AEW Continental Classic 2025 Update - Christmas Collision
The league phase of the 2025 Continental Classic tournament concluded on the special Christmas Day edition of "AEW Collision" and there was still everything to play for. Three of the four spots in the semi-finals at Worlds End were still up for grabs, and with all 12 men competing in their last matches of the league phase, who picked up the vital points that allowed them to join Konosuke Takeshita in the final four this weekend?
Everyone in the Gold League walked into "Collision" on six points, meaning that all six men had the chance of moving on to the semi-finals at Worlds End. Kyle Fletcher and "Jungle" Jack Perry were the first two men to try and punch their ticket to the big event on December 27 as they faced off in the night's opening contest. Perry's ankle had taken significant punishment throughout the tournament and that's exactly what Fletcher targeted throughout the bout, to the point where Perry wrestled the majority of the match with one boot on. Perry lasted until the final 60 seconds but was eventually overwhelmed by "The Protostar," who picked up the win after hitting a Brainbuster. Fletcher finishes the league on nine points and qualifies for the semi-finals, but the question of whether he will finish first or second still needed answering.
That answer became a little more clear in the match between Kevin Knight and PAC, the latter of whom was looking for a quick bounce back after losing to Jack Perry 24 hours earlier on "AEW Dynamite." Both men were looking for the all important three points and engaged in a very even back-and-forth match. In fact, Knight and PAC were so evenly matched that after 20 minutes nothing could separate them as their bout ended in a time limit draw, despite PAC looking like he had the match won as he had Knight locked in the Brutalizer in the final seconds. Due to the match going to a draw, both men pick up one point each, but cancel each other out in terms of advancing in the tournament as they both finish on seven points.
It all came down to the match between Kazuchika Okada and "Speedball" Mike Bailey, where a win for either man would see them advance to Worlds End. If Okada won, he would finish in second place due to his head-to-head record against Fletcher as "The Protostar" beat "The Rainmaker" on Thanksgiving Eve, while "Speedball" would finish top of the Gold League as he holds a victory over Fletcher. In the end, it was Okada who got the better of Bailey after a series of counters that led to Okada sitting down in a roll up position to secure the last minute win. Okada finishes the league phase on nine points and moves on to Worlds End as the Gold League runner-up behind Fletcher due to their aforementioned head-to-head record against each other.
Drama In The Blue League
The first Blue League match of the night saw Konosuke Takeshita take on Mascara Dorada. Takeshita was looking to become the first man in tournament history to go through the entire league phase without suffering a single loss, while Dorada needed a win to stand any chance of advancing to the semi-finals, and even then he would need other results to go his way. Dorada tried his best to stay in the sky as Takeshita spent most of the match trying to ground the luchador, and Dorada had his moments by hitting a Hurricanrana off the top rope and a Destroyer as Takeshita went for a Powerbomb. However, Dorada went to the well one time too often as Takeshita hit an Avalanche Lariat, a Power Drive Knee, and finally the Raging Fire for the win. Takeshita becomes the first wrestler in history to finish the Continental Classic league phase undefeated as he finishes with 13 points, while Dorada is officially eliminated with six points.
On the opposite end of the league, Roderick Strong walked into his final match of the tournament without earning a single point, leaving him to play the spoiler to whoever he faced. His final match was against Claudio Castagnoli, who would join Takeshita in the semi-finals as the Blue League runner-up with a victory. Both men wanted the match over early as Strong came out of the gates hot with a barrage of strikes and throws, while Castagnoli tried to beat Strong down on the outside in order to get the count out victory. In the end, Strong saw an opening and realized that Castagnoli was rushing everything he was doing and landed a knee strike clean on the jaw that knocked Castagnoli out and Strong secured his first victory of the tournament. While Strong might have only finished on three points, he did leave Castagnoli at risk of elimination as he finished on seven points.
The final match of the Blue League saw Jon Moxley take on Orange Cassidy, where a win for either man would see them join Takeshita in the semi-finals as the Blue League runner-up. However, if the match ended in a draw, Castagnoli would take the second place spot as he would be tied with Moxley and Cassidy on seven points, but would advance thanks to his head-to-head record against both men. The match didn't end in a draw, meaning that Castagnoli was eliminated, but there will be some Death Riders representation in the Continental Classic semi-finals as Moxley defeated Cassidy. "Freshly Squeezed" had the match in the palm of his hand after a series of Orange Punches and a Beach Break, but Moxley snatched a quick roll up in the closing moments to secure the win, putting him on nine points and advancing to Worlds End.
With both leagues now finished, your Continental Classic 2025 semi-finals are Kyle Fletcher vs. Jon Moxley, and Kazuchika Okada vs. Konosuke Takeshita.