By design, putting together each year's Continental Classic Tournament is one of many big visions Tony Khan has for his AEW company. Inviting Darby Allin to restart and possibly pick up where he last left off last year ended abruptly for the former two-time TNT Champion, as he came out of his scheduled opening round match with multiple injuries that forfeited his opportunity to remain in this year's tournament. While the card, or in this case, the tournament, always carries the asterisk that it is "subject to change," the CEO reflected on how Allin's removal created such a seismic shift than in previous years.
"I was thrilled to have Darby Allin in. My thought was he's going to be a huge part of this Gold League, and immediately, in the first night of the Continental Classic became a situation where I had to make changes with Darby's injury. This was, to be honest, more challenging because I had to tear it apart and put it back together," the AEW President noted during a recent media call. " I didn't have to make as many changes to the schedule or the ideas...But as far as how this affects the tournament, I think it was a bigger shift with Darby. I'll tell you that I did make more scheduling changes, and this affected the flow of the tournament even more than the injury the year before [referring to Juice Robinson's broken fibula injury from last year]...I'm really proud of where we're at now with the Continental Classic."
Although he won't be in this year's semifinals tomorrow night, "The Daredevil" will be in Chicago to auld lang syne a painful thorn in his side, "The Mad Man" Gabe Kidd, who's making his AEW return at Worlds End on Saturday, hoping to prove to the former IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion and Death Rider that he is indestructible, injured or not.
