Backstage Details On Initial Plans for AEW Clockwork Carnage

AEW had to adjust its plans for the inaugural Clockwork Carnage match at WrestleDream after injuries sidelined two roster members. Jay White suffered an undisclosed injury during the Tailgate Brawl match at AEW All Out and is expected to miss one to two months.

Christian Cage also suffered three broken ribs and a collapsed lung. The injuries reportedly affected plans involving Cage and Adam Copeland, prompting changes to the lineup for the October 17 pay-per-view.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, White had originally been expected to fill the spot eventually given to Copeland in the inaugural Clockwork Carnage match. With Cage injured, their tag team was also “put on hold,” and “it made sense for the star to compete in the match”:

“The eight-man Clockwork Carnage main event has AEW champion Will Ospreay, and seven challengers, Samoa Joe, Kazuchika Okada, Ricochet, Konosuke Takeshita, Adam Copeland, Mike Bailey and Darby Allin. The belief is that Jay White was originally scheduled in Copeland’s spot, but White was injured in his match at All Out. With Christian Cage injured seriously at the same show, meaning the Copeland & Christian tag team is being put on hold, it made sense for Copeland to be put in this match.”

Copeland earned his place by defeating Josh Alexander on the October 14 episode of Dynamite. He also announced that 2027 would be his final year as a professional wrestler.

Clockwork Carnage features a two-stage format. Two randomly selected wrestlers start the match, with another competitor entering every three minutes. During the opening stage, a pinfall or submission eliminates a wrestler. Once all eight participants have entered, the remaining competitors begin a 15-minute scoring period. During that final stage, pinfalls and submissions earn individual falls instead of eliminating opponents. The wrestler with the most falls when the time expires wins.