AEW WrestleDream 2026 feels like one of those AEW shows where a lot of people are down on. They don’t love the build or the main-event gimmick. The New Level’s go-home hype segment on Dynamite didn’t land well. Eyes are rolling at the Jericho/Nick Wayne match. And according to Tony Khan, the card has been shuffled numerous times due to injuries to Christian Cage, Jamie Hayter, and Jay White.
Of course, and most importantly, the past month has been some of the most emotional and tragic in All Elite Wrestling’s history. First, they had the wildly emotional Rebel Heart edition of Dynamite, raising money for ALS and celebrating the life of Rebel, who was diagnosed with ALS and is currently fighting the good fight against this horrible illness.
Then, the sudden passing of both “The Butcher” Andy Williams and Benjamin “PAC” Satterly within weeks of each other not only halted plans and momentum to build the show, but was also personally devastating. In this writer’s opinion, if AEW had decided to cancel WrestleDream and take time to heal, you wouldn’t blame them. So many of us have suffered tremendous loss in our lives, and trying to get out of bed, let alone go out and perform in front of thousands of people, is a feat of emotional strength in itself.
Yet if there’s one thing we’ve learned about AEW since 2019, it’s this: when a build or a card seems underwhelming on paper, the promotion usually over-delivers. And if you look at this card, you might not think it has the hype and hoopla of the last two PPVs, but it’s packed with potential bangers and classics.
Let’s get into the WrestleDream 2026 Predictions:
Tailgate Brawl
Note: We expect at least one or two more matches to be announced for the Tailgate Brawl at some point today.
Match #1 of Best of 5 Series: FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood) vs. Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin)
Thoughts: We’re finally getting The Motor City Machine Guns in AEW. To be fair, this should be on the PPV card, but they’re also doing five matches, so I can easily see the finale being on Full Gear’s main card. This has the potential to be an all-timer; however, I think you gotta save something for the subsequent series, so this will be very good at the very least. There isn’t a wrong answer here on the winner, because this is obviously going five matches. However, if MCMG do lose, it’s got to be because of Stokely’s interference or some FTR shenanigans. I’m leaning on Motor City getting the Big W out of the gate.
Prediction: Motor City Machine Guns
Divine Dominion (Lena Kross and Megan Bayne) vs. Sisters of Sin (Julia Hart and Skye Blue)
Thoughts: Jamie Hayter’s injury does put a bit of a wrench in this prediction. If Hayter were healthy, it would make sense for the Sisters to win and then challenge The Brawling Birds next. However, with Hayter on the shelf, things are on hold, with WrathLander being next up for the titles. Given the Thekla/Mercedes feud, which should extend beyond this PPV IMO, these two teams should keep it going and devolve into the Skye Blue specialty, Blood and Guts. In fact, a Team Mone vs. Triangle of Madness would be an awesome B&G match.
Prediction: The Sisters of Sin
WrestleDream 2026 Predictions:
The Debut of Ilja Dragunov: 100% in on “Unbesiegbar” in AEW. His move to WWE never made much sense because his style just didn’t fit there, much like there have been (and are) talents in AEW who made or make more sense in WWE than in AEW. The question is this: how does he debut? Does he appear after a match? Does he stand atop the ramp pointing at the winner of Andrade/Ciampa? Fantastic idea. Or does he debut in a match? Do we have someone cutting a heel promo, and he comes out to annihilate them? Also a great idea. This is a Win/Win for AEW no matter what happens.
AEW Women’s World Championship Match: “The CEO” Mercedes Moné (c) vs. “The Toxic Spide” Thekla
Thoughts: Let’s go. Many have called for this to close the show, but let’s open with it. Let’s just set the bar high. These two are going to kill it in the ring, absolutely. Their styles can easily complement each other, and neither is afraid to get physical. Mercedes has continually shown she can adapt to her opponents’ strengths, while Thekla’s violent style feels like it’ll play into Mercedes’ strengths. As stated, this match should lead these two into Blood and Guts. This match shouldn’t end in a DQ, but it should leave both of them wanting to kill each other by the end (or on Dynamite).
Prediction: “And Still” Mercedes Mone
AEW World Tag Team Championship: The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) (c) vs. The Don Callis Family (Kevin Knight and Kyle Fletcher)
Thoughts: How can anyone be down on this PPV, or “pass” on checking it out when you have this match on the card? The Young Bucks have been absolutely in their bag since All In 2025 and the whole Executive Vice President gimmick dropped. It wouldn’t be that bold to have ProtoJet win the titles. Imagine a world where you have them, The Bucks, FTR, MCMG, New Level, and Brodido all going for the titles … at the same time? My lips to God’s ears. However, what happens to ProtoJet after this if they lose? Do they remain a team? Does this lead to a split? Or will they bide their time until the Continental Classic? There’s really no wrong answer to this match, but there are a lot of questions, yet the money here is The Young Bucks retaining and fulfilling dream matches for the titles with MCMG and New Level (who eventually take the titles).
Prediction: “And Still” The Young Bucks
AEW Continental Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs. “Dunkzilla” Mark Davis
Thoughts: Conventional wrestling wisdom would say The Deathriders losing to Davis and Doyle in Paris, and then Moxley eating a rare pinfall from Dunkzilla on Dynamite (followed by his emotional break on Collision) means he’s going to get the big Win here. And given how the fanbase has wholeheartedly embraced him over the past year, especially the past month, would it be a bad move to have him lose now? Would a loss be too big an emotional blow to the crowd? Then again,, having the big Aussie, who is becoming a legit star in the company, score this win would be a huge moment for him and could fuel a Moxley comeback story everyone could get behind. Like a number of these matches, this feels like a coin flip. So let’s go with a retention to send the audience home happy.
Prediction: “And Still” Jon Moxley
AEW World Trios Championship: Swerve Strickland and The New Level (“Awesome” Austin Creed and Kofi) (c) vs. “Hangman” Adam Page and Brodido (Brody King and “Most Wanted” Bandido)
Thoughts: This could easily end in a double disqualification, with Hangman and Swerve trying to murder each other. And that wouldn’t be the worst thing, I love brawls and bloody affairs. The chemistry between these six is through the roof, and it’ll be a blast. People are wondering what the Men’s Blood and Guts match could be… and man alive, this could be it. Find four other dudes to get involved, and we’ve got ourselves something special.
Prediction: “And still” The New Level and Swerve Strickland
AEW National Championship: Andrade El Ídolo (c) vs. Tommaso Ciampa
Thoughts: Hear me out. Andrade does not need the National Championship to be over. And there’s a good chance he retains here since there really is no build to this. However, he has a feud with MJF and a world title shot against Will Ospreay on the books. AEW having champions take on champions is getting old, so let’s have Ciampa, who doesn’t have much to do right now, win the title and build new matches and stars around him.
Meanwhile, we can tease out Andrade and Ospreay tension and make that match your World Title Match for either Full Gear or a bigger Dynamite (Thanksgiving Eve?). Meanwhile, a Ciampa/Dragunov feud for the National Title would be incredible. Or you can line up literally anyone to go after Ciampa, maybe Brody King, Speedball, Adam Copeland, or hell, even bring in someone from CMLL or NJPW for brief feuds (Ishii vs. Ciampa, shut your face).
Prediction: “And New” Ciampa
Jericho vs. “The Prodigy” Nick Wayne
Thoughts: Conventional wrestling logic and Chris Jericho’s history with feuds suggest Lion Heart will win. Let’s for a minute throw that all out the window. Nick Wayne should win here. If AEW believes that much in The Prodigy, then he shouldn’t just win; he should win convincingly. Now, I’m not saying squash city, but let’s see him win with help from someone, maybe someone he can have in a faction with him, whether it’s a heater or a partner in crime. Wayne is showing that he can run with the ball; we need to see him do so. Hot take: he should end the year by beating Darby Allin for the TNT title.
Prediction: Nick Wayne
Four-Way for the AEW TBS Championship: Persephone (c) vs. Dani Luna vs. Hyan vs. Queen Aminata
Thoughts: Sleeper match of the night. Here’s what this match needs to be: these four women given the time to beat each other up. AEW thrives on matches where fighting spirit runs high, and people beat each other up. This should be exactly that match. This match needs to put the rocket on Persephone further, while also breaking out at least one of these women. Queen Aminata should be that one to break out. She rules. People love her. We’ll likely see shenanigans from Britt Baker to help Big Pers win, but let’s hope this one gets the time and production to be one we’re talking about.
Prediction: “And still” Persephone
Clockwork Carnage Match for the AEW Men’s World Title:
- “The Aerial Assassin” Will Ospreay (c)
- Samoa Joe
- “Speedball” Mike Bailey
- “The Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland
- “The Alpha” Konosuke Takeshita
- “The Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada
- Ricochet
- Darby Allin
Clockwork Carnage Rules (h/t DAZN):
Clockwork Carnage features eight wrestlers competing across two stages, with the eventual winner earning the AEW World Championship.
- Two wrestlers are randomly selected to start.
- A new competitor enters every three minutes until all eight have entered.
- During this opening stage, wrestlers are eliminated if they are pinned or forced to submit.
- Once the final competitor enters, the remaining wrestlers begin a 15-minute scoring period.
- Every pinfall or submission during those 15 minutes earns one point.
- The wrestler with the most points when time expires wins the AEW World Championship.
Thoughts: People have put the words “lazy” and “uninspired” on this match. I say let’s all chill the beans and give AEW a pass here. This match, unlike anything AEW has done, feels like a shortcut to put together a main event with a slight build amid a month of tragedy. That said, this match could be a cluster or a home run; there seems to be little room in between. AEW has loaded this with a combination of their biggest names and most reliable talents. This hopefully will be a big, fun party match that ultimately sees “The Aerial Assassin” retain.
Prediction: “And Still” Will Ospreay
The show takes place at the Addition Arena in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday, October 17. As always, the show will be on HBO MAX, Prime Video, YouTube, PPV.com, and traditional PPV avenues. Click here for more info.
