AEW’s WrestleDream pay-per-view is one of the most hyped events in a long time. With a strong lineup of matches from start to finish, AEW has made sure fans will be entertained all night.
Clockwork Carnage Match for the AEW World Championship: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Samoa Joe vs. Mike Bailey vs. Darby Allin vs. Kazuchika Okada vs. Ricochet vs. Adam Copeland vs. Konosuke Takeshita
Will Ospreay isn’t getting one challenger at WrestleDream. He’s getting seven. Ospreay puts the AEW World Championship on the line against Samoa Joe, Mike Bailey, Darby Allin, Kazuchika Okada, Ricochet, Adam Copeland and Konosuke Takeshita in the Clockwork Carnage match.
The rules make this even crazier. Two wrestlers start before the remaining six enter at three-minute intervals. Anyone pinned or submitted before the eighth entrant arrives is eliminated from advancing to the next phase.
Once everybody has entered, the remaining wrestlers move into a 15-minute scoring period. Every pinfall or submission earns one point, and whoever has the most points when time expires leaves as AEW World Champion.
Ospreay doesn’t even need to be the one taking every fall for his title reign to start slipping away. With seven other wrestlers trying to collect points and the championship hanging over everything, simply surviving might not be enough.
AEW Women’s World Championship: Mercedes Moné (c) vs. Thekla
Thekla finally gets Mercedes Moné one-on-one with the AEW Women’s World Championship on the line. Thekla has already been champion before, losing the title to Willow Nightingale at Redemption in July. The championship eventually moved from Nightingale to Moné at All-In London, putting Mercedes at the top of AEW’s women’s division.
Now Thekla gets the opportunity to become a two-time champion. Mercedes has continued competing despite dealing with a nose injury, but WrestleDream gives her another serious test. Thekla has been trying to get back to the championship she lost for months, and now there isn’t anybody standing between her and Moné.
AEW World Tag Team Championship: The Young Bucks (c) vs. Kyle Fletcher & Kevin Knight
The Young Bucks haven’t had much time to enjoy being champions again. Matt and Nick Jackson won the AEW World Tag Team Championship at All Out, becoming four-time champions by defeating Christian Cage and Adam Copeland in a match that also included FTR.
Now Kyle Fletcher and Kevin Knight are coming for them. Fletcher and Knight might be an unusual pairing, but they’ve already shown they can work together. That chemistry will have to hold up against two brothers who have spent years wrestling beside each other.
AEW World Trios Championship Two-Out-of-Three Falls Match: Swerve Strickland & The New Level (c) vs. Hangman Adam Page & Brodido
Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page are crossing paths again, only this time they’re bringing their teams with them. Swerve, Kofi and Austin Creed will defend the AEW World Trios Championship against Hangman, Bandido and Brody King in a Two-Out-of-Three Falls Match.
There’s history behind the championships too. Hangman and Brodido entered the Casino Gauntlet Trios Match at All-In London as champions, only for Swerve, Kofi and Creed to leave with the titles. Now the former champions get another opportunity, and one fall won’t be enough to settle it.
AEW National Championship: Andrade El Idolo (c) vs. Tommaso Ciampa
Tommaso Ciampa wanted championship gold in AEW. After failing to take the International Championship from Kazuchika Okada at All Out, he’s moving on to Andrade El Idolo.
Andrade enters WrestleDream as National Champion, but he also has a guaranteed AEW World Championship opportunity sitting in his back pocket after winning the Casino Gauntlet at All-In. He can use that opportunity with seven days’ notice. That future World Title shot doesn’t make tonight any easier. Ciampa has already held gold in AEW and now gets another chance to become champion at Andrade’s expense.
Other Matches
Jon Moxley defends the AEW Continental Championship against Mark Davis. Persephone defends the TBS Championship against Hyan, Dani Luna and Queen Aminata in a Four-Way Match. In another match, Chris Jericho goes one-on-one with Nick Wayne.
FTR face the Motor City Machine Guns in the first of their best-of-five series on the Tailgate Brawl preshow. Finally, Divine Dominion faces the Sisters of Sin in tag team action on the preshow.
AEW WrestleDream 2026 Lineup:
- Clockwork Carnage Match for the AEW World Championship: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Samoa Joe vs. Mike Bailey vs. Darby Allin vs. Kazuchika Okada vs. Ricochet vs. Adam Copeland vs. Konosuke Takeshita
- AEW Women’s World Championship: Mercedes Moné (c) vs. Thekla
- AEW World Tag Team Championship: The Young Bucks (c) vs. Kyle Fletcher & Kevin Knight
- AEW World Trios Championship Two-Out-of-Three Falls Match: Swerve Strickland & The New Level (c) vs. Hangman Adam Page & Brodido
- AEW National Championship: Andrade El Idolo (c) vs. Tommaso Ciampa
- AEW Continental Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Mark Davis
- AEW TBS Championship Four-Way Match: Persephone (c) vs. Hyan vs. Dani Luna vs. Queen Aminata
- Chris Jericho vs. Nick Wayne
- Best-of-Five Series Round One: FTR vs. Motor City Machine Guns (preshow)
- Sisters of Sin vs. Divine Dominion (preshow)
Final Thoughts on AEW WrestleDream 2026
The AEW WrestleDream 2025 pay-per-view promises to deliver high drama, incredible matchups, and storylines. With solid matches such as the Clockwork Carnage match and many more matches, it’s definitely a show that fans shouldn’t miss. As a reminder, Ringside News will have live play-by-play coverage of the event over in our AEW WrestleDream section.
Where to Watch AEW WrestleDream 2026
AEW WrestleDream will be taking place on October 17 at the Addition Financial Arena on the campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. The Saturday Tailgate Brawl pre-show will begin at 7 PM ET on TNT and stream on HBO Max, and the main show will start at 8 PM ET and fans all over the world can watch the event on HBO Max, Amazon Prime, PPV.com, YouTube and traditional cable and satellite providers.
Who do you think will walk out as the AEW World Champion? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
