Mike Bailey has secured his spot in the Clockwork Carnage match at WrestleDream, defeating Lee Moriarty in a qualifying bout during AEW Collision Grand Slam France. Bailey picked up the win with his signature Ultima Weapon finisher, sealing his place in the eight-man match ahead of the upcoming event.
Bailey’s victory makes him the latest confirmed entrant in Clockwork Carnage, joining Will Ospreay and Samoa Joe, both of whom had already locked in their spots. With Bailey’s addition, the match now has three confirmed participants, with the remaining spots expected to be filled through further qualifying contests on AEW programming leading up to WrestleDream.
For Bailey, the win over Moriarty represents a significant step in his AEW run, putting him on a collision course with two of the promotion’s most established in-ring competitors in Ospreay and Joe. The qualifying match format AEW has employed to build toward Clockwork Carnage has given wrestlers like Bailey a clear, competitive path into a high-profile multi-man showcase rather than a direct booking, adding stakes to each qualifier as the field fills out.
Moriarty, meanwhile, falls short in his bid to reach WrestleDream through this particular route after coming up short against Bailey’s high-flying offense in Grand Slam France. The loss does not appear to close the door on Moriarty securing a spot through another avenue, though no further qualifying opportunities for him have been confirmed at this time.
The Clockwork Carnage match is shaping up as one of the notable attractions on an already stacked three-hour special surrounding AEW Collision Grand Slam France, with Ospreay and Joe’s involvement signaling that AEW intends the match to carry considerable weight on the WrestleDream card. As AEW continues to fill out the eight-man field, each new qualifying match adds further context to how the night’s biggest multi-man spectacle will take shape.
