In a recent guest appearance on “WGN Radio”, Tony Khan, the President of All Elite Wrestling (AEW), expressed his long-time aspiration of staging a wrestling event at the iconic Hammerstein Ballroom.
It was revealed that Khan will be realizing this dream in the coming month, as the wrestling executive is set to host ROH Final Battle 2024 complemented by episodes of AEW Collision and Dynamite.
Khan shared his enthusiasm on the radio show, saying, “Since I was a kid, I’ve wanted to put pro wrestling in Hammerstein Ballroom. Articles of the past do exist about events held there, but none were aired on TBS and TNT. So, the Hammerstein Ballroom will premiere for TBS and TNT. Subsequently, I think it’s going to be pretty amazing to migrate this major tradition to the Superstation and TNT. It’s a significant move for us and an excellent way to make the Yuletide season more entertaining. These events will serve as our December shows, it’s going to be called the ‘Continental Classic.’ We will then proceed to our World’s End pay-per-view, hosting a live Collision on December 21, at the Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, followed by a special Christmas AEW Dynamite event. We are set to film it on the last Sunday prior to Christmas, with ROH Final Battle 2024 and AEW Collision unfolding on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday respectively. Hence, making it a fun-filled, three-night stand.”
Moreover, in a recent interaction with Q101, Khan revealed additional details about this year’s AEW Continental Classic tournament.
Selected key points from the podcast have been compiled below:
Regarding the line-up for this year’s Continental Classic tournament, Khan said: “We need to see the results of Full Gear. Who’s injured? Who’s going to maintain that standard of wrestling for the rest of the year, up until the culmination of the Continental Classic? I would not want to announce the field and then immediately have to take it back.”
In response to a question about NJPW’s G1 Climax being the sole equivalent for the Continental Classic, he stated: “It is a tournament that has only one peer in wrestling, and I think that is the G1. When the Continental Classic was initiated, I believe it fulfilled the yearning in America for such a tournament.”