Original Plans For AEW's Clockwork Carnage At WrestleDream

At the upcoming AEW WrestleDream 2026 PPV, the promotion is set to host its very first Clockwork Carnage match, which will feature Will Ospreay defending his AEW World Championship against a field which includes Samoa Joe, Konosuke Takeshita, Kazuchika Okada, Darby Allin, Mike Bailey, Ricochet and Adam Copeland. However, this was not the original lineup for this brand new stipulation. 

According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Jay White was originally slated to be a member of the Clockwork Carnage matchup. Unfortunately, White has been put on the shelf through injury, with it revealed shortly following the All Out 2026 PPV that he was ruled out of action for at least one month. It was noted that due to Christian Cage’s injuries suffered at the same show, and with Adam Copeland needing to compete in the singles division for the time being, it would make sense for Copeland to take White’s spot in the match. 

Copeland qualified for Clockwork Carnage on this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, before revealing that he would be retiring from in-ring competition at some point in 2027.