AEW Champion Joins Continental Classic, Full Line-Up On The Way

A new AEW Champion has declared themselves for the Continental Classic.

AEW Full Gear was a big night for Daniel Garcia as he defeated Jack Perry to win the TNT Title. The victory marked his first taste of championship gold in AEW, aside from a short run with the ROH Pure Championship in late 2022.

Garcia grabbed the win thanks to a Piledriver and his Dragon Tamer Sharpshooter. After the bell, he draped himself in an AEW flag, in another show of unity with the company after signing a new contract back in October. Prior to signing the deal, the star had been heavily linked with a move to WWE.

During the post-show press conference, Garcia wasted little time in moving onto a new challenge declaring for the Continental Classic. The star competed in the tournament in 2023 but failed to advance from his block, winning just one match.

At present, the only other wrestler confirmed for the tournament is defending Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada.

AEW Announces “Selection Sunday”

Meanwhile, during the show, Tony Schiavone announced that the full Continental Classic line-up would be revealed on “Selection Sunday.” In 2023, this was done via a YouTube special with Eddie Kingston, Tony Khan, and Tony Schiavone.

The inaugural edition of the tournament was won by Eddie Kingston who defeated Jon Moxley at Worlds End to claim the newly-minted Continental Championship. Kingston had qualified second in the Blue League behind Bryan Danielson before going on to beat the American Dragon in the semi-finals.

After making four successful defences, Kingston lost the title to Kazuchika Okada on the March 20th edition of Dynamite.

The round-robin tournament sees 12 wrestlers split across two leagues, with the top two in each league advancing to the semi-finals. Participants earn three points for a win and one point for a draw during the league phase.

The 2024 edition of the tournament will begin on November 27th.