The AEW Continental Classic approaches what should be an explosive finish with the Gold League and Blue League finals tonight on AEW Dynamite in Orlando.
The Blue League final is a story of regret turned possible redemption, as Eddie Kingston tries to make it all the way back from losing his first two matches after including both of his championships in the tournament. Standing in his way? None other than Bryan Danielson, who has essentially wrestled his way through with one eye as AEW played up a real life injury.
In the Gold League final, it will be not two but three men vying for one spot in the overall final at Worlds End. Jay White, Jon Moxley and Swerve Strickland would all be worthy representatives, but only one can prevail in their three-way bout to go for the Triple Crown Championship on Saturday night.
There are some other interesting things planned for tonight outside the tourney too. MJF and Samoa Joe will fight two of the Devil’s masked men — for real this time. We think. Lexy Nair will have a sitdown interview with Christian Cage and Adam Copeland, who can’t wait to tear each other apart at Worlds End.
So this should be anything but a calm go home show, or at least it doesn’t appear that way. Let’s find out, shall we?
AEW Dynamite New Year’s Smash results from Orlando:
(please scroll down for full details on any match or segment in bold)
- Jon Moxley def. Jay White and Swerve Strickland in the Continental Classic Gold League final
- A video package shows us Continental Classic highlights from Collision and hypes up the meeting tonight between Bryan Danielson and Eddie Kingston
- Strickland tells Tony Schiavone how badly he wanted this but says he proved he was one of the best, and he addresses how Keith Lee has been looking for him for a match at Worlds End
- Renee Paquette asks Mariah May about her attack on Riho last week, which Mariah simply says was supporting Toni Storm; May also tells the world her in-ring debut will be on next week’s Dynamite and 2024 will be all about her, which leads to Riho and Toni Storm hitting the ring in quick succession and Riho diving off the top rope to hit Storm (and Luther) on the floor
- Top Flight and Action Andretti are keeping their heads up despite their loss to The Acclaimed, and look surprised when they get challenged by Orange Cassidy, Trent Beretta and Rocky Romero for a match on Rampage
- Miro throws out a challenge to Andrade El Idolo for Worlds End which apparently is already official
- The Don Callis Family has its Boxing Week celebration and says hello again to Sammy Guevara, but their reunion turns into chaos that draws in Chris Jericho, Big Bill, Ricky Starks, Darby Allin and Sting
- Roderick Strong and The Kingdom try to show Paquette their evidence board that points to MJF as the Devil, and Strong insists he’ll prove it
- Eddie Kingston def. Bryan Danielson by pinfall in the Continental Classic Blue League final; Moxley comes to the ring afterward to check on Danielson and also has a mic, pointing out how many people love Kingston but also setting into a passionate exchange between the two men
- Christian Cage waits for Adam Copeland so their sitdown interview can start, but Copeland is only in the mood to throw hands, and their scrap leads all the way down a long hallway and requires damn near the entire locker room to break them up
- Skye Blue def. Kris Statlander by pinfall thanks to interference by Julia Hart; Willow Nightingale saves Statlander from a post-match beating and Abadon also makes a brief appearance
- Ruby Soho has a match with Marina Shafir on Rampage, while Saraya has a new friend
- The Devil’s masked men def. MJF and Samoa Joe by pinfall to become the new ROH World Tag Team Champions, but a bigger bummer for MJF is that Joe is apparently working with the Devil
Jon Moxley overcomes the odds, beats Jay White and Swerve Strickland to win the Gold League
How often will two of the three combatants get to try to settle this among each other? That’s something to watch as Moxley and Swerve quickly pair off. Mox ends up throwing both of his foes into the crowd, then brawling with Swerve and dropping White crotch first on a barricade.
Strickland bites Moxley’s forehead and smashes him with a running knee shot while Mox is helpless seated on a steel chair. Those two battle up into the first section of seats off the floor, repelling White again when he tries to join in … but only momentarily as Switchblade comes roaring back as soon as the others are occupied with each other.
White suplexes Moxley into a steel chair along the ringside barricade, rolling Strickland back into the ring and covering for two. A suplex into the barricade gets another two count, but Swerve is able to battle back with a running knee shot from the apron.
Strickland picks up the pace against Moxley only to get rakes across the back. He bites Mox’s fingers in response and follows with a running lariat.
Swerve nails Mox in the back of the head with an elbow and hits the griddy. He kicks White in the head and backdrops Moxley out to the floor on top of him. Strickland hits a diving frog splash onto both foes that gets the crowd on its feet.
After some picture-in-picture action, Mox goes diving to the floor to take out Swerve. A flurry of right hands crash down on Strickland’s face, as well as Moxley’s teeth on his forehead. A piledriver leads to a cover, with Moxley switching to mat wrestling immediately after Strickland kicks at two.
Swerve’s jump from the top is greeted by a kick to the gut, then a DDT for another near fall. White has been out of the action completely for several minutes, but he arrives just in time to smash Swerve with a chair.
That leads to an extended flurry of kicks from Strickland, but his somersault splash can’t win it because Mox comes right behind him to hit a stomp, and all three men are down for more side-by-side commercials.
It’s a legit three-way battle when we return, with no one quite able to gain the upper hand. White brings a steel chair into play, setting it across the pads in one corner. Alas, it’s him who ends up getting shoved into it, and Strickland nearly rolls up Moxley to win it.
Swerve and Mox start smacking each other with open hand shots before Strickalnd opens up with two pump kicks and a discus lariat. He whips Moxley into the corner but gets shoved to the floor by White.
Mox takes advantage with a clothesline and a Death Rider to White, and Strickland can’t get back in the ring fast enough to break up the pin. Moxley is on to the Continental Classic final at Worlds End.
The Don Callis Family’s Boxing Week celebration devolves into chaos
To a chorus of boos, Don Callis says this has been a difficult two weeks that he would not have made it through without his family. To show his appreciation, he has some Boxing Week gifts to give out to his crew, which of course consists of paintings of a way too buff version of him with each member of his team.
Callis says his family feels complete, but one person who may object is Sammy Guevara, freshly back from paternity leave. Guevara appears upset that Callis hasn’t spoken to him for a while, but Don has a painting for him too, showing Sammy holding his baby with the rest of the faction behind him.
Guevara says the Family members are big time stars but Callis makes all of their victories about him. Don turns it around and talks about his disappointment with Sammy for being gone so long, and he tells Guevara to choose between his real family and the Don Callis Family.
As he is wont to do, Don goes too far and says Sammy is about to be remembered as a big failure as a wrestler and a parent. That gets him shoved down, and when the rest of the Family attacks Guevara, Chris Jericho comes flying to the rescue with his bat, Floyd. They clear the ring and destroy the paintings, and with the fans urging them on, they hug before they get attacked by Big Bill and Ricky Starks.
The lights go out as they scrap, then come back on to reveal Darby Allin and Sting, who finally help drive off the tag team champs.
Eddie Kingston completes his comeback, defeats Bryan Danielson to head to the Continental Classic final
The winner here faces Mox for all the marbles on Saturday. Danielson hears some boos as he stays elusive in the early moments. He’s certainly living rent free in Eddie’s head for now.
A suplex and a tope suicida make for a great response by Kingston, who stays on his opponent on the outside. Hard chops crash into Danielson’s chest, and he’s thrown into the barricade before taking more of them.
Danielson finally gets an opening to unleash his own chops but is met by a bigger one that knocks him down. He bounces back to deliver a DDT on the apron and a flying knee to the floor. Picture-in-picture is next.
It’s Danielson who has taken control during the break, verbally berating Kingston while he kicks him. An exploder suplex make Bryan stop, and he hits a DDT when his spinning back fist is countered.
Kingston batters Danielson into the corner as the fans urge him on. He wants another exploder but is dragged to the mat for the LeBell Lock. Eddie is a long way from the ropes, but he’s moving forward and grabs the bottom rope for a break.
Danielson’s kicks lead to a snap suplex, but his attempt to come off the top rope is foiled by more chops. But Kingston ends up in the Tree of Woe, eating more kicks. What does Danielson have in mind next? It’s a superplex, but Kingston rolls over top of him and lands on his face, so both men are down or more side-by-side ads.
Kingston is landing chops at will as the full picture resumes, only to be hit by a shoulder capture suplex that forces him to kick out at two. Danielson’s upper chest is bright red, but Kingston can’t be feeling too good either as he takes a huge series of kicks to the chest.
Danielson’s running knee in the corner misses, giving Kingston an opening for a Northern Lights Bomb that comes close to ending it. Both men score some near falls before Bryan nails a Busaiku Knee, only to see Eddie kick out again.
Pulling up his eyepatch, Danielson appears bemused by the continuing chants for his opponent. He rains down hammer and anvil elbows that cause Kingston to fade. The ref checks on him, but he ends up getting stomped in the face and has to convince the ref again … with a middle finger to Danielson.
Kingston gets his second wind, firing through a flurry of offense that includes the spinning back fist. He follows with a powerbomb and a high stack, and against all odds, Eddie is through to the final.
Kris Statlander falls to Skye Blue, but Willow Nightingale still has her back
Stokely Hathaway joins the announce team to take in this one, though he scoffs at the idea that he’s been trying to recruit Statlander. Kris definitely isn’t taking it easy on Skye just because they used to be friends, bossing the early action.
Blue fights back by stomping Statlander into the corner but is quickly picked up for a delayed vertical suplex. They fight out to the apron, where Blue smashes Stat’s face down before picture-in-picture.
The full picture is back just in time for a Statlander near fall. Blue responds with a thrust kick and Code Blue, good for a two count.
Blue tries for a top rope hurricanrana but gets caught and eventually powerbombed, though she’s able to kick out at two. Shortly after, referee Aubrey Edwards is checking on Blue, totally unaware as Julia Hart gets in a cheap shot while Statlander is on the top rope. Blue delivers an Avalanche Code Blue, and Stat isn’t kicking out from that.
After the bell, Blue attacks Statlander again, and Hart joins in with a sliding lariat. Who’s coming to the rescue? It’s Willow Nightingale, who runs over both heels and sends them fleeing.
MJF loses his tag team titles, and Joe is in league with the Devil
Two of the Devil’s masked men take the ring for this tag team match, and MJF makes his way down too, but he sees Samoa Joe laid out backstage on the big screen and angrily says he’ll defend the titles alone (even with a brace on his left shoulder).
When the bell rings, MJF goes right after one of the masked men trying to unmask him. It doesn’t work, but he flips the other man out to the floor and hurls him into the steel steps. MJF goes for this guy’s mask but is hit from behind by a third man wielding a metal pipe.
A tag is made and the masked man hits the Heatseeker, and with his partner holding MJF’s feet, they make the pin and win the titles. All three goons stomp away on MJF, but even hobbling, Joe makes his way down with a steel chair.
Suddenly, the Devil appears on the big screen with the message “pleasure doing business with you” … which apparently is for Joe since he nails MJF in the back with the chair. Joe stands over MJF holding the world championship aloft as Dynamite goes off the air.
