Did the right Continental Classic story unfold at AEW Worlds End? | Nason’s Notes
Image: AEW
Like most of you reading this, I had some thoughts from Saturday’s AEW Worlds End ranging from how the Continental Classic played out to Kris Statlander to long title reigns to people being upset MJF won the AEW World title to something to put a pin in for the next two Worlds End PPVs and a few more items.
In lieu of putting them on my podcast (tired), these are Nason’s Notes (wired!) an incredibly savvy name encompassing perfect alliteration (a word I definitely had to spell check).
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I was not expecting THAT story to be what the AEW Continental Classic was all about.
Before the tournament even began, I did a preview pod with AEW PPV previewer Mike DellaCamera where I opined that the Continental Classic was going to be Konosuke Takeshita’s full coming out party with him beating Kazuchika Okada in the finals as the obvious approach.
A sentiment I completely appreciate is that fans will often be negative about a show if things play out in a way they didn’t predict. It’s the curse of fantasy booking, but also something all of us do to some extent in our heads. With that floating over my head, while I was certainly wrong in my prediction, should I have been?
Due to a travel day, I was late to the PPV and was stunned when I read Takeshita had lost in the semifinals and that Okada would be facing Jon Moxley instead. (And that was before I read about the screwdriver finish.) I think my surprise was because a big AEW story over the second half of the year has been the growing dissent between Okada and Takeshita.
It seemed to be lined up perfectly for Takeshita to beat Kyle Fletcher in a semifinal, move on to beat Okada in the finals, end his tournament winning streak and win the CC, tell the Don Callis Family to pound sand, and become a massive babyface en route to an AEW World title run.
What I wasn’t ready for was the STORY (a word I have seen way too much in the last 24 hours) Tony Khan really wanted to leave fans with which was the redemption arc of Moxley and his shift back to being a babyface. The assumption, of course, are the Death Riders are going to turn on him which took a bit away from Moxley’s passionate post-match promo as I think we were all expecting it. Alas, that’s a story to be told another day or perhaps never at all.
The Okada/Takeshita blowup is coming, but we’re probably months away as there’s no AEW PPVs until March. We’ll have to see if how they get there is any better than what could have been last night and if the follow-up achieves what could have been started last night.
And yes, I understand NJPW Wrestle Kingdom is next week but allow to me to be selfish: I don’t want to have to care about what happens in a completely separate promotion affecting what happens in the promotion I’m trying to follow. Not all AEW fans also watch and follow, nor should be expected to watch and follow, NJPW and vice versa.
Are you ready for a PPV on Christmas?
Khan was asked on a Monday media call about whether he’s considered moving the CC due to its proximity to the holidays and the end of the tournament taking place, for example, on actual holidays. He didn’t seem concerned in the least, taking “a very glass half-full perspective on some of the benefits” and that he likes how there’s a tradition of wrestling around the holidays and the added importance of the shows:
“I would love it for people to want to watch AEW, potentially I hope, with their family and friends on the holidays, and having great wrestling on these days can be, I would hope, a draw, and make people watch AEW. Certainly, that is always a goal and makes these must-see episodes when there could be an incentive to watch these episodes around the holidays and make them must-see programming and just like big sporting events that happen on these holidays and are associated with these holidays, like big football games and such, make them part of the holiday season and try to make that a positive.”
In other words, he likes it as is and it’s going to stay that way.
But while Khan won’t potentially have to worry about a Dynamite or Collision on Christmas until 2030, the next two Decembers will be interesting to track when it comes to Worlds End scheduling and how AEW approaches the holiday week with the CC.
Join me on a brief look ahead on the Google calendar, will you?
If Worlds End in 2026 takes place on Saturday, December 26, Dynamite on 34th Street would fall on Wednesday, December 23 and the assumed Christmas Collision would take place on Christmas Eve. If they taped those shows the weekend before, it’s the same issues as we had this year in terms of spoilers and, frankly, time to watch among holiday commitments.
However, 2027 is what really intrigues me.
That’s because Worlds End, if still held on a Saturday during the last week of the year, would fall on Christmas Day. If Khan adjusts the schedule, he would either have to run it the week before (honestly, the ideal for all the reasons) or the week after which would be on New Year’s Day.
The other intriguing thing is that month *could* be the final one in AEW’s media deal with WBD depending on whether their option is picked up or a new deal is signed which, I mean, who frickin’ knows where WBD will be in 2027 anyway.
All of this is to say Khan clearly wants AEW to be associated with the big holidays and is just fine with potentially sacrificing part of his audience for his biggest tournament of the year to do so. Best for business? It remains to be seen (or perhaps not seen by some).
Quick hitters
- I guess some people don’t like MJF as AEW World Champion? I don’t get that. I assume he’s back full-time and fully engrossed into wrestling which really didn’t feel like was the case in 2024 and 2025. He physically looks ready (OH, THAT HAIR!) and if they are giving him the big belt again, Khan must have confidence he’s going to be active. It’s been two years. It’s time.
- I think everyone expects the Dynamite Diamond ring to be put up in the MJF-Bandido title match and for MJF to reclaim it. I think it’s far past time to retire the ring thing, don’t you?
- A PSA should be annually be put out after Full Gear that it’s WORLDS END, not World’s End. I fear we are stuck with the apostrophe conundrum with this show until our eventual end (looking at you, Bryan Alvarez).
- I have been watching Kris Statlander matches since November 2018 which was my first Limitless Wrestling show (Maine indie). She’s always had a connection with fans and is obviously very capable in the ring. But…this AEW Women’s title run isn’t working for me and it’s because she still hasn’t found what character/presentation she is going with. Long memorized promos aren’t it, so what is?
- Having written all that, Marina Shafir should be the next AEW Women’s World Champion and Willow Nightingale should be the next TBS Champion. I can’t believe I’m typing that about Shafir who, just a few years ago, was about as exciting to watch in the ring as as doing your taxes. Now, she has meaning and an aura. To the point about Statlander, all it takes is one shift and you’re there.
- I strongly agree with the sentiment that shorter title reigns should be normalized. If you have a talented roster with plenty of parity, it’s 100% reasonable that champions would lose in six months or even less. I can argue that the lengthy runs of Mercedes Mone and Athena have hurt the rest of their respective divisions more than they have helped.
- I have questions about the amount of times the Sports Illustrated awards were mentioned this week by both Khan and AEW and the timing of a two-hour interview with Khan with SI dropping Monday.
- Was I the only one who completely forgot Tailgate Brawl pre-shows were a thing that quietly didn’t happen Saturday?
- I was surprised to see no Jim Ross on the call for at least the CC finals and perhaps the World title match. He tweeted that he was watching the show, so I’m guessing/assuming it was health-related reasons for not traveling which is unfortunate.
- The Mixed Nuts Mayhem match was WAY more fun and entertaining than I had thought going in. Once a year? Let’s do it.
- Khan deserves credit for slowly building up an upper tier men’s World title picture this year that may include Kenny Omega sooner than later. We’ll see if we get that Andrade match first.
And that will do it. See you soon.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.