AEW will unveil a new match type at WrestleDream: Clockwork Carnage, an eight-person contest for the AEW World Championship, according to Wrestling Inc. Two spots in the field have been settled, and Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has offered a view on who could take the rest.
Who Is In So Far
Will Ospreay kept the title against Kazuchika Okada on "AEW Dynamite" and will be part of the match. On the same show, Samoa Joe beat Jack Perry to earn his place. On "Collision", Speedball Mike Bailey faces Lee Moriarty to decide the next qualifier.
Meltzer's Shortlist
Meltzer wrote that, with the current bookings in mind, five main event spots remain. He named eleven wrestlers who could logically fill them. Wardlow, Rush, Ricochet and Orange Cassidy are on the list, as are Konosuke Takeshita, Josh Alexander and Gabe Kidd. The group also includes Nick Wayne, Claudio Castagnoli, Darby Allin and Adam Copeland.
Wrestling Inc. noted that Meltzer did not lay out his reasoning for those picks. He did observe that Rush recently said on social media he does not expect to compete for AEW any time soon.
How the Match Works
Wrestling Inc. reported that the concept comes from Ospreay and has previously been run in Pro Wrestling EVE. Two wrestlers open the bout, and a new entrant arrives every three minutes until all eight are in. Anyone pinned or forced to submit during this first stage is out.
The second stage starts when the final wrestler enters. Everyone still in the match gets 15 minutes to score falls. Whoever has the most falls wins and becomes AEW World Champion.
WrestleDream is set for October 17 at Addition Arena.
Reporting sources: Wrestling Inc. - Pro Wrestling News, WWE & AEW Results, Superstar Interviews, “Dave Meltzer Assesses Potential Entrants In AEW WrestleDream 2026 Clockwork Carnage”.