The second-annual AEW Continental Classic is set to begin next week, and the company's CEO and booker Tony Khan recently sat down with radio station Q101 to offer some details. According to Khan, he is holding off on announcing the tournament's full lineup until after AEW Full Gear.
Advertisement
"We need to see the results of Full Gear. Who's injured? Who's going to maintain that standard of wrestling for the rest of the year, up until the culmination of the Continental Classic?" Khan stated. "I would not want to announce the field and then immediately have to take it back."
Additionally, some of the outcomes of Full Gear matches will have implications on who is and isn't in the tournament, according to Khan. Looking back on introducing the tournament last year, Khan viewed it as a success while also lamenting the fact that the winner of the first Continental Classic, Eddie Kingston, has spent much of the time since on the shelf due to injury. Nonetheless, the executive is excited for a chance to present it all over again.
Advertisement
"It is a tournament that has only one peer in wrestling, and I think that is the G1," Khan said. "When the Continental Classic launched, I think it quenched the thirst here in America for such a tournament."
The only wrestler confirmed so far for this year's tournament is Kazuchika Okada, as he is the current AEW Continental Champion. The rules for the 12-man round robin tournament ban everyone except the two competitors from ringside. On top of that, each match has a 20-minute time limit, with point deductions in place for any interference. The winners of the two six-person blocks will go on to face each other at AEW Worlds End, with the Continental Championship on the line.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Q101 with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
