tournament exit for Robinson, replaced by Komander. One of the most memorable tournament moments was Komander’s upset of Castagnoli and the fan response to it.

I’ll have more expanded thoughts on the tournament and those in it in a future edition of my full-page column in the PWTorch Newsletter, as well as in my VIP audio show, “Greg Parks Outloud!”