Will Ospreay plans after AEW WrestleDream 2026: Three options for the Aerial Assassin’s next major singles opponent

WWE

Will Ospreay has a huge challenge ahead of him at WrestleDream, where he will defend the AEW World Championship against seven other competitors.

Ospreay will face off against Adam Copeland, Samoa Joe, Darby Allin, Konosuke Takeshita, Kazuchika Okada, Mike Bailey and Ricochet in a Clockwork Carnage match.

This bout, pioneered in Pro Wrestling EVE, will see competitors enter in staggered intervals, with eliminations occurring via pinfall and submission ahead of the last star entering.

Following the final entry, a 15 minute scoring period will begin, and the star with the most pinfalls and submissions at the end of the scoring period will win the match and leave Orlando, Florida with the AEW World Championship.

There has been a lot of speculation about what’s next for the Aerial Assassin, who may or may not be AEW’s top champion come the morning of October 18.

Following recent interactions and comments, there have been rumors swirling about Ospreay’s next major singles opponent, as we approach the end of 2026.

Here are three stars who could be Will Ospreay’s next major singles opponent following WrestleDream.

Adam Copeland

On October 14, after qualifying for the Clockwork Carnage match, Adam Copeland announced that 2027 will be his final year as an active wrestler, ahead of his retirement.

Amid speculation about opponents for Copeland during his retirement tour, Will Ospreay has now thrown his hat into the ring.

In a recent interview with 1010XL, Ospreay opened up about Copeland being a great ear and voice for him when he was going through his own neck surgery, before asking Copeland to save a date for him.

With Copeland previously naming Ospreay as a dream opponent, a Copeland vs Ospreay singles match feels like an inevitability.

Callum Newman

Following previous teases of dissension, Will Ospreay and Callum Newman’s relationship appears to be reaching its boiling point.

While Newman did accompany his former mentor to the ring for his AEW World Championship match at All In London, the two stars have since been at each other’s throats, most recently following Ospreay, Great-O-Khan and HENARE losing the NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship at NJPW King of Pro-Wrestling on October 12.

With Ospreay and Newman scheduled to challenge for the IWGP Tag Team Championship at Power Struggle, many are predicting that November 3 will finally be the day when tensions boil over and things get physical between the former mentor and protege.

There have long been rumors about a potential Ospreay vs Newman clash, which could happen at Wrestle Kingdom 21 on January 4.

Darby Allin

Following Will Ospreay’s first defense of the AEW World Championship – against Jon Moxley at All Out – Ospreay issued a challenge to Kazuchika Okada, stating that he wants to defend the title against every star who has previously defeated him.

In addition to Okada, Ospreay named Darby Allin specifically as one of the wrestlers who he wants to avenge his loss again.

Allin and Ospreay have faced off once in singles action, with Darby scoring the victory on the December 18, 2024 Dynamite episode, in that year’s Continental Classic tournament.

If Will Ospreay or Darby Allin leave WrestleDream with the AEW World Championship, it would make a lot of sense for this match to headline the next pay-per-view or TV special.

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• champion
• AEW
• NJPW
• Will Ospreay

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