AEW has reveled in plunder in 2025, culminating in a pair of vicious “Blood and Guts” matches two weeks ago. So, it’s only fitting that the promotion rejects modernity this holiday season and embraces tradition – hitting the reset button with the “Continental Classic.”
Episode 321 of Wednesday Night “Dynamite” was a marked departure from last week’s abysmal offering – commencing this year’s “Continental Classic” with four remarkable affairs. Those four contests carried this week’s episode, delivering pay-per-view quality on network television.
Samoa Joe is back in the driver’s seat, having beaten “Hangman” Adam Page for the AEW Men’s World Championship at “Full Gear.”
Joe not only fancies himself a master of war, but a cunning strategist – likening himself to Sun Tzu. HOOK’s betrayal was the coup de grâce, reintroducing Taz’s son as the fourth member of The Opps.
While Joe’s celebration ended prematurely thanks to “Hangman” Adam Page and Swerve Strickland, the latter’s involvement seems rather contrived. There’s a cavernous divide between capitulating and forming an unspoken alliance. Does Strickland still feel indebted to Page or are his motivations self-serving? The answer seems pertinent, but the segment was effective nonetheless. Seeing Page and Strickland stand shoulder to shoulder feels momentous.
From top to bottom, I was enthralled with this week’s episode of “Dynamite.” “Timeless” Toni Storm’s promo was riveting, and the inaugural matches in this year’s “Continental Classic” were terrific.
Rating: ****
Kazuchika Okada vs. Kyle Fletcher
“This is what happens when a couple of one-percenters go at it.”
Don Callis has promised that his titular family will save professional wrestling. With matches like this, it’s hard to disagree. Kazuchika Okada has evolved into a cerebral ring general and one of the dirtiest bastards in the world. It’ll take more than a little sleight of hand to extinguish the “Protostar,” though.
Kyle Fletcher is the first performer on the board, finding a way to escape the jaws of defeat against the presumptive favorite.
Rating: ***½
Sisters of Sin vs. Babes of Wrath
The women’s tag team championship tournament produced another gem – this time, in the semi-finals. I really enjoy the improvisational quality of the Babes of Wrath. Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron work like a team that lacks experience, which perfectly reflects the burgeoning division.
Rating: ***¼
Jon Moxley vs. Mascara Dorada
When the chips are down, the undisputed ace always goes for broke. Mascara Dorada is the perfect buffer for the rigors of the “Continental Classic.” In contrast to Jon Moxley’s self-styled brand of “death-jitsu,” Dorada shone—typifying why the “C2” has become pro wrestling’s premier holiday tradition.
Rating: ***¾
Darby Allin vs. Kevin Knight
Nobody’s doing it quite like Kevin Knight. The coast-to-coast drop kick was worth three stars on its own. The rest was just icing on the cake. God bless the “Continental Classic.”
Rating: ***¾
Orange Cassidy vs. Claudio Castagnoli
One of my favorite sub-genres of professional wrestling is where Claudio Castagnoli beats people’s asses. No one can meet their opponent at every pass with uncompromising force, quite like Castagnoli.
Next week, The Death Riders’ most faithful adjutant will be forced to meet his general – Jon Moxley – in battle.
Rating: ***½
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