The Continental Classic continued Wednesday night on AEW Dynamite, with former world champion Jon Moxley, the red-hot Swerve Strickland, and former top contender “Switchblade” Jay White all in action.
Were those three able to secure big wins and continue their path to World’s End on Saturday, December 30?
Find out with this recap of a show that also featured the latest from Christian Cage and a special appearance from Bryan Danielson.
Announced in advance of Wednesday’s show were:
- Continental Classic Gold Group: “Switchblade” Jay White vs. Swerve Strickland
- Continental Classic Gold Group: Mark Briscoe vs. Rush
- Continental Classic Gold Group: Jon Moxley vs. Jay Lethal
- Bryan Danielson as guest commentator
- “The Patriarch” Christian Cage’s response to Adam Copeland
Jon Moxley became the first competitor to six points in this Continental Classic, defeating Jay Lethal in the opening contest of Wednesday’s show.
Lethal targeted the left knee of Moxley, which had been damaged during tope suicida early in the match. The former AEW World champion fought through the pain and fended off an opponent determined not to be shut out of points.
Moxley earned a gritty victory, Lethal remained winless in the tournament, and all was right with the world.
Or something like that.
Result
Moxley defeated Lethal via submission (earned three points)
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Moxley dove through the ropes, bent backward on his knee, and was clearly nursing it in the moments immediately after it.
- Moxley rocked Lethal with a forearm that viewers at home could feel.
- This is a match that would have been helped exponentially by literally anyone thinking Lethal had a chance in hell of actually winning.
- A pre-taped promo from Eddie Kingston put over the devastation of his loss to Brody King while simultaneously depicting a determined competitor. Bryan Danielson, sitting in on commentary for the night, promised he would not be humble in his pursuit of victory and the opportunity to be the first AEW Triple Crown Champion.
Rush earned his first points of this Continental Classic, defeating Mark Briscoe in a match that was better than the opener and uber-competitive at that.
It was a hard-hitting battle between two men who showed appropriate amounts of urgency given the deficit they found themselves at.
Rush winning was probably the right choice but that particular outcome takes another Ring of Honor original and puts him in a hole, winless in a tournament to crown the first AEW Triple Crown Champion.
Briscoe joins Lethal as the only two competitors to compete twice and lose both matches. One will eventually in but that does not necessarily do much for the legacy of an ROH brand that has already seen its importance devalued by the manner in which it has been portrayed over the last year.
Result
Rush defeated Briscoe (wins three points)
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Sting and Ric Flair joined Tony Schiavone to announce that the former’s retirement match on March 3, 2024, at Revolution will take place in the historic Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina.
- Briscoe and Rush brought the intensity and action early and often.
- This was the second match in a row where the focal point was the leg. Communication between producers/coaches prevents running back-to-back matches with essentially the same in-ring story.
MJF hit the ring and cut a promo about his upcoming AEW World Championship defense against Samoa Joe at World’s End.
Rather than insulting the No. 1 contender, he instead put Joe over as a revolutionary who bucked the trend and became a star in professional wrestling despite not looking like the prototypical wrestler.
He credited Joe with proving alternatives could exist and went as far as to saw AEW would not exist without his upcoming pay-per-view opponent paving the way.
He vowed to go to Long Island, regardless of his hip and shoulder injuries, and defend his title.
Unknown, masked assailants cut things off and attacked the world champ, leading to Joe making the save. A typewritten message appeared, challenging MJF and Joe to a tag match next week, which The People’s Scumbag readily accepted.
MJF’s words about Joe were from the heart and did wonders to put him over in ways that simply booking him in big-time matches could not. They were words of respect that hyped the significance of the competitor to the history of wrestling and properly set him up to potentially dethrone him, should that be the direction Tony Khan chooses to head at World’s End on December 30.
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- MJF pointing out that WWE did not see Joe as a world champion felt, in the context of everything else he had said, like a potshot rather than a point. The promo did not need it.
- Joe coming to MJF’s aid was a nice touch, a moment that saw him extend the same respect to his PPV opponent that was extended to him.
Wardlow squashed AR Fox Wednesday night in a match that was more competitive than what we have seen out of The War Dog since his return but one that amounted to the same thing we have seen out of him.
Nothing was advanced and Wardlow was not enhanced in any meaningful way.
With everything going on with MJF, and the injuries he is currently suffering from at this point, there is reason to be concerned that Wardlow could once again find himself in a holding pattern.
Not great for a guy who has seen pushes start and stop.
Result
Wardlow defeated Fox via referee stoppage
Grade
C
Top Moments and Takeaways
- No mention of MJF during Wardlow’s dismantling of Fox. Interesting.
Hometown favorites Dante and Darius Martin teamed with Action Andretti defeated The Hardys and Brother Zay in trios action Wednesday.
The victory was a momentum-builder for the young trio but also a momentous occasion for Dante, who made his Dynamite in-ring return following a sickening leg injury suffered at Supercard of Honor this past March.
The right team went over and the return of Martin is more than welcome. At one point, he was one of the most exciting young stars on the roster and a guy who looked ready to establish himself as one of the great high-flying, underdog competitors in the company.
It appears he is destined to work in tag teams for the time being. While that might stunt his personal growth, it at least keeps him on TV and puts him in a position to ease back into the action with his brother, Darius, rather than pressuring himself to show out on his own.
Result
Top Flight and Andretti defeated The Hardys and Zay
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Dante Martin’s devastating leg injury from this past spring was not something anyone ever needed to see again. “Dante is back from a serious injury” would have done just fine.
- Dante looked great while executing the babyface comeback and the hometown crowd in Minneapolis ate it all up.
- Ah, so babyface hometown heroes can win match, eh?
- Penta El Zero Miedo, El Hijo Vikingo, and Komander issued a challenge to the winners backstage after a brief break.
TBS Champion Julia Hart revived the House Rules gimmick in which her opponent was allowed to choose the stipulation of the night’s match. Her challenger, Emi Sakura, ruled that there could be no victory via submission.
It was an expert decision by the veteran Sakura, who took some of Hart’s most devastating maneuvers out of her arsenal and forced the champion to take to the sky to achieve victory.
She did just that, landing a moonsault that did not get all of Sakura, who appeared to be trying to roll out of the way. Hart covered and secured the win. The crowd greeted the outcome with a positive reaction and the champion continued to thrive.
A solid, if unspectacular match, it highlighted a young talent and reintroduced the House Rules gimmick, which brings a different element to Hart’s matches.
Result
Hart defeated Sakura to retain
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- The chants of “Julia” reflect an audience that is totally behind the young champion, whose performances have evolved over the last year, making her one of the more intriguing competitors in the company.
- Hart is another hometown hero, perhaps explaining the raucous response for her.
One week after Adam Copeland challenged Christian Cage for a shot at the TNT Championship on December 6 in Montreal, the champion requested his former friend and tag team partner come to the ring for his response.
Cage attempted to sweet-talk Copeland, taking him on a journey through their long history together before trying to convince the Hall of Famer to reunite with him one last time for his late mother.
Copeland responded with a low blow and some blunt profanity to wrap up another great segment that was but another showcase for Cage’s extraordinary heel character.
For a moment, it looked like he was going to play the “dead dad” card but he thought better of it, only to still pay for it in the end.
Copeland vs. Cage is a huge main event and should make for some must-see TV next Wednesday in Montreal.
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Cage slipped up and called Killswitch by his old name, Luchasaurus. It’s hard to fault him, mostly because the new name is pure garbage.
- Cage is such a disingenuous slimeball. He is as good a heel as there is in wrestling today.
- Copeland saw through Cage’s nonsense, kicked him low, and told him to shine up the TNT title because it’s coming home with the Rated R Superstar next week.
- Someone’s slacking on the censor button and probably just cost Tony Khan a big ol’ fine.
Swerve Strickland joined Jon Moxley with six points in this Continental Classic, defeating “Switchblade” Jay White in a superb main event.
The two immediately demonstrated chemistry and crafted a match in which both were allowed to shine through cerebral mat work, reversals and counters, culminating with Strickland outwrestling White for the grueling win.
The match was a great showcase for two of the budding faces of AEW, won by arguably the hottest guy in the company this side of MJF in Strickland.
The look on White’s face after the referee called for the bell suggests he is about to become more dangerous than ever as desperation sets in early in this tournament. What that leads him to do, and how it affects his pursuit of the AEW Triple Crown remains to be seen.
Result
Strickland defeated White (wins three points)
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Prince Nana danced while propping himself up with a crutch and selling the Deadeye from Hangman Page through a table at Full Gear in a fun bit of business.
- Danielson rightly called White playing possum, which proved accurate as Switchblade delivered a nasty chop block to Strickland. The American Dragon adds a lot to the commentary team when it comes to explaining one’s strategy.
- White might be the smoothest wrestler in the business. There’s a fluidity to his work. It’s way too early to compare him to Randy Orton, but he has some of the same characteristics in his work that The Viper does. There’s a smoothness, effortlessness even, that makes everything look so natural and easy.
- In the same match where Danielson touted the defensive wrestling of White, it was ironically Strickland that won the match by countering his opponent’s offense.
This was another steady builder for AEW.
The Continental Classic action was all mostly good, if not great in regard to the main event, but the lack of storylines intertwined has hurt it to this point. Yes, the focus is the matches themselves, but there should always be something for fans to invest their time and energy into beyond just the ring work.
Look at the Texas Deathmatch between Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page. A bloody, ultraviolent brawl, sure, but it at least made sense within the context of the storyline at play.
Lacking those stories, they really are just matches for matches sake, no matter how good they may be.
The MJF promo was fantastic and he did in one night what TNA, WWE, and even AEW had failed to do this point: accurately depict how important Joe is to the history of wrestling and explain why the company is lucky to still have him.
Not only does it elevate him for his match with MJF at World’s End, but it is a sign of respect for a guy who, like the much-talked-about CM Punk, was instrumental in laying the groundwork for the style of wrestling we see across the industry today.
Julia Hart shined, Top Flight and Action Andretti got a big win in what hopefully is a sign of things to come in the trios division, and Christian Cage continues to be a national treasure.
By way of Toronto, Ontario.
Another solid show from AEW that would be even more highly regarded if there was a way to make the ongoing tournament bouts feel more significant through different story threads.
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