AEW Continental Classic 2024 Analysis and Post-Match Results: Round 5, Week 5, Semi-Finals, and Finals

It was the end of the world as we knew it, as we reached the end of this year’s Continental Classic Tournament.

The final matches were underway on a chilly Christmas Day, with every match remaining could mean a ticket to Worlds End.

Nonetheless, the finale has been nothing but a spectacle of strength and talent from every competitor, with a surprise in the mix.

If you were following along with these past few weeks of me analyzing the Continental Classic in my own personal fashion, I thank you. It was really appreciated to see all the feedback on how I broke down the statistics of the tournament with a format that I thought would have been easier to understand, instead of using charts or just copying the original content. This is something I may lean more into in 2025, but while we are in the present, and without further ado, here is the final week of the Continental Classic, with the league winners, the semi-finals, and the final match of the tournament.

With these matches being the last, the table of contents is now simply the following:

[W/PF] – Win by Pinfall
[L/PF]- Loss by Pinfall
[TMD] – Time Limit Draw

The points [NEW] (new participant) and [xxx C2] (in this case, 2ND C2, which states a returning participant from last year’s tournament), will no longer be reported as the following matches are the final matches of the tournament and the status of the remaining participants are no longer relevant at this time. As stated in the previous article, there will be a separate analysis of returning Continental Classic participants in a separate post in the coming weeks.

Also, as the results of said matches come to play, the points of [W/SUB] and [L/SUB], which mean win/lose by submission respectively, will also no longer be reported, as no match in the duration of this tournament has been won or lost by submission, just as a forewarning. There have been matches in the Continental Classic last year that resulted via technical submission, which were in weeks 2, 4, and 5 of the 2023 Continental Classic Tournament, however, there has been zero matches resulting via technical submission this year. Only the resulting factors of pinfall and time limit draw remain as these results could fall into place.

With that, this was the effin’ Continental Classic, folks. Here’s to the next one, and may 2025 give us more classic matches such as these.

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Round 5, Week 5

December 22 (Dynamite on 34th Street)
(aired on December 25)

GOLD LEAGUE:

Will Ospreay defeated Brody King via pinfall, 15:30

(Ospreay: W/PF – 3, King: L/PF – 0)

[BRODY KING ELIMINATED – FINAL SCORE OF 7 POINTS]

Darby Allin vs. Ricochet resulted in a time-limit draw, 20:00
(Allin: TMD – 2, Ricochet: TMD – 2)
[DARBY ALLIN ELIMINATED – FINAL SCORE OF 7 POINTS]

Komander defeated Claudio Castagnoli via pinfall, 7:37
(Komander: W/PF – 3, Castagnoli: L/PF – 0)
[KOMANDER ELIMINATED – FINAL SCORE OF 3 POINTS]
[CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI ELIMINATED – FINAL SCORE OF 9 POINTS]

BLUE LEAGUE:

Kazuchika Okada (c) defeated Shelton Benjamin via pinfall, 12:37
(Okada: W/PF – 3, Benjamin: L/PF – 0)
[SHELTON BENJAMIN ELIMINATED – FINAL SCORE OF 6 POINTS]

[MARK BRISCOE HAS BEEN ELIMINATED DUE TO OKADA’S WIN AGAINST SHELTON BENJAMIN – FINAL SCORE OF 9 POINTS]

Kyle Fletcher defeated Daniel Garcia via pinfall, 15:06
(Fletcher: W/PF – 3, Garcia: L/PF – 0)
[DANIEL GARCIA ELIMINATED – FINAL SCORE OF 7 POINTS]

Gold League Winner: Ricochet (10 POINTS)
Gold League Runner-Up: Will Ospreay (9 POINTS VIA TIE-BREAKER AGAINST CASTAGNOLI IN WEEK 3)
Blue League Winner: Kyle Fletcher (12 POINTS)
Blue League Runner-up: Kazuchika Okada (c) (10 POINTS)

Final Scores of Eliminated Participants:

Mark Briscoe (BL): 9
Claudio Castagnoli (GL): 9
Daniel Garcia (BL): 7
Darby Allin (GL): 7
Shelton Benjamin (BL): 6
Brody King (GL): 6
Komander (GL): 3
The Beast Mortos (BL): 0

December 28 (Worlds End)
(SEMI-FINALS)*

*Points will no longer be calculated from this point on, as the only way to advance to the finals is to win the match with the alloted 20 minute time limit.

SEMI-FINAL MATCH #1:
Will Ospreay defeated Kyle Fletcher via pinfall, 16:21
[KYLE FLETCHER ELIMINATED]

SEMI-FINAL MATCH #2:
Kazuchika Okada (c) defeated Ricochet via pinfall, 12:55
[RICOCHET ELIMINATED]

December 28 (Worlds End)

FINALS:

Kazuchika Okada (c) defeated Will Ospreay via pinfall, 19:12

WINNER OF 2024 CONTINENTAL CLASSIC: KAZUCHIKA OKADA

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Remember that I said there was a surprise in the mix of it all?

The one to present the Continental Classic Championship belt to Kazuchika Okada was a returning Kenny Omega, who has been out of in-ring action since December 2023, due to a diagnosis of diverticulitis, which resulted in surgery early this year in May. This resulted in a staredown between the two as the banner of AEW All In: Texas was in frame of the two. Will Kenny Omega go after the Continental Classic Championship versus Okada at All In? Only time may tell, as he goes against Gabe Kidd on January 5th at Wrestle Dynasty in the Tokyo Dome, his first match since his illness, absence, and recovery. It was definitely a welcoming sight as the former AEW World Heavyweight Champion makes his appearance in an AEW ring once more after a career (and life) threatening illness.

An explosive finale of the Continental Classic Tournament came and went, as we set off to 2025, where AEW will celebrate its 6th year on the air.

What will happen for next year’s tournament? Will there also be a women’s Continental Classic Tournament next year as well? All these questions will be answered as AEW starts 2025 with Fight for the Fallen on January 1st, which is the 6th year anniversary of AEW. Fight For the Fallen will also be the first AEW show to be streamed live for MAX subscribers as well, so more eyes will fall on AEW and its choices in the coming year and the years to come with the new TV deal with WBD signed earlier this year.

To all the readers, wrestlers, and fans alike, have a blessed 2025 and of course, there is nothing like professional wrestling.

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