The AEW Continental Championship is a men's

professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...

championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...

created and promoted by the American

promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...

All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It is owned and operated by Shahid Khan, Shahid and Tony Khan, with the latter serving as President (corporate title), president an ...

(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 (born November 8, 1987) is a Japanese professional wrestler. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he is a member of the Don Callis Family stable and is the current AEW Continental Champion in his first reign. Known as the , he is b ...

, who is in his first reign, which is the longest reign for the title. He won the title by defeating

Eddie Kingston Edward Moore (born December 12, 1981), better known by the ring name Eddie Kingston, is an American professional wrestler. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is out of in-ring action because of a leg injury, but continues to mak ...

on the March 20, 2024, episode of ''

Dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern German ...

''. The title is also the prize of the promotion's Continental Classic (C2), an annual

round-robin tournament A round-robin tournament or all-play-all tournament is a competition format in which each contestant meets every other participant, usually in turn.''Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged'' (1971, G. & ...

that begins at the end of November and culminates at the Worlds End

pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program ...

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 The AEW International Championship is a professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#Location-specific championships, championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion All E ...

as the AEW Unified Championship.

History

On November 11, 2023, the American

promotion

(AEW) announced a tournament called the Continental Classic (C2). AEW president

Tony Khan Antony Rafiq Khan (born October 10, 1982) is an American businessman, sports executive, and professional wrestling promoter. He is best known as the founder, co-owner, president, CEO, executive producer, and head booker of All Elite Wrestling ...

and AEW wrestler

Bryan Danielson Bryan Lloyd Danielson (born May 22, 1981) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs on a part time basis. He is also known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under t ...

announced that the tournament would begin on the November 22, 2023, episode of ''

'', lasting six weeks and held across episodes of ''Dynamite'', '' Rampage'', and ''

Collision In physics, a collision is any event in which two or more bodies exert forces on each other in a relatively short time. Although the most common use of the word ''collision'' refers to incidents in which two or more objects collide with great for ...

'', and then concluding at the Worlds End

(PPV)

event Event may refer to: Gatherings of people * Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion * Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest * Event management, the organization of eve ...

on December 30. It was also announced that the winner of the tournament would become the inaugural holder of the AEW Continental Championship.

became the inaugural Continental Champion by defeating

Jon Moxley Jonathan David Good (born December 7, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Jon Moxley and is the current AEW World Championship, AEW World Champion in his ...

in the final of the C2 at Worlds End. 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 The ROH World Championship is a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling)#World championships, world championship created and promoted by Ring of Honor (ROH). It is considered the most prestigious title in the promotion. The cu ...

of sister promotion

Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011; the promotion was subs ...

(ROH) and the Strong Openweight Championship of partner promotion

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...

(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. On the March 20, 2024, episode of ''Dynamite'', the championship was defended for the first time by itself, where

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. At Fyter Fest on June 4, 2025, Okada confronted

Kenny Omega Tyson Smith (born October 16, 1983), better known by the ring name , is a Canadian-born professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the current AEW International Champion in his first reign. He also works as an ...

to set up a Winner Takes All match at All In. A week later at the contract signing at Summer Blockbuster,

Tony Schiavone Noah Anthony Schiavone ( ; born November 7, 1957) is an American sports announcer, professional wrestling commentator and podcaster. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he serves as the play-by-play commentator for ''Collision'', ...

announced that the winner of the Winner Takes All match at All In will unify the

International Championship The International Championship is a professional Snooker world rankings, ranking snooker tournament. The reigning champion is Ding Junhui. History The event was introduced in the 2012–13 snooker season, 2012/2013 season. It was named as the ...

and the Continental Championship into the AEW Unified Championship.

Reigns

image:Kazuchika Okada at All In in August 2024 (cropped).jpg, Current and longest-reigning champion

, who has held the title for + days As of , , 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 + days. Kingston is also the oldest champion at 42 years old, while Okada is the youngest at 36. Kazuchika Okada is the reigning champion in his first reign. He defeated Eddie Kingston on the March 20, 2024, episode of ''Dynamite'' in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

References

External links

Official AEW Continental Championship Title History
{{Continental Classic All Elite Wrestling championships Continental professional wrestling championships 2023 introductions *