Will Ospreay survived seven challengers and a chaotic new match stipulation to keep his AEW World Championship. The champion walked out of AEW WrestleDream on October 17, 2026 still holding the gold after winning the eight-man Clockwork Carnage Match with three points, but Adam Copeland wasn’t exactly happy about how things ended.
Ospreay defended his title against Samoa Joe, Mike Bailey, Darby Allin, Kazuchika Okada, Ricochet, Adam Copeland and Konosuke Takeshita in a match featuring eliminations followed by a 15-minute scoring period.
Ospreay and Takeshita started things off before the remaining competitors entered at three-minute intervals. The action got wild almost immediately, with wrestlers hitting dives, trading big moves and trying to survive long enough to reach the scoring portion of the match.
Mike Bailey was the first person eliminated after Takeshita caught him with Raging Fire. Takeshita didn’t last much longer, as Okada hit him with the Rainmaker to score another elimination.
Once Samoa Joe entered as the eighth competitor, the match shifted into the Iron Man portion, where every pinfall or submission counted as one point. Joe quickly made his presence felt by hitting Darby Allin with a Muscle Buster to score the first point. Ricochet followed with a pin on Allin, while Okada scored against Copeland.
Things only got crazier from there. Ospreay pinned Ricochet with a Styles Clash, Darby scored two falls of his own, and Joe forced Ospreay to tap out to the Coquina Clutch. With time running out, several wrestlers were tied at two points, including Ospreay, Joe, Darby and Copeland.
Copeland looked like he might steal the championship after hitting consecutive spears on Joe and Ricochet to get himself into contention. He then went after Ospreay before turning his attention to Okada.
With just seconds remaining, Copeland hit Okada with a spear and went for the cover. However, Ospreay broke things up with a Hidden Blade and immediately pinned Copeland to earn his third point. The clock expired moments later, giving Ospreay the victory and allowing him to retain the AEW World Championship. However, there was still some tension after the bell.
Copeland confronted Ospreay and shoved him following the loss. Things looked like they might get physical again, but Copeland eventually cooled down and offered the champion a handshake. Ospreay accepted, and Copeland left the ring while the champion celebrated with his title.
Ospreay managed to escape WrestleDream with his championship despite being pinned and even submitting during the match. The Clockwork Carnage rules gave him a chance to recover, and one final Hidden Blade was enough to keep him on top of AEW.
What did you think about Will Ospreay retaining the AEW World Championship in the Clockwork Carnage Match? Was the finish the right call, or should Adam Copeland have walked away with the title? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
