AEW Continental Championship
| AEW Continental Championship | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The AEW Continental Championship belt. | |||||||||||||||||
| Details | |||||||||||||||||
| Promotion | All Elite Wrestling | ||||||||||||||||
| Date established | November 18, 2023 | ||||||||||||||||
| Current champion | Kazuchika Okada | ||||||||||||||||
| Date won | March 20, 2024 | ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
The AEW Continental Championship is a men's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Established on November 18, 2023, the title has a special attribute in that it is defended under Continental Rules in which no one is allowed at ringside and outside interference is strictly prohibited. Matches also have a 20-minute time limit. The reigning champion is Kazuchika Okada, who is in his first reign, which is the longest reign for the title. He won the title by defeating Eddie Kingston on the March 20, 2024, episode of Dynamite.
The title is also the prize of the promotion's Continental Classic (C2), an annual round-robin tournament that begins at the end of November and culminates at the Worlds End pay-per-view event in late December. The incumbent champion at the time of the tournament is automatically entered and defends the title in the C2. Eddie Kingston became the first-ever Continental Champion after winning the inaugural tournament in December 2023. At All In: Texas on July 12, 2025, the title will be unified with the AEW International Championship as the AEW Unified Championship.
History
On November 11, 2023, the American professional wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) announced a tournament called the Continental Classic (C2). AEW president Tony Khan and AEW wrestler Bryan Danielson announced that the tournament would begin on the November 22, 2023, episode of Dynamite, lasting six weeks and held across episodes of Dynamite, Rampage, and Collision, and then concluding at the Worlds End pay-per-view (PPV) event on December 30.[1][2] It was also announced that the winner of the tournament would become the inaugural holder of the AEW Continental Championship.[3]
Eddie Kingston became the inaugural Continental Champion by defeating Jon Moxley in the final of the C2 at Worlds End.[4] Kingston was also declared the American Triple Crown Champion (also referred to as the Continental Crown) upon winning the Continental Championship, as he simultaneously held the ROH World Championship of sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH) and the Strong Openweight Championship of partner promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). By being part of the Triple Crown Championship, the Continental Championship was recognized by AEW, ROH, and NJPW, allowing it to be defended in all three promotions.[3][5]
On the March 20, 2024, episode of Dynamite, the championship was defended for the first time by itself, where Kazuchika Okada defeated Kingston to win the title. This in turn separated the Continental Championship from the Triple Crown. Tony Khan then clarified the rules of the championship. Title matches are held under Continental Rules, which are the same rules that were used during the C2 in which no one is allowed at ringside and outside interference is strictly prohibited. He also re-clarified that whoever is champion coming out of November's Full Gear PPV, they would automatically be entered into the C2 and would defend the title in the tournament.[6]
At Dynamite: Fyter Fest on June 4, 2025, reigning champion Okada confronted AEW International Champion Kenny Omega to set up a Winner Takes All match for All In on July 12.[7] A week later during the contract signing at Dynamite: Summer Blockbuster, Tony Schiavone announced that the winner would also unify the International and Continental titles as the AEW Unified Championship.[8] During the All In: Texas media call just a few days prior to the event on July 8, Tony Khan clarified that neither the Continental or International Championships would be retired and that their lineages would still be intact along with a new lineage for the Unified Championship, and the champion has the option to carry around all three belts.[9]
Reigns
As of July 10, 2025, there have been two reigns. Eddie Kingston was the inaugural champion, which was the shortest reign at 81 days, while Kazuchika Okada's ongoing reign is the longest at 477+ days. Kingston is also the oldest champion at 42 years old, while Okada is the youngest at 36. Okada defeated Kingston to become champion on the March 20, 2024, episode of Dynamite in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| No. | Overall reign number |
|---|---|
| Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
| Days | Number of days held |
| + | Current reign is changing daily |
| No. | Champion | Championship change | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | ||||
| 1 | Eddie Kingston | December 30, 2023 | Worlds End | Uniondale, NY | 1 | 81 | Defeated Jon Moxley in the finals of the 12-man Continental Classic tournament; Kingston's ROH World Championship and NJPW Strong Openweight Championship were also on the line, and he was dubbed the inaugural American Triple Crown Champion (also referred to as the Continental Crown) for holding all three titles.[10] | [11] |
| 2 | Kazuchika Okada | March 20, 2024 | Dynamite | Toronto, ON, Canada | 1 | 477+ | This match was only for the Continental Championship. | [12] |
References
- ^ Defelice, Robert (November 11, 2023). "Tony Khan Announces AEW Continental Classic Tournament Starts On 11/22, Concludes At AEW Worlds End". Fightful. Archived from the original on November 12, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ Rose, Bryan (November 11, 2023). "AEW announces Continental Classic tournament, Bryan Danielson first entrant". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ a b Renner, Ethan (November 18, 2023). "AEW announces new title & Continental Classic competitors". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
- ^ Nason, Josh (December 30, 2023). "Eddie Kingston wins first-ever Continental Crown at AEW Worlds End". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
- ^ Thomas, Jeremy (November 19, 2023). "Tony Khan Gives More Details on AEW Continental Classic, Will Conclude At Worlds End". 411Mania. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
- ^ Thomas, Jeremy (March 22, 2024). "Tony Khan Clarifies Rules Around AEW Continental Title". 411Mania. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ Heydorn, Zack (June 5, 2025). "Kenny Omega vs Kazuchika Okada Winner Take All Match Official For AEW All In 2025". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
- ^ Heydorn, Zack (June 11, 2025). "AEW Summer Blockbuster Results, Highlights & Live Blog (6/11/25)". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
- ^ Lambert, Jeremy (July 8, 2025). "Tony Khan Says AEW Unified Championship Will Carry Lineage Of International And Continental Titles". Fightful. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ^ "AEW Continental Classic Final Set for Worlds End". All Elite Wrestling. December 28, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Powell, Jason (December 30, 2023). "AEW Worlds End results: Powell's live review of MJF vs. Samoa Joe for the AEW World Championship, Eddie Kingston vs. Jon Moxley to become the first AEW Triple Crown Champion". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
- ^ Powell, Jason (March 20, 2024). "AEW Dynamite results (3/20): Powell's live review of Christian Cage vs. Adam Copeland in an I Quit match for the TNT Title, Eddie Kingston vs. Kazuchika Okada for the Continental Title, Hook vs. Chris Jericho". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved March 20, 2024.