Ospreay’s Next Rival in Focus Ahead of WrestleDream Title Defense

Will Ospreay faces arguably the toughest test of his AEW World Championship reign on Sunday, October 18, when he defends the title in Orlando against seven challengers in a Clockwork Carnage match at WrestleDream. The format, originally popularized by Pro Wrestling EVE, staggers entrants into the match at timed intervals, with eliminations coming via pinfall or submission until the final competitor arrives. From there, a 15-minute scoring period decides the winner based on total fall and submission counts. Joining Ospreay in the match are Adam Copeland, Samoa Joe, Darby Allin, Konosuke Takeshita, Kazuchika Okada, Mike Bailey and Ricochet.

With so many bodies in the ring and the title potentially changing hands, speculation has already turned to what comes next for Ospreay regardless of whether he walks out of WrestleDream still holding the belt. Several threads point toward his next marquee singles feud.

Adam Copeland is one obvious name. After qualifying for the Clockwork Carnage match on October 14, Copeland announced that 2027 will be his final year as an active wrestler before retirement, kicking off speculation about who gets to share the ring with him on his way out. Ospreay has already thrown his name into that conversation, telling 1010XL how much Copeland supported him through his own neck surgery recovery and asking him to pencil in a date for a match. Copeland has previously called Ospreay a dream opponent, so a showdown between the two feels less like speculation and more like a matter of timing.

Then there’s the increasingly tense relationship between Ospreay and his New Japan protégé-turned-rival, Callum Newman. Newman was in Ospreay’s corner for his AEW World Championship defense at All In London, but things have soured since, especially after the pair lost the NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship alongside Great-O-Khan and HENARE at NJPW’s King of Pro-Wrestling on October 12. The two are now set to challenge for the IWGP Tag Team Championship at Power Struggle on November 3, a date many expect to be the breaking point in their mentor-protégé dynamic. If it doesn’t boil over there, Wrestle Kingdom 21 on January 4 looms as a natural venue for Ospreay and Newman to finally settle things one-on-one.

Darby Allin rounds out the speculation. After successfully defending the AEW World Championship against Jon Moxley at All Out, Ospreay called out every wrestler who has beaten him, specifically naming both Okada and Allin. Allin is the only man on that list Ospreay hasn’t already run it back with in AEW — the two met once in singles competition, with Allin winning during the 2024 Continental Classic on the December 18 episode of Dynamite. Given Allin is also part of the Clockwork Carnage field, a rematch built around title gold wouldn’t be a stretch for a future pay-per-view or television special.

Whichever path Ospreay takes, WrestleDream is shaping up to be a pivot point rather than a conclusion. With Copeland’s retirement clock ticking, Newman’s betrayal arc simmering, and unfinished business with Allin still on the table, the Aerial Assassin’s championship reign — win or lose on October 18 — looks destined to keep generating headlines deep into 2027.