The Continental Classic is already an integral part of the AEW calendar, but once again, the idea of people getting excited about wrestlers fighting over the fourth most important men’s single title in the company can only go so far. A shot at the AEW Men’s World Championship wouldn’t just be something to set up for a big main event at Revolution a few months later, but it could genuinely be AEW’s version of something like what WWE have with Money in the Bank or the Royal Rumble. If a shot at the biggest prize in AEW was on the line, the Continental Classic would be an opportunity for AEW to push a lot of younger stars, or those who have been grinding in the midcard, to finally break through the glass ceiling and become a part of the main event scene.

For example, if someone like Kyle Fletcher was in WWE, there would be calls for him to win the Royal Rumble or become Mr. Money in the Bank. Not just because he’s a good wrestler and people enjoy watching him, but because fans have been conditioned to expect those matches, especially Money in the Bank, to be a chance for a company to strap the rocket to someone and make them one of the most important parts of the show. That’s what AEW can do with the Continental Classic. The company already has something similar as the winner of the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament gets a shot at the title at All In, but a round robin tournament means that you can see younger stars and workhorses grow and evolve across the tournament, meaning that by the time they win it, the fans are eager to see them stay in the main event scene.

NJPW aren’t the type of company to waste their G1 Climax winner’s spot on someone they don’t want to push to the main event, and that’s what AEW could do with their tournament if a title shot was on the line. There is nothing necessarily wrong with the AEW Continental Championship, but you just get the sense that there’s money being left on the table by having a title on the line rather than a title shot.