AEW WrestleDream: 9 big takeaways for Clockwork Carnage, Ilja Dragunov’s future, what’s next and more

Will Ospreay put the bow on a wild Saturday evening at Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, retaining the AEW Men’s World Championship in the main event of WrestleDream 2026. Across the card “Hangman” Adam Page and Brodido became Trios Champions, Mercedes Moné and Persephone kept on rolling in the women’s division, Ilja Dragunov debuted, The Young Bucks slipped past Kevin Knight and Kyle Fletcher, and Andrade retained the National Championship. 

As we get ready for AEW Blood and Guts in less than a month, here’s eight takeaways from WrestleDream 2026.

1. Chaotic championship carnage

In a wrestling world where moves, stories, and matches are all ripped from things that have been done in the past, credit to AEW CEO Tony Khan for continuing to innovate with new match concepts. 

Clockwork Carnage hit all the right notes, with “Speedball” Mike Bailey getting ousted first and Kazuchika Okada surprisingly eliminating Konosuke Takeshita. The second phase of the match saw things kick into high gear, with the lead changing hands numerous times within seconds of the phase starting. Ospreay closed out the match with a literal last-second Hidden Blade on Adam Copeland to retain his Men’s World Championship.

EVERY SECOND COUNTS! 🔥 The clock is ticking down, and the battle for the final pin has turned into PURE DESPERATION!

Watch #AEWWrestleDream LIVE on PPV! pic.twitter.com/7v0HJlZUpa

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) October 18, 2026

The direction from here feels quite clear: With Cope announcing this past Wednesday that 2027 will be his last year wrestling, we’re surely going to see the WWE Hall of Famer giving everything he has into one last run for the world title. Ospreay and Cope had a contentious handshake following the match, and the camera lingered on Samoa Joe at the top of the stage, so I’d assume that’s the angle we’re barreling toward. 

My only hot take on Clockwork Carnage is that if you earned a pin or submission in the first phase, you start the second phase with that amount of falls. In this situation, Okada would’ve automatically started Phase 2 with one fall, having eliminated Takeshita.

Other than that small gripe, I thought the match concept was fantastically chaotic in a way that reminds me of the old championship scramble years ago. And yes, in my book Brian Kendrick is a former WWE Champion. 

2. Mo Moné, no Thekla

After claiming the AEW Women’s World Championship at All In earlier this year, there was little question that Mercedes Moné’s reign would be sustained throughout the year. As the absolute top of the women’s division and arguably the best women’s wrestler of all-time, Moné is just getting started in AEW.

But nothing is ever a given in AEW, and the former champ, Thekla, rode a star’s entrance into a bar-setting match Saturday that showed she every bit belongs in the main-event scene. Thekla and Moné exchanged mat wrestling, intensity, storytelling, and matched each other every step of the way. Ultimately, Moné used her mask as an advantage before hitting the Moné Maker for the pinfall. 

Mercedes Moné and Thekla tore the house down Saturday night. (Lee South, AEW)Lee South

Moné will unquestionably face some bumps in the road, but 2026 should see her continue to roll on and build her portfolio as champion. What’ll be interesting to watch is who she inevitably drops the belt to, and whether that ends up being a veteran contender or if she continues to pay it forward and help establish rising talent, the likes of Maya World. 

For Thekla, it’s back to the drawing board after falling just short in her pursuit of another world title. She looked like absolute money in the build-up to Saturday and during the match, holding her own against Moné. There was a strange post-match moment after Moné pinned Thekla, where the challenger sold the beating. But once she got to the apron, she gestured toward the camera and appeared to be done selling on her way up the ramp. I’m curious to see if there’s any fallout from that moment. 

3. The only way out is through

That’s Jon Moxley’s motto as he and AEW navigate the on-screen grief of losing beloved Death Riders member, PAC. 

“Mox” and Mark Davis exchanged hands in a tough, technical WrestleDream battle that left both men bleeding heavily at the end of the bout. The match saw Davis throw everything he had at Moxley, including a vicious apron piledriver that led to the champ considering throwing in the towel. But the Death Riders willed him back into the ring, and he fought while pouring blood to eventually choke out Davis. 

Already considered AEW’s ace, Moxley continues to put on performances that blend the lines between visceral emotion and evocative storytelling. Nothing in wrestling has felt more genuine than watching him attempt to navigate the challenges presented to him. 

4. The Dragon debuts

Ilja Dragunov is All Elite, and he might be Tony Khan’s most underrated free agent get yet.

He has arrived in AEW tonight at #AEWWrestleDream, and now it’s official: @UNBESIEGBAR_ZAR is All Elite! pic.twitter.com/YXt0zbYrmW

— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) October 18, 2026

An absolute warrior whose intensity made him stand out during his run in WWE, Dragunov is going to be a monster when he mixes it up with the in-ring technicians that make up the AEW roster.

He has plenty of logical first stops, but it’d be a shame for the promotion to make us wait at all before getting the inevitable Dragunov vs. Moxley bloodbath.

5. Swerve and a stumble

The only match on the card that saw titles change hands came in what is arguably AEW’s fiercest rivalry. “Hangman” Adam Page got the best of Swerve Strickland, with the latter being served the decisive pinfall to hand the trios belts over to Page, Bandido and Brody King.

The match was fantastic between what could ultimately be six world title contenders. Austin Creed carried the action for his team, doing most of the heavy lifting and helping set up Kofi for the first pinfall. Bandido earned the second pinfall on Creed with a monkey flip splash, and he basically took out the entire trio on

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