Next AEW World Champion after Will Ospreay: Who will dethrone the Aerial Assassin for the company’s top prize?

AEW

Will Ospreay had his first test as AEW World Champion at All Out, with the Aerial Assassin defending against Jon Moxley.

Ospreay was ultimately victorious, hitting an accepting Moxley with an emphatic Hidden Blade to walk out of Chicago with AEW’s top prize.

With Ospreay’s next title defense already confirmed, there have been some rumors swirling about the next star to hold the AEW World Championship, who would have to dethrone the Brit.

Here are four potential next AEW World Champions after Will Ospreay.

Kazuchika Okada

Will Ospreay called for an AEW World Title defense against Kazuchika Okada during the All Out media scrum 👇

This match has since been confirmed for Grand Slam France pic.twitter.com/6NFpCsQalu

— WrestleTalk (@WrestleTalk_TV) September 27, 2026

During the All Out post-show media scrum, Will Ospreay issued a challenge to Kazuchika Okada, calling for the International Champion to challenge for his AEW World Title.

Okada accepted, and this match has now been confirmed for Grand Slam France, which emanates from the Adidas Arena in Paris on October 6.

As referenced by Ospreay during the media scrum, Okada and Ospreay’s singles record favors the Japanese star, with Okada most recently defeating his former protege in the Continental Classic tournament final at AEW Worlds End 2024.

While many are predicting that Ospreay will defeat his former mentor, we could see Okada leave Paris as a double champion.

Darby Allin

During the aforementioned media scrum, Ospreay noted that he wants to rectify previous losses and defend the AEW World Championship against stars who he previously came up short against.

Following his win over Jon Moxley and challenge to Kazuchika Okada for All Out, Ospreay also named Darby Allin as a star he eventually wants to avenge his loss against.

Ospreay and Allin’s only singles encounter came during the December 18, 2024 Dynamite episode, with Allin coming out on top during their Continental Classic tournament match in the Gold League.

If Ospreay does get through Kazuchika Okada, the current TNT Champion would be a big challenge for the AEW World Champion, with Allin himself looking to reach the top of the AEW mountain once again.

Andrade El Idolo

Earlier in the evening at All In London, before Will Ospreay’s AEW World Championship win, Andrade El Idolo was victorious in the Casino Gauntlet match.

By winning this match, Andrade earned a future shot at the AEW World Title, one which he has yet to cash in.

While Andrade and Ospreay are both affiliated with the United Empire faction, we could soon see the two stars face off to determine the premier wrestler in AEW’s division of the faction.

With many plates spinning, an Andrade El Idolo AEW World Championship victory would be an interesting next chapter for several storylines.

MJF

Despite losing the lineal title to Kenny Omega at Dynamite: Beach Break on July 8, MJF still insists that he’s the real AEW World Champion.

Given their history, it’d make a lot of sense to have MJF challenge for Ospreay’s title, and as we know with MJF, anything can happen when he’s competing for gold.

Ospreay and MJF currently have a 1-1 record against one another, with MJF defeating Ospreay to win the International Title on the July 17, 2024 Dynamite episode, and Ospreay winning the gold back the following month at All In London 2024.

With a rubber match feeling inevitable, we could see the #1 ranked wrestler in the 2026 PWI 500 once again reclaim the official AEW World Championship.

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• champion
• AEW
• Will Ospreay

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