At AEW WrestleDream on Sunday night, Adam Copeland, formerly known as Edge, made the jump to AEW after a historic 25-year run in WWE. It was a long anticipated and highly speculated moment since his final WWE match in August, and it all went down with a memorable show-closing segment.
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Some may have to adjust to seeing Copeland wrestle in another pro wrestling company, using his real name and the WWE music that accompanied him for most of his career. Still, many pro wrestlers have translated what made them special from one company to another, and Copeland figures to have as good a shot as any of them.
Before settling into his AEW career that’ll take off this week, Copeland took to X to reflect on his WWE tenure and thank the company for the opportunities they gave him. The Rated-R Superstar also revealed why he departed, describing it as a relationship that had simply grown apart.
From The Desk of…
As some of you may now know, I’m no longer with WWE. My new home is AEW. I’m excited. Whole new roster. Some familiar faces that I wanted to work with again and a whole set of first ever matches. New challenges, and if you’ve followed my career, you know…
— Adam (Edge) Copeland (@EdgeRatedR) October 2, 2023
But first and foremost I want to address my 25 years with WWE. I love WWE and appreciate everything the company did for me. Always have, always will. They put me on the map, gave me amazing opportunities and through hard work on both ends, I’ve been supplied with a wonderful…
— Adam (Edge) Copeland (@EdgeRatedR) October 2, 2023
Copeland also addressed the toxicity of fan tribalism, noting how the more choices and viable wrestling companies for talent to choose from, the better.
I don’t buy into this odd mentality of one company or the other. It’s weird. If you took offense to that, take a walk, get some fresh air and soak up some sunshine. It’s wrestling. An amazing gig. But still, it’s wrestling. Relax. It’s supposed to be fun.
And it’s just a segment…— Adam (Edge) Copeland (@EdgeRatedR) October 2, 2023
I guess what I’m trying to say is this, if you’ve appreciated my work, you still can, no matter what the initials are. Because I’ll still be bustin my ass everytime I’m out there. This ride isn’t over just yet. Just try to have fun, like it should be. Because trust me I’ll be…
— Adam (Edge) Copeland (@EdgeRatedR) October 2, 2023
Copeland immediately found the fresh opportunities he craved at WrestleDream. Interactions with Darby Allin, Sting, Nick Wayne and Luchasaurus all never happened in the former WWE Champion’s illustrious career. Even that Christian Cage staredown was their first physical segment in years since both men have missed plenty of time due to injury.
Tony Khan announced during the post-WrestleDrean press conference that Luchasaurus will be Copeland’s first AEW opponent on the “Title Tuesday” episode of AEW Dynamite on Tuesday, Oct. 10, so fans clamoring to hear and see more of the wrestling hall of famer won’t have to wait long for his next steps.
As promised before the show, a new AEW era is about to be ushered in. Copeland will help spearhead that effort as things move forward from a busy summer.