WWE Hall of Famer fka Edge, now using his real name Adam Copeland, is the newest signee to AEW. Copeland debuted at WrestleDream in Seattle, Washington, on Sunday evening following the main event, where Christian Cage defeated Darby Allin in a two out of three falls match to retain the TNT title.
Christian, Luchasaurs, and Nick Wayne, who turned on Allin, laid out Allin and Sting. Christian was about to deliver a conchairto to Sting when the lights went out, and a Grindhouse video played of a man in a leather jacket driving down the highway and over the words “Rated R Superstar” as fireworks emerged from a nearby stadium.
The familiar “You think you know me” followed by the iconic Alter Bridge song ‘Metalingus’ blasted from the speakers as Copeland emerged and did his WWE entrance and pyro deal on the way to the ring.
Christian cautiously gave Copeland the chair as his former partner offered to hit Sting with the concharito. However, Copeland hit Wayne with the chair, speared Luchasaurs, and shook hands with Sting and Allin.
Copeland, whose contact with WWE expired last month, defeated Sheamus in his hometown of Toronto in his farewell match on the 8/18/23 edition of SmackDown.
The former Edge spoke about his decision to leave WWE at the WrestleDream post-show media scrum, stating he “felt free, and it felt fun” making his AEW debut and stated later on social media
“Sometimes relationships just grow apart and I feel the WWE and I have just outgrown each other. I wanted to do more. They didn’t have much more for me to do. Simple as that. And that’s ok.”
AEW president Tony Khan stated Copeland is joining the roster as a full-time wrestler, making his Dynamite debut on Wednesday, October 4th, with his in-ring debut set for Dynamite Title Tuesday, October 10th against Luchasaurus.
Copeland wrestling full-time in AEW is interesting. His part-time schedule in WWE and his medical history suggested his neck was on borrowed time. Perhaps “wrestling full-time” means he will appear a lot and will wrestle here and there.
Copeland has a significant advantage over most wrestlers who left WWE for AEW. He took his entrance music and “Rated R Superstar” moniker with him. WWE doesn’t own ‘Metalingus,’ they let the trademark on the nickname expire, and you can’t copyright the words “You think you know me.”
Some will say there is no difference between the presentation of Edge and Adam Copeland.
That’s the idea!
WWE often creates every aspect of a wrestler’s presentation so no one else can profit off their creative equity. While their reasoning is easy to understand, It’s fun when wrestlers can use the same entrance music in different promotions. It makes everything feel more connected.
Wrestling’s never-ending battle with tribalism has reared its ugly head (of course it has). Many are happy that Adam Copeland is All Elite, but some WWE loyalists feel he betrayed the company that made him famous. Copeland is turning 50 this month, and while we don’t have the specifics, AEW clearly gave him something that WWE couldn’t or wouldn’t give him.
Pro Wrestling has no formal retirement or pension plan. It’s about making the most money you can while you can physically bump in the ring. If you play the loyalty card, you can easily say WWE wasn’t loyal to Copeland for all the years of service he gave them by not giving him what he wanted.
Neither argument holds water. It’s business, and both parties operated in their best interest.
It’s clear WWE wanted Copeland to stay and thought they had a good chance of retaining his services, giving him a main event hometown win on the way out. That never happens. Ultimately, it still wasn’t enough, and that’s ok.
When Copeland came out of retirement in 2020 after he was medically cleared, he negotiated with both WWE and AEW. Reportedly, WWE backed up several Brinks trucks to keep him from going to their Jacksonville-based rival.
While I’m not looking forward to his encounter with Luchasaurs, there are a plethora of never-seen matches before Copeland, along with a handful of bouts we never thought we’d see again.
Copeland and Sting shaking hands at the end of WrestleDream was surreal. It was the first time they had been in the ring together. Edge vs. Sting was a dream match of sorts during the Monday Night Wars as both wrestlers had mysterious gimmicks, entered through the crowd, didn’t speak much, and wore long trench coats.
If WWE’s primary reason for paying Copeland was to keep him away from AEW, why is it wrong when he decides to cash out with the other company?
The answer is it’s not.
Honestly, Copeland was played out in WWE over the last twelve months. From a narrative perspective, there was nothing else for him to do. He’s done it all. AEW gives Copeland a chance to reinvent himself in familiar threads.
Imagine matches between Copeland and Kenny Omega or Jay White. What about the matches and promos with Jon Moxley or MJF. And, of course, he will wrestle Christain Cage sooner or later. What was impossible before now is a reality.
As of this writing, Adam Copeland’s debut has over 2.4 million views and climbing in under 24 hours on AEW’s YouTube channel.
Ringside Logic 