2025 Continental Classic

2025 Continental Classic
2025 Continental Classic winner Jon Moxley
Tournament information
SportProfessional wrestling
Location United States
United Kingdom
DatesNovember 26, 2025–December 27, 2025
Tournament
format
Two-block round-robin tournament
HostAll Elite Wrestling
VenueVarious arenas (see matches)
Participants13[a]
Final positions
ChampionJon Moxley
Runner-upKazuchika Okada

The 2025 Continental Classic (C2) was a professional wrestling round-robin tournament hosted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The third annual edition of the AEW Continental Classic began on the Thanksgiving Eve episode of Dynamite on November 26, 2025,[1] and culminated at the Worlds End pay-per-view (PPV) event on December 27, 2025. Tournament matches were held under "Continental Rules", which featured 20-minute time limits, no one allowed at ringside, and outside interference strictly prohibited. The prize of the tournament was the AEW Continental Championship. The 2025 tournament winner was Jon Moxley.

Overview

Established in 2023, the Continental Classic (C2) is an annual professional wrestling tournament hosted by All Elite Wrestling (AEW) that starts after the promotion's Full Gear pay-per-view (PPV) event in mid-November and ends at the Worlds End PPV at the end of December. The tournament takes place in a round-robin format, with two blocks of six wrestlers – titled the Blue and Gold Leagues – wrestling each other across AEW's television shows, Dynamite, and Collision.

Matches are held under "Continental Rules": each match has 20-minute time limit, no other wrestlers are allowed at ringside, and outside interference is strictly prohibited under threat of penalty. Similar to most soccer leagues, match winners obtain three points for a win, and drawn matches give one point to each participant, and ties are broken based on head-to-head record. After the round-robin phase, the winner of each league will face the runner-up of the opposite league in a playoff match at Worlds End to determine the two championship finalists, who will wrestle each other for the AEW Continental Championship later in the evening.

As the reigning Continental Champion, Kazuchika Okada was awarded automatic entry into the tournament. Two of his fellow stable-mates in the Don Callis Family, Konosuke Takeshita and Kyle Fletcher, announced their entry at Full Gear.[2][3] The remaining nine entrants and the draw for the blocks was announced in a Selection Special on November 24: Okada, Fletcher, Darby Allin, "Speedball" Mike Bailey, Kevin Knight, and Pac were drawn into the Gold League; and Takeshita, Orange Cassidy, Claudio Castagnoli, Máscara Dorada, Jon Moxley, and Roderick Strong were drawn into the Blue League.[4] After Allin was declared medically unable to continue the tournament after his first match against Knight, he was replaced by "Jungle" Jack Perry.[5][6]

In July 2025 at All In: Texas, reigning Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada defeated Kenny Omega in a Winner Takes All Championship unification match to win the AEW International Championship and become the inaugural AEW Unified Champion; since Okada won as the Continental Champion, the Unified Championship adopted the rules of the Continental Championship.[7] Although he defended both belts as one between All In and the Continental Classic, the tournament was only for the Continental Championship, meaning if Okada lost, it would end the unification, thus forcing him to relinquish the Unified Championship.[8][9]

Matches

Legend
  Gold League match
  Blue League match
Semifinal match
  Tournament final match
Tournament matches
Dates Show Venue Matches Time
November 26 Thanksgiving Eve Dynamite The Pinnacle
Nashville, Tennessee
G Kyle Fletcher defeated Kazuchika Okada by pinfall 16:46
B Jon Moxley defeated Máscara Dorada by technical submission 12:55
G Kevin Knight defeated Darby Allin by pinfall[a] 11:56
B Claudio Castagnoli defeated Orange Cassidy by pinfall 12:28
Thanksgiving Collision
(aired November 27)
G Pac defeated "Speedball" Mike Bailey by technical submission 15:16
B Konosuke Takeshita defeated Roderick Strong by pinfall 13:15
December 3 Dynamite Fishers Event Center
Fishers, Indiana
G Kazuchika Okada defeated Pac by pinfall 13:32
G Kyle Fletcher defeated Kevin Knight by pinfall 13:08
B Claudio Castagnoli defeated Jon Moxley by pinfall 15:08
December 6 Collision Greater Columbus Convention Center
GalaxyCon
Columbus, Ohio
B Orange Cassidy defeated Roderick Strong by pinfall 13:23
B Máscara Dorada defeated Claudio Castagnoli by pinfall 12:00
B Konosuke Takeshita defeated Jon Moxley by pinfall 17:29
December 10 Dynamite: Winter Is Coming Gateway Center Arena
Atlanta, Georgia
G Kazuchika Okada defeated "Jungle" Jack Perry by pinfall 12:58
G "Speedball" Mike Bailey defeated Kyle Fletcher by pinfall 19:10
December 13 Collision: Winter Is Coming Utilita Arena Cardiff
Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
B Claudio Castagnoli vs. Konosuke Takeshita went to a time-limit draw 20:00
G "Speedball" Mike Bailey defeated Kevin Knight by pinfall 12:56
December 17 Dynamite: Holiday Bash Co-op Live
Manchester, England, United Kingdom
B Jon Moxley defeated Roderick Strong by pinfall 18:10
G Pac defeated Kyle Fletcher by pinfall 14:54
Collision: Holiday Bash B Orange Cassidy defeated Máscara Dorada by pinfall 11:12
Collision: Holiday Bash
(aired December 20)
G "Jungle" Jack Perry defeated "Speedball" Mike Bailey by pinfall 12:41
G Kevin Knight defeated Kazuchika Okada by pinfall 13:53
December 20 Dynamite on 34th Street
(aired December 24)
Hammerstein Ballroom
New York City, New York
B Konosuke Takeshita defeated Orange Cassidy by pinfall 15:26
B Máscara Dorada defeated Roderick Strong by pinfall 9:20
G "Jungle" Jack Perry defeated Pac by pinfall 14:28
December 21 Christmas Collision
(aired December 25)
G Kyle Fletcher defeated "Jungle" Jack Perry by pinfall 19:18
B Konosuke Takeshita defeated Máscara Dorada by pinfall 11:40
B Roderick Strong defeated Claudio Castagnoli by pinfall 3:22
G Kevin Knight vs. Pac went to a time-limit draw 20:00
B Jon Moxley defeated Orange Cassidy by pinfall 17:03
G Kazuchika Okada defeated "Speedball" Mike Bailey by pinfall 16:02
December 27 Worlds End Now Arena
Hoffman Estates, Illinois
SF Kazuchika Okada defeated Konosuke Takeshita by pinfall 17:17
SF Jon Moxley defeated Kyle Fletcher by technical submission 23:33
F Jon Moxley defeated Kazuchika Okada by pinfall 20:01

Leagues

Legend
  Qualified to league final
Participants
Blue League Gold League
Konosuke Takeshita 13 Kyle Fletcher[α] 9
Jon Moxley 9 Kazuchika Okada (c) 9
Claudio Castagnoli 7 Kevin Knight 7
Orange Cassidy 6 Pac 7
Máscara Dorada 6 "Jungle" Jack Perry[a] 6
Roderick Strong 3 "Speedball" Mike Bailey 6
(c) – the incumbent champion at the beginning of the tournament
  1. ^ Fletcher won the Gold League due to his head-to-head victory against Okada.
Tournament overview
Blue League Cassidy Castagnoli Dorada Moxley Strong Takeshita
Cassidy N/a Castagnoli
(12:28)
Cassidy
(11:12)
Moxley
(17:03)
Cassidy
(13:23)
Takeshita
(15:26)
Castagnoli Castagnoli
(12:28)
N/a Dorada
(12:00)
Castagnoli
(15:08)
Strong
(3:22)
Draw
(20:00)
Dorada Cassidy
(11:12)
Dorada
(12:00)
N/a Moxley
(12:55)
Dorada
(9:20)
Takeshita
(11:40)
Moxley Moxley
(17:03)
Castagnoli
(15:08)
Moxley
(12:55)
N/a Moxley
(18:10)
Takeshita
(17:29)
Strong Cassidy
(13:23)
Strong
(3:22)
Dorada
(9:20)
Moxley
(18:10)
N/a Takeshita
(13:15)
Takeshita Takeshita
(15:26)
Draw
(20:00)
Takeshita
(11:40)
Takeshita
(17:29)
Takeshita
(13:15)
N/a
Gold League Bailey Fletcher Knight Okada Pac Perry[a]
Bailey N/a Bailey
(19:10)
Bailey
(12:56)
Okada
(16:02)
Pac
(15:16)
Perry
(12:41)
Fletcher Bailey
(19:10)
N/a Fletcher
(13:03)
Fletcher
(16:46)
Pac
(14:54)
Fletcher
(19:18)
Knight Bailey
(12:56)
Fletcher
(13:03)
N/a Knight
(13:53)
Draw
(20:00)
Knight
(11:56)
Okada Okada
(16:02)
Fletcher
(16:46)
Knight
(13:53)
N/a Okada
(13:32)
Okada
(12:58)
Pac Pac
(15:16)
Pac
(14:54)
Draw
(20:00)
Okada
(13:32)
N/a Perry
(14:28)
Perry[a] Perry
(12:41)
Fletcher
(19:18)
Knight
(11:56)
Okada
(12:58)
Perry
(14:28)
N/a
Semifinals
Worlds End
December 27, 2025
Championship Final
Worlds End
December 27, 2025
      
B1 Konosuke Takeshita 17:17
G2 Kazuchika Okada (c) Pin
G2 Kazuchika Okada (c) 20:01
B2 Jon Moxley Pin
G1 Kyle Fletcher 23:33
B2 Jon Moxley TKO
  1. ^ a b c d e Darby Allin sustained an injury during his first match with Kevin Knight; he was replaced in the tournament by "Jungle" Jack Perry.

See also

References

  1. ^ Chakrabarti, Shounak (November 20, 2025). "It's Official! AEW Sets Long-Awaited Premiere Date For The Continental Classic". ClutchPoints.
  2. ^ Powell, Jason (November 22, 2025). "AEW Full Gear results: Powell's live review of Hangman Page vs. Samoa Joe in a steel cage match for the AEW World Championship, Kris Statlander vs. Mercedes Mone for the AEW Women's Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved November 22, 2025.
  3. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (November 23, 2025). "Konosuke Takeshita And Kyle Fletcher To Compete In 2025 AEW Continental Classic". Fightful. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  4. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (November 24, 2025). "AEW Announces Competitors In 2025 Continental Classic". Fightful. Retrieved November 27, 2025.
  5. ^ Russell, Skylar (December 3, 2025). "Darby Allin Not Cleared After Continental Classic Match With Kevin Knight, Update Coming On 12/6 AEW Collision". Fightful. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  6. ^ Ishaan, Sharma (December 6, 2025). ""Jungle" Jack Perry Replaces Darby Allin In Continental Classic Tournament". Fightful. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  7. ^ Alba, Jon (July 12, 2025). "Kazuchika Okada Defeats Kenny Omega To Win AEW Unified Championship At AEW All In: Texas". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
  8. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (December 4, 2025). "Don Callis Clears Up AEW Continental Classic Title Situation". Fightful. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  9. ^ Kleinchester, John (November 26, 2025). "AEW Dynamite Live Results: Continental Classic begins". POST Wrestling. Retrieved December 2, 2025.