A new stipulation, title matches and more are announced for AEW WrestleDream 2026, but who will be the big winners on the night?
Previously seen in UK promotion Pro Wrestling EVE, WrestleDream will be the first time the Clockwork Carnage match will be seen in AEW. The rules of the match are as follows:
- Eight wrestlers will take part in the match. The match will have two stages, and there will be one winner.
- Two randomly selected wrestlers will start the match. Every three minutes, another randomly selected wrestler will enter.
- Until all eight participants are in the ring, any wrestler who is pinned or submitted during this first stage will be eliminated.
- Once the final wrestler enters, the second stage of the match begins. All remaining wrestlers will enter a fifteen-minute scoring period. During those fifteen minutes, every pinfall or submission will score as one fall.
- When the time limit expires, the wrestler with the most falls wins the match.
On top of Clockwork Carnage, Mercedes Mone will defend the Women’s Championship against Thekla, and the Trios Titles will be defended in a two out of three falls match.
AEW WrestleDream 2026 Predictions:
The Brawling Birds (Jamie Hayter and Alex Windsor) (c) vs. Wrathlander (Harley Cameron and Kris Statlander) For The Women’s Tag Team Championships
This still feels too early in the Birds’ reign to have them drop the titles, but this also feels like one of the more likely title changes of the evening. With this being a standard matcha nd with Blood and Guts just a few weeks away, the champions retaining looks more likely to build to the double cage match.
Winners: The Brawling Birds
Swerve Strickland and The New Level (Austin Creed and Kofi) (c) vs. “Hangman” Adam Page and Brodido (Brody King and Bandido) In A 2 Out Of 3 Falls Match
This will obviously go to one fall each before the decider, as is the case with 95% of matches with this stipulation. The champions need to face a lot more teams before dropping the titles, and there are matches with the likes of The Elite, The Deathriders and The Don Callis Family on the table. Once again, this could also set up the teams for Blood and Guts.
Winners: The New Level and Swerve Strickland
The Young Bucks (c) vs. Kevin Knight And Kyle Fletcher For The Tag Team Championships
The Bucks only just won the titles at All Out in a 3-way ladder match. With this in mind and with there being an increased dissension, in The Don Callis Family, a title change is unlikely here. There could be a miscommunication between Knight and Fletcher, or an interference spot goes wrong. But either way, this will be a title retention. Kevin Knight will take the pin.
Winners: The Young Bucks
Jon Moxley (c) vs. Mark Davis For The Continental Championship
This feels like the lock of the night. Moxley has a very strong chance of entering the Continental Classic as champion and could make it to the knockout stages. Davis picked up the win in Paris, but it’s unlikely he will be the one standing tall at WrestleDream.
Winner: Jon Moxley
Andrade El Idolo (c) vs. Tommaso Ciampa For The National Championship
While the match will be good, no one cares about the National Championship. AEW has 4 midcard titles, and this is the least important of the bunch. Following his great match with Okada at All Out, there is a case to have Ciampa win the championship here. With El Idolo set for a World Championship match soon, he will lose no momentum with a loss here.
Winner: Tommaso Ciampa
Mercedes Mone (c) vs. Thekla For The AEW Women’s Championship
Thekla has become one of the breakout stars in AEW over the past year. The Toxic Spider has been very entertaining on TV and has can back it up in the ring. While it was a shame that she did not have a match at Wembley, she is still in the title scene. Unfortunately, a win here for Thekla looks to be unlikely. Mone is very early into her reign and will likely hold the championship for months, maybe over a year. With Mone away from the top prize for so long, The CEO is here to stay.
Winner: Mercedes Mone
Chris Jericho vs. Nick Wayne
At this stage of his career, Jericho will lose nothing by taking the loss. Nick Wayne is ready for that next step and has been making a name for himself in Japan as well as the United States. Jericho has been known for having mediocre feuds with younger talents, such as Hook, and it’s time for the legend to make some new stars. Jericho has the Cruise coming up and his eventual retirement storyline, but this is the right time for Jericho to take a few defeats here and there.
Winner: Nick Wayne
Persephone (c) vs. Dani Luna vs. Hyan vs. Queen Aminata For The TBS Championship
With three babyface challengers against the heel Persephone, this looks like it will favour the champion. Persephone will be taken out of the match at multiple points, allowing the faces to battle it out in a triple threat match. There could be help from Britt Baker given that there is no DQ in a 4-way, but Persephone will sneak out the win here.
Winner: Persephone
Will Ospreay (c) vs. Samoa Joe vs. Mike Bailey vs. Kazuchika Okada vs. Darby Allin vs. Ricochet vs. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Adam Copeland – Clockwork Carnage Match
It will be interesting to see how this stipulation is received by the fans when all is said and done. Part gauntlet and part Iron Man match, the winner will be the one who accumulates the most points when the time limit expires. In terms of the winner, either Ospreay wins this outright, or there is ovetime and the World Champion retains his title there. Either way, Ospreay losing here is very unlikely.
Winner: Will Ospreay
Featured image: AEW
