Published: 3 hours ago by Sanchez Taylor | Last Updated: 6 hours ago by Sanchez Taylor
Sanchez has over six years of pro-wrestling news writing experience, covering the biggest news stories in WWE, NXT, AEW, TNA Wrestling and more. He has personally interviewed a number of top stars, producing exclusive content with the likes of AEW's Swerve Strickland and WWE's Nick Aldis.
WWE
Will Ospreay’s crowning moment came at All In London, with the Aerial Assassin defeating Kenny Omega to win the AEW World Championship.
Ospreay has defended the gold in two huge matches already, first defeating Jon Moxley to retain AEW’s top title at All Out on September 26.
Following this, Ospreay issued a challenge to Kazuchika Okada, calling for a title match against his former mentor at Grand Slam France.
The AEW World Champion retained his gold against Okada, and in turn confirmed himself for what could be considered the biggest challenge any of the company’s world titleholders have ever faced.
Will Ospreay will now defend his AEW World Championship against seven other stars in a Clockwork Carnage match at WrestleDream.
With there being eight options regarding who could leave Orlando with the company’s top prize, many fans have asked, will Will Ospreay lose the AEW World Title at WrestleDream?
Clockwork Carnage
This will be the first time a Clockwork Carnage match will take place in AEW, with the stipulation originating in Pro Wrestling EVE.
The bout essentially starts as a staggered entry elimination match, before turning into a multi-man Iron Man bout.
The first stage of the match involved two wrestlers starting in the ring, with a new wrestler being “randomly selected” to enter every three minutes.
Until all competitors have entered the match, eliminations may occur via pinfall or submission. Once the eighth and final competitor has joined the match, the next stage of the bout begins, with a 15-minute scoring period starting.
After the 15 minutes have elapsed, the wrestler who has scored the most falls wins, and leaves with the AEW World Championship.
New champion to be crowned?
All qualifying matches have now taken place, giving us a full field of wrestlers ahead of Saturday’s pay-per-view.
The seven challengers include:
Samoa Joe – The first man to qualify for Clockwork Carnage, Samoa Joe defeated Jack Perry at Grand Slam France to punch his ticket for WrestleDream.
Joe previously held the AEW World Title for 113 days, from December 2023 to April 2024.
Mike Bailey – “Speedball” defeated Lee Moriarty at Collision Grand Slam France to qualify for Clockwork Carnage.
His inclusion in the match is interesting, with Bailey also representing the United Empire in AEW, like Will Ospreay.
Darby Allin – One of five stars who won qualifying matches during the October 14 Dynamite/Collision three hour special, Allin defeated Hechicero to earn his place in the championship match.
Allin also holds the TNT Championship, which he won from Kevin Knight at All In London.
Kazuchika Okada – Darby Allin won’t be the only champion competing for the AEW World Title, with International Champion Kazuchika Okada also qualifying for the bout.
Okada defeated Myron Reed to both defend his gold and earn another shot at AEW’s premier championship.
Ricochet – Ospreay’s opponent for the Tribute to PAC edition of Dynamite, Ricochet will now get the opportunity to challenge for the Aerial Assassin’s gold.
Ricochet defeated Ace Austin to earn his way into the eight man bout.
Konosuke Takeshita – Ospreay’s first opponent as an AEW-contracted talent, Takeshita will likely stand across from the Aerial Assassin this Saturday, providing that neither star is eliminated before the other’s entry.
Takeshita defeated Brian Cage for a spot in this bout.
Adam Copeland – The Rated-R Superstar has announced that 2027 will be his final year as an active wrestler, and that he will chase the AEW World Championship ahead of retirement.
Copeland put away Josh Alexander to begin what he has now revealed will be a retirement tour of sorts.
What’s next for Will Ospreay?
It will be interesting to see how AEW books this match, with Ospreay’s title reign in jeopardy after such a long road to winning the gold.
While it feels like there is a lot of story left to tell in this championship reign – with Ospreay wanting to defend the gold against everyone who previously defeated him – there is a risk of the match feeling underwhelming with a title retention.
This Clockwork Carnage match will also be a test as to whether or not it works on this scale, so we will have to wait and see how it plays out.
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