Continental, Classic | AEWeekly #199

Welcome to the #AEWeekly review discussion where PWM contributors reflect on the highlights of the last week in AEW. The eligibility week always includes the most recent episode of Dynamite and Collision, plus any social-media exclusives up until publication.

This week’s contributors are Abel [@loza3.bsky.social] covering Match of the Week, Emiliana [@emilianartb.bsky.social] giving us the MVP of the Week, and Sergei [@sergeialderman.bsky.social] talking Best Interview as well as editing and organizing it all. Also this week only a Special live-report from Wales for the Moment section from Sam Preston [@bigbadabruce.bsky.social]

 A page of links to prior installments may be found here: #AEWeekly

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Kyle Fletcher vs Mike Bailey

"UNNNNNNNBEEEELIVABLE."

by Abel.

“Speedball” Mike Bailey versus “The Protostar” Kyle Fletcher is precisely what the Continental Classic is all about. It's also, in the microcosm, what All Elite Wrestling is all about. It brings out the best in the best wrestlers of the world, and makes even the most jaded of wrestling fans suspend disbelief, even if it's just for a few seconds. In a week that had many wrestling fans upset at a certain other Sports Entertainment company, Bailey vs Fletcher is the antithesis of all of that. At its core, this match reminded many of us of why we love wrestling and was a celebration of the art form. Mind you, this wasn't a pay-per-view; this was on “free” television. For all of those, and so many more, Speedball vs The Protostar was the AEW match of the week – and might be the television match of the year.

From the get-go, this match got off to a fast start. Too quick for Fletcher’s liking. He did the usual heel move of letting Speedball get some offense in and then rolled out of the ring, to the crowd's displeasure. Speaking of the crowd, the fans of College Park, Georgia, became their own character in the match. Their excited noises and joyful facial expressions added a layer to the match. If "edge of your seat" had a physical and audio manifestation, it was that Georgia crowd. AEW fans are savvy, which is why Fletcher was getting some love from them early in the match. They appreciate a good in-ring wrestler when they see one, which is why even the heel will get his due from the crowd.

The crowd — and their noise — added to the chaotic urgency of the match. This made it feel like a tournament. What I mean by that is, tournaments, by their very nature, are unpredictable and have a sense of urgency from the competitors. Fletcher felt he needed to win to grab the group by the neck and book his place in the semi-finals. Bailey, on the other hand, felt like he needed to win to stay alive. Every kick, punch, and move had that sense to it, which adds an extra element of storytelling to the match.

The conditioning Speedball has is immaculate. Those two back-to-back hurricanranas he hit on Fletcher looked effortless from Bailey. In the other corner, Fletcher's strength was showcased in this match. He picked up and threw Bailey around like a rag doll. Fletcher throwing Bailey on the barricade like a bag of ice was one of the gnarliest spots of the year. His strength, juxtaposed with Bailey’s speed, made for an excellent match-up. 

However, that is not to say that Fletcher isn't quick, nor that Bailey isn't physical. Fletcher can move with the best of them. He covers the ring and the mat so seamlessly. Those corner-to-corner kicks are made in what looks like two steps. Bailey’s physicality, especially in his kicks and Ultima Weapons, would make even the most hardened wrestling fan wince. These characteristics of these two wrestlers melded perfectly in the squared circle.

When Bailey missed the Ultima Weapon on the mat, he was then immediately powerbombed, kicked in the face, and Brainbusted — all in a matter of 10 seconds. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, believed that was it for Speedball. With the crowd in the palm of their hand, Speedball kicked out. The only person more in disbelief than the crowd was Fletcher. Bailey was wrestling for his life, and it showed.

With the threat of a draw looming over the last minutes of the match had every person in that arena – and at home – at high anxiety, thinking any of the near falls might be the last. “5 minutes remaining… 1 minute remaining…” rang across the arena as a siren call that this fantastic match might end in a draw. So, it was poetic that Fletcher lost via a roll-up. With all of the excitement the match produced, it was ironic that this got the loudest reaction. The crowd's eruption was one of the loudest I've ever heard through my screen. I could only imagine what it sounded like in person.

Every face in that building tells a story – from Bailey and Fletcher’s disbelief to the crowd’s pure elation, the match will go down as one of the best matches put on by AEW. In context, this is what a wrestling tournament match should be. In a vacuum, if you show this to a non-wrestling fan, they would immediately get it and perhaps want to start watching AEW.

Ultimately, the legacy of this match will go down as what the Continental Classic and AEW can be at their best. It's the idea that wrestling, in its most valid form, is two competitors trying to tell the best story they can with every inch of their bodies and minds. When the story of AEW is told, this match must be included.

Bryan Danielson

"Send 'em Home Happy..."

by Sergei.

There's a specific reason I call this section "Interview of the Week" rather than "Promo of the Week." Perhaps I'm being overly literal, but to me, a monologue from a wrestler is only a "promo" if it promotes a match. But, even if that's the most fundamental purpose of the art of the microphone, there are other reasons you put a wrestling performer on the mic… and this past Wednesday after the show went off the air, the live crowd got to see one of them…. 

Sometimes the fans REALLY want to see a particular underdog win. And sometimes it just isn't time yet. Even if the climax of that long-term story is going to be worth it, what about the fans in the arena who spent their hard-earned cash on an evening of fun? One thing you can do, you can give them a different underdog surprise upset, to soften the blow, and we got that Wednesday with Speedball beating Fletcher. But 3 points is NOT "AEW World Champ Eddie Kingston" (not even the Temu version) and the fans in the arena needed a little something extra to not feel like they'd been baited and switched.

The "send em home happy" speech is exactly the sort of thing that makes a non-wrestling Danielson still so incredibly valuable to AEW, and this was a fantastic example of the type. ICYMI, give it a watch:

As a veteran, as someone whose career was cut short by injury (twice) as someone who won World Championships after being written off as midcard for life, as someone who had been (in kayfabe) a detractor of Eddie's, but later won over – nobody else has the gravitas to say "Eddie has nothing to be ashamed of, and WILL climb that mountain" without it being empty words like the American Dragon does.

Time Limit in Takeshita vs Castagnoli

"An Inevitable Moment..."

by Sam Preston.

Sometimes we forget that a Moment is not just out of the blue. Sometimes it's been planned, built up, and is the culmination of something worthwhile. Sitting in the crowd for AEW Collision, among many fans and sickos, I could feel that growth, planning, and anticipation, which gave added impact to this moment. I'm talking about the moment where the bell rang to signify a time limit draw between Claudio Castagnoli and Konosuke Takeshita. Before I even arrived to the Cardiff Arena, I was certain that the match between Claudio and Takeshita would go to a draw. Not only did you have the flag bearers of both CMLL and NJPW facing off, but their current story arcs suggested they needed to be kept strong. Takeshita was fighting for dominance against Okada in the Don Callis Family, and Claudio had just downed Jon Moxley in an unofficial battle for leadership of the Death Riders. Both men were on a rising trajectory, so neither could afford to lose. As the match began, Claudio having entered through the crowd and Takeshita from the stage, both with tremendous aura, I could already hear whispers from the fans that this might go to a draw, and in other companies, I feel a draw would be used as an excuse to take it easy. Not with these two behemoths.

In the match of the night, two bulls seemed determined to knock the other out, heavy forearms and uppercuts mixed with hard bombs and slams, and despite my certainty of a draw, I found myself on the edge of my seat, certain several times that the match was about to end, regardless that Alicia Atout was counting down to 10 minutes, then 5, then 30 seconds. And then, the bell rang, and I felt the crowd release their tension, briefly soaking in the atmosphere as these two warriors stood, before furiously going back to attacking each other. And then, the crowd stood as one, chanting "fight forever" in appreciation, my voice among them. We just had an awesome 20 minute battle and yet it still felt like both men had barely started.

Not only did we all soak in a moment that demonstrated the brilliant roster depth and the potential for both men to be main eventers, but it was a moment that felt pivotal for the Continental Classic, both men's future fates, and a possible war between the two most dangerous factions in AEW. That's why I believe that the time limit draw was the Moment of the Week.

Konosuke Takeshita

"The Loyal Son"

by Emiliana.

There is something to be said, in this day and age, for a wrestler who can keep me off of my phone. I realize that makes me sound awful; after all, if I’m a wrestling fan, shouldn’t I be able to watch wrestling without distraction? The truth is that I’m at my best as a wrestling fan when I’m at a show live. There is nothing better than pro wrestling in person, as I’m sure many of y’all know from personal experience. But on a cold day in December as I ruminate on my personal accomplishments and failings of the past year (Saturday was my birthday, you see), there were very few wrestlers on the shows this week that made me feel something stronger than just mild enjoyment. Two of those were Hangman and Swerve, as I’m sure you probably would have guessed. However, there are certain bigger issues at play in that story that I’d rather not talk about here. I would also like to honorably mention the women of the tag team division for holding their own despite feeling a bit too sidelined by the C2 for my taste.

That leaves us at Konosuke Takeshita.

I haven’t prioritized the C2 in my mind too much this year on the basis that it feels like I know what the outcome is gonna be, but because of this Takeshita feels as if he has one of the stronger stories coming out of the C2 than most other people. This past week, we saw him take a bullet for Don Callis after Jack Perry’s match with Kazuchika Okada, which was very delightful for me. It makes me wonder, again, which man is going to be kicked out of the DCF. Because that’s where all this is headed, right? Takeshita and Okada are due a clash at World’s End and then one of them will be exiled for his failures. Takeshita saving Don Callis has me wondering about Don Callis, though. Which is crazy to admit. After nearly a year of this, I’m actually quite moved by the DCF as a whole, but now I’m sitting here wondering if Don Callis is the type of guy to betray the man who would protect him at all costs, or if he would see Takeshita’s loyalty for what is and stand with him when the time comes.

On Collision, Takeshita had a match with Claudio that held my attention so well that I almost forgave Claudio for his blandness as a character. (Look, if you argue with me you’ll probably make me see your side, I just couldn’t care less about the Death Riders right now until they pull the trigger on the Mox betrayal, and god help everyone if they don’t). These two men are both considered world champions outside of AEW, in New Japan and CMLL, and it only made sense that this clash would feel like two mustangs in a fight for dominance. I’m sure Don Callis was having the time of his life. This match slowly built up for me, and then the entire momentum shifted when Takeshita pulled Claudio up for a deadlift German suplex. I was on the edge of my seat, and those last few minutes going into the draw had me clamoring to see who was going to win. I had a feeling it would come to a draw at that point, but even that wasn’t enough to take me out of how they would pull the draw off. And when they started back in on each other even after the bell had rung and time expired, I couldn’t believe how real it all felt. For a moment, Takeshita (and Claudio) had made me forget that wrestling matches weren’t real and that this was a fight between two global champions. Truly, it felt like watching two Greek gods go to war, and that felt really good.

I really hope that Takeshita wins the entire thing. I love Okada, he’s perfect and never done anything wrong, but Takeshita needs this. I’ve watched him in this promotion now since 2022, and I’d love to see him elevated to a more prominent role in the men’s division. I know he’s triple contracted and has a lot going on in other places, but I’d really like for things to go well for him in the promotion I most watch. He deserves it. And Okada needs to get his ass kicked.

Don Callis has spent a lot of time lately implying that Kyle Fletcher is his most prized stud. I really hope he realizes who is his most loyal before it is too late to turn back.