AEW WrestleDream 2026 Predictions: Picks for Every Match

Our AEW WrestleDream 2026 predictions cover all eight main-card matches, including Will Ospreay’s world title defense in Clockwork Carnage and Mercedes Moné vs. Thekla. The pay-per-view takes place Saturday, October 17, at Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, Florida, beginning at 8 p.m. ET on HBO Max pay-per-view in the United States.

UPDATE: The AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship match between The Brawling Birds and Harley Cameron & Kris Statlander has been removed from WrestleDream after Jamie Hayter suffered an injury.

The loaded WrestleDream card is headlined by Clockwork Carnage for the AEW World Championship, as Will Ospreay defends against seven challengers: Mike Bailey, Samoa Joe, Adam Copeland, Konosuke Takeshita, Ricochet, Kazuchika Okada and Darby Allin. Mercedes Moné vs. Thekla, Jon Moxley vs. Mark Davis and the Young Bucks vs. Kyle Fletcher and Kevin Knight are also among the title matches on Saturday night.

Below are our AEW WrestleDream 2026 predictions for every match on the main card.

AEW WrestleDream 2026 predictions

AEW World Championship: Clockwork Carnage prediction

What is Clockwork Carnage?

Clockwork Carnage is AEW’s newest match format, with the AEW World Championship on the line. Two wrestlers will start the match, with another randomly selected entrant joining the action every three minutes.

Until all eight competitors have entered, any wrestler pinned or forced to submit is eliminated. Once the final entrant arrives, the remaining wrestlers enter a 15-minute scoring period. Every pinfall or submission earns one fall, and the wrestler with the most falls when time expires will leave WrestleDream as AEW World Champion.

AEW WrestleDream prediction

There is not much precedent to lean on here because this is the first Clockwork Carnage match, which is honestly what makes it fun. Ospreay helped create the format after his success in Casino Gauntlet matches, and the champion may have a better feel for how quickly the match can change once the scoring period begins.

There are obvious threats everywhere. Samoa Joe can rack up falls if he gets rolling, Okada has already pushed Ospreay to the limit, and Darby Allin is built for a match where everyone is too busy fighting someone else to stop him. But Ospreay is still the guy to beat. He has spent the past few weeks proving he can win the big one, including his Grand Slam: France victory over Okada, and this feels like another moment for him to show why he is the AEW World Champion.

Pick: Will Ospreay

AEW Women’s World Championship: Mercedes Moné (c) vs. Thekla

Thekla’s route back to a world title match has been a little unusual. Since losing the AEW Women’s World Championship to Willow Nightingale at AEW Redemption in July, she has wrestled only two singles matches and one trios match. That is not a lot of in-ring momentum heading into a title match, which makes this an unusual spot for Thekla.

She has done enough to get this opportunity, most notably by beating Willow at All Out, but WrestleDream is a far different challenge. Thekla and Moné have been involved in three AEW matches together, yet they have never faced each other one-on-one. A first singles meeting gives us something new to look forward to, and I doubt WrestleDream will be the last time these two face off.

Moné enters with the kind of résumé that makes it hard to pick against her. When WrestleDream begins, she will have been with AEW for 948 days and held an AEW championship for 632 of them. Thekla is the sort of opponent who can force Moné out of her comfort zone and make this the start of a bigger rivalry, but it does not feel like the right time to end Moné’s reign.

Thekla can come out of WrestleDream looking like a serious threat without leaving Orlando with the title.

Pick: Mercedes Moné

AEW World Tag Team Championship: Young Bucks (c) vs. Kyle Fletcher & Kevin Knight

Kyle Fletcher and Kevin Knight already have a win over the Young Bucks, beating them in a tables match at last month’s AEW Dynamite: Rebel Heart. That was their only meeting in a straight tag team match, so the challengers have something to back up all the talking. Beating the Bucks again with the titles on the line would be a much bigger statement.

By Saturday, the Bucks will have held the AEW World Tag Team Championship for a combined 543 days across four reigns, more than any other team in company history. They just won the belts back at All Out, and I would like to see this reign get some room to breathe. Fletcher and Knight have the talent to take over the division, but there is plenty to enjoy about watching them try to outdo the Bucks before they actually get there.

This has a real chance to be my favorite match of the night. Knight flying around with the Bucks while Fletcher brings the power is a combination I’m all for. I expect the challengers to come close, but I’m taking the Bucks to even the series and keep the titles.

Pick: Young Bucks

AEW World Trios Championship, Best Two-Out-of-Three Falls: Swerve Strickland & The New Level (c) vs. Hangman Adam Page & Brodido

The elephant in the room is Swerve and Hangman’s rivalry heating up again. Can Page stay focused on winning the titles, or will getting his hands on Swerve take priority? Page and Brodido would love another run after their first reign lasted just 25 days, but that personal history could get in the way.

Swerve and The New Level have already made four successful defenses since winning the belts at All In: London, including against these challengers at All Out. I think this rematch needed the best two-out-of-three falls stipulation to give us something different. It gives Page and Brodido room to grab a fall and make the champions sweat, but I’m sticking with Swerve and The New Level to win the deciding fall.

Pick: Swerve Strickland & The New Level

AEW Continental Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Mark Davis

Moxley enters on a two-match losing streak, with Davis on the winning side of both tag team encounters. That led to this fantastic backstage exchange with Renee Paquette on Dynamite, which added more intrigue to this defense. Moxley already beat Davis in a Continental Title Eliminator on Dynamite in February, but Davis has given him plenty to think about since then.

Davis has had a brief run with the AEW National Championship, but he has also come up short in big singles opportunities, including his first National Title challenge against Jack Perry and a TNT Title match against Darby Allin. Beating Moxley for the Continental Championship would be a huge step forward. I like that the build has made an upset feel possible, but I’m taking Moxley to stop the slide when the belt is on the line.

Pick: Jon Moxley

AEW National Championship: Andrade El Ídolo (c) vs. Tommaso Ciampa

I’m torn on this one. Andrade still holds the Casino Gauntlet contract for a future AEW World Championship match, so I expect AEW to keep him looking strong while that opportunity hangs over the title picture. But another successful defense means another big loss for Tommaso Ciampa, and that is becoming a problem.

Since his short TNT Championship reign ended, Ciampa has come up short in multiple title matches and number one contender opportunities. He still looks dangerous, but how many times can we watch him get close without winning? At some point, he needs a payoff. I’m sticking with Andrade here, but I don’t want Ciampa’s next step to be another championship challenge that ends the same way.

Pick: Andrade El Ídolo

TBS Championship: Persephone (c) vs. Dani Luna vs. Hyan vs. Queen Aminata

The four-way format gives us a chance for an upset since Persephone does not have to take the fall to lose her title. I’d like to see Aminata get a big win, but I’m expecting the champion to sneak out of this one with the belt. Luna, Hyan and Aminata all want their moment, and Persephone taking advantage while they fight over it feels like the finish here.

Pick: Persephone

Chris Jericho vs. Nick Wayne

Jericho is 4-4 in singles competition since returning to AEW, and he and Nick Wayne have split their first two meetings. This rubber match feels like the springboard Wayne needs to reach the next level. Beating Jericho once gives him something to brag about. Winning the rivalry on pay-per-view gives him something to build on.

I don’t see much to gain from Jericho winning here. Wayne should get the victory, then make the most of the apology Jericho agreed to give him if he loses. That sounds like a pretty entertaining way to send Wayne into his next program.

Pick: Nick Wayne

How to watch AEW WrestleDream 2026

• Date: Saturday, October 17, 2026
• Main card start time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT
• Venue: Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, Florida
• U.S. streaming: HBO Max pay-per-view

AEW WrestleDream 2026 FAQ

What matches are on the WrestleDream pre-show?

FTR face the Motor City Machine Guns in the opening match of their best-of-five series. Sisters of Sin’s Julia Hart and Skye Blue also face Divine Dominion’s Megan Bayne and Lena Kross.

Why are The Brawling Birds not wrestling at WrestleDream?

The Brawling Birds’ scheduled AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship defense against Harley Cameron and Kris Statlander was removed because Jamie Hayter remains injured following the Chicago Street Fight at All Out.

Are the TNT and International Championships on the line in Clockwork Carnage?

No. Although TNT Champion Darby Allin and AEW International Champion Kazuchika Okada are competing, only Will Ospreay’s AEW World Championship is on the line in Clockwork Carnage.