Tony Khan Provides More Details On Upcoming AEW Continental Classic, New Championship

The winner of the upcoming AEW Continental Classic Tournament will unify the ROH World Championship and the NJPW Strong Openweight Championship to create the new Continental Championship, AEW CEO Tony Khan confirmed in the post-Full Gear media scrum last night. The announcement came after Eddie Kingston, the current holder of the aforementioned titles, revealed he would be defending his belts in every match he wrestles as part of the tourney.

"Whoever wins this tournament is gonna come away with a very, very prestigious title," Khan said. "And it's actually not just creating more championships in wrestling — it's actually consolidation, but more importantly, it's cooperation. What this triple crown means is that the winner of this tournament is going to be creating a championship that's very prestigious, and a champion that represents three different companies."

Khan further revealed that the new Triple Crown Champion will defend his title across all three promotions — AEW, ROH, and NJPW — at various venues across the year. The AEW boss also noted that the tourney will be an annual affair, and the reigning Continental Champion will re-enter the tourney in 2024. "Whoever is the champion this time next year will have another huge field to participate in," Khan added. 

Besides Kingston, other names confirmed for the inaugural Continental Classic Tournament include Mark Briscoe, Andrade El Idolo, and Bryan Danielson. The remaining eight participants in the 12-man tourney will be announced on this week's AEW programming starting with Wednesday's "AEW Dynamite." The finals will take place at next month's AEW Worlds End pay-per-view on December 30 in Long Island, New York.