The annual Continental Classic tournament is back, with the stars of AEW once again duking it out in a round-robin competition to see who will enter 2026 as the AEW Unified (or maybe just Continental) Champion. So far, every year has featured a story going into it that could dictate the rest of the tournament, and it’s abundantly clear that the 2025 tournament will revolve around two of Don Callis’ favorite sons who absolutely despise each other: Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita.

This was the direction many thought the company was going to go in last year, but having Okada in the definitive heel role while Takeshita is the mistreated babyface works so much better because it sets up such a natural story throughout the tournament. Tony Khan correctly put Okada and Takeshita in separate leagues, and now he should have them beat literally everyone in a game of: anything you can do I can do better. Then, they can meet each other in the finals, where either man getting the victory would set up a great story for the first quarter of 2026.

With both men competing for New Japan Pro Wrestling at Wrestle Kingdom 20 on January 4, 2026, it does offer up a conundrum as to who you have win the Continental Classic. NJPW probably wouldn’t want their champion losing a big singles match so close to their biggest show which leans towards a Takeshita victory, which could also give NJPW fans hope that Hiroshi Tanahashi might actually have a chance of beating Okada in his final match. However, Okada getting the win for a second consecutive year, rolling into the Tokyo Dome to beat Tanahashi, all while Takeshita falls at the final hurdle in the C2 and probably loses the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship to Yota Tsuji, could be a way for Takeshita to be exiled from The Don Callis Family and branch out on his own.

The Don Callis Family also has a wildcard in the C2, that being Kyle Fletcher who has just lost his AEW TNT Championship. Fletcher has already proved that he can be a future main event star through his match with Page at All Out, so don’t be surprised if Okada and Takeshita cancel each other out, leaving the path open for a Fletcher victory. However, I personally wouldn’t go down this route as it would basically nullify all of the build up between Okada and Takeshita over the past few months. Someone from the family is winning the C2, it’s just a question of whether it will be “The Rainmaker” or “The Alpha.”

Written by Sam Palmer