Tag: Edge

AEW Dynamite preview 10/4/23: 4th anniversary episode is Rated R

AEW Dynamite from Stockton will also see Rey Fenix put his International Championship on the line against Nick Jackson.

We always knew we were headed for this, right? That on the fourth anniversary of AEW Dynamite, we’d be celebrating by welcoming WWE Hall of Famer Edge, who of course can’t be called that in AEW, so he’s going by his real name of Adam Copeland, right?

Well that’s exactly where we’ve found ourselves. Tonight’s episode of Dynamite kicks off year five of AEW’s flagship show, and Mr. Copeland will be a big part of it if the advertising is any indication. He’s not scheduled to wrestle for the first time in an AEW ring until next Dynamite (which will be on Tuesday instead of Wednesday, because baseball), but he will be speaking in Stockton.

What will he address? Most likely why he decided not to help his old friend Christian Cage and instead stood against him beside Darby Allin and Sting at WrestleDream. If I was Cage, I’d want to know why as well.

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Copeland isn’t the only big name appearing on tonight’s show. Kenny Omega, fresh off his video game victory over MMA fighter Demetrious Johnson, will team with Chris Jericho to take on Konosuke Takeshita and Sammy Guevara. A championship will also be up for grabs as AEW International Championship Rey Fenix tries to stay that way against Nick Jackson of the Young Bucks.

But let’s be real. The big attraction for Dynamite is going to be hearing “You think you know me?” followed by “Metalingus” blaring about how someone can see clearly on this day on AEW TV. It’s going to be cool and surreal at the same time until we all get used to it.

And we’ll be here for it on Wrestling Junkie, in both the figurative and literal senses, so hop back here for live AEW Dynamite results tonight if you aren’t able to watch the show.

Adam Copeland, Jade Cargill signings are wins for everyone — especially fans

The moves that Jade Cargill and Adam Copeland made seem perfect for them and couldn’t have happened even five years ago.

Wrestling fans used to pray for times like this, to shine like this.

We used to yearn for the days of multiple viable wrestling promotions jostling for position in the marketplace, competing to land the biggest stars and creating unforgettable moments.

After the week that was in professional wrestling, that dream has become a reality.

Adam Copeland, the wrestler formerly known simply as Edge, made his AEW debut at the end of the promotion’s WrestleDream pay-per-view in Seattle after spending the last 25 years of his hall of fame career with WWE. 

Days earlier, former AEW TBS champ Jade Cargill officially became a member of WWE.

And while there are many debating which promotion won this very unofficial trade, at the end of the day, there is one true winner: the fans.

The fans win because both of the parties involved got exactly what they wanted, as did the promotions they have recently joined.

In the case of Edge, I wondered what more could he have possibly been looking to accomplish once his WWE contract expired at the end of the summer. He’s done it all, main evented all of the biggest shows, won all of the titles, and as I alluded to earlier, is already a member of the WWE Hall of Fame.

However, the Rated R Superstar himself took to Twitter after his AEW debut and set the record straight. In short: He wants to be a full-time performer, AEW gives him the opportunity to do that, and WWE does not.

Although Copeland is less than a month away from his 50th birthday and has already been forced to retire for nearly a decade due to a severe neck injury, he apparently has the itch to go full bore back into the wrestling industry.

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I understand his frustration. Not only is Copeland an accomplished wrestler, he is a prideful one. One that firmly believes he still has what it takes to hang with the best of the current generation.

On the flip side, I also understand why WWE did not offer him that opportunity. Because Edge is so accomplished, he’s an attraction. One way to keep said attraction special is by having them appear sparingly. WWE also wants to shine the spotlight on its younger talent and continue to build for the future. Making Edge a full-time performer could get in the way of that effort.

Copeland could easily take offense to that, but according to him, he doesn’t. Nor should he. Because now he gets to go to AEW and enjoy at least one more run as a full-time wrestler. It’s something Copeland has not attempted in more than a decade.

When it comes to Cargill, she went to the place that better suited her skill set. That is not to say AEW mishandled Cargill. The promotion bestowed a 60-match win streak upon her with virtually no wrestling experience. On top of that, she enjoyed some of the best entrances wrestling has to offer. 

Make no mistake about it, Cargill did quite well for herself in AEW. However, she believes that she can do even better in WWE. I, for one, agree.

And that is what makes this such a good time for wrestling fans. Five years ago, Edge would have been all but stuck in WWE, as there were no other major promotions for him to go and apply his trade. That is no longer the case in 2023.

Cargill tried out for WWE before her time in AEW and went unsigned. In years past, she’d either have to start wrestling for smaller promotions or basically look for another line of work. Instead, she went to AEW, learned the business, developed into a fully-formed act, and cashed in when the time was right.

Without multiple viable promotions, these situations could have either caused hard feelings or may not have even happened at all. 

But we don’t have to worry about that nightmare scenario. Instead, we can dare to dream.

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Adam Copeland reflects on WWE departure: ‘Sometimes relationships just grow apart’

The WWE Hall of Famer mentioned the feeling that the two sides had different ideas for him.

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.

Copeland also addressed the toxicity of fan tribalism, noting how the more choices and viable wrestling companies for talent to choose from, the better.

 

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.

Adam Copeland’s AEW debut match date, opponent revealed

The man formerly known as Edge would love to wrestle Samoa Joe and Kenny Omega, but he’s got a different foe for his first AEW match.

The man most pro wrestling fans know as Edge arrived in AEW Sunday night at WrestleDream. As it turns out, we won’t have to wait long to see him in an AEW ring as Adam Copeland.

Though it was highly anticipated that Copeland, whose WWE contract reportedly only expired the day before WrestleDream, might make an appearance, it was still a thrill to see him step onto the stage in Seattle — and walking down the ramp to “Metalingus,” the song most associated with him.

Copeland briefly teased aiding Christian Cage, who had just defeated Darby Allin in the WrestleDream main event, in an attack alongside Nick Wayne (who turned heel during the match) and Luchasaurus against Allin and Sting. Instead, he took the chair and used it to run off the heels, staring down old friend Cage before finally shaking hands with Sting.

As it turns out, one of the men involved in that final scene will also be Copeland’s first AEW opponent. AEW CEO, GM and head of creative Tony Khan revealed during the post-show press conference that he will take on Luchasaurus on the “Title Tuesday” episode of AEW Dynamite coming up on Tuesday, Oct. 10.

Fans can see him prior to that show as well, with Khan saying that Copeland would work both Dynamite and Collision this week and would appear on AEW television “weekly.” Copeland later discussed the many talented individuals on the roster he’d love to work with, including the likes of Samoa Joe, Claudio Castagnoli and Kenny Omega, who he said he only met for the first time at WrestleDream.

Still, he’ll get his start against a certain dinosaur man in just a tad over a week. As his new shirt (yes, AEW already has one for sale) says, it will be the start of the Rated E Era in AEW, a prospect that will undoubtedly have plenty of fans excited to see.

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Adam Copeland, formerly known as Edge, debuts at AEW WrestleDream

Christian Cage’s former best friend briefly teased aiding him but chose to help Darby Allin and Sting instead in his AEW debut.

AEW has usually created a buzz through its in-ring work, although not as often since the company’s start when wrestlers from WWE or other promotions joined Dynamite or pay-per-view events. That’s why when Adam Copeland, formerly known as Edge, showed up at AEW WrestleDream, it sparked that hype once again.

At WrestleDream, Christian Cage defended the TNT Championship against Darby Allin in a 2-out-of-3 Falls match, headlining the PPV despite the belt being second fiddle to the world title. Speculation obviously skyrocketed around whether this was the time for Copeland to debut in AEW, as he last wrestled for WWE in August as Edge. Fightful Select (subscription required but recommended) reported earlier today that he’s a free agent, amplifying the possibilities.

Cage retained the TNT Championship after Nick Wayne shockingly turned heel and helped him defeat Allin in the main event. Post-match, Sting and Luchasaurus got involved in the matter, but then the lights went out and a video played. When it cut, “Metalingus” by After Bridge — the same song Copeland used in WWE — played and Copeland emerged to a raucous ovation from the Seattle fans.

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Cage and company thought the Rated R Superstar would help them finish off Sting and Allin when he entered the ring, but instead, he used the steel chair they gave him to clear the ring of the heels, delighting everyone. Copeland then stared down Cage and his TNT Championship to close the show.

AEW has given itself a much-needed boost by introducing a new top face, while further pushing the issues surrounding CM Punk’s summer behind them. This moment was necessary, for now and the future, to create positive momentum, as Copeland provides plenty of that as a beloved figure in pro wrestling and someone who’s a proven draw.

Dynamite and Collision will become must-watch events with Copeland’s next move. With a top program with Cage seemingly ahead, it should make for some fun programming.

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AEW WrestleDream results: Darby Allin betrayed, but a Rated R rival arrives for Christian Cage

Darby Allin was sold out by someone close to him, but Christian Cage saw an old friend turn up at AEW WrestleDream.

As befitting the night’s main event, it gets the big fight ring intros. Darby Allin hands his skateboard to a fan while Christian Cage hears plenty of boos.

Allin doesn’t mind doing some technical wrestling in the opening minutes, though Cage is crafty as always. He spits in Darby’s face but gets taken down by an arm drag.

Allin holds onto a side headlock, then uses a flying takedown to ground Cage. A big elbow frees Cage, who stomps away on the challenger and punishes the chest with chops.

Cage poses and flips the crowd the double bird. But Allin is able to outwit Christian by pulling his own turtleneck over his face and using a jackknife rollup to score the first fall.

Darby Allin leads, 1-0.

There are actually dueling chants for the two men as Cage takes control looking to even the score. He cranks Darby’s neck repeatedly and looks like he might be tearing at Allin’s one eye, then guillotines the back of his foe’s neck on the top rope.

Cage goes for a diving headbutt and misses, leading to a Code Red and about three straight near falls. Christian finally buys himself a moment by sending Darby crashing hard to the outside, where he’s sent hard into the barricade as well.

Christian pauses to approach Nick Wayne’s mom, who lures him in before throwing a drink in his face. Allin comes flying in out of nowhere, then delivers a Coffin Drop to the floor. There’s another in the ring, but the champ gets both knees up.

Allin is blasted off the apron into the announce table, giving Cage a chance to stop and provoke the fans again. After a thumb to Allin’s eye, Cage tries to suplex his opponent onto the steel steps from the apron … then does it from the floor instead. Christian follows by dropping Allin back first on the steps, and the ref counts to 10.

Match is tied 1-1.

Officials are out to check on Allin, who bring out a stretcher. That doesn’t stop Cage, who frog splashes him from the top rope on the stretcher.

Meanwhile, Cage has torn up the canvas and padding over most of the ring. Cage hits the Killswitch on the wood, but somehow Allin kicks out.

The champ switches gears and applies the Scorpion Deathlock, wanting to beat Darby with one of Sting’s holds. Allin gets a rope break but still looks like he’s in big trouble.

Allin jumps on Cage’s back, gouges the eyes and hits a Scorpion Death Drop. Next is the Coffin Drop, but this time it’s Cage’s turn for an unbelievable kickout.

Allin climbs to the top again only to be crotched. They battle on the top rope until Cage can deliver a sunset flip powerbomb onto the wood. Cage tries for a spear but takes out the ref … so he hits a low blow on his challenger instead.

Christian goes to grab his title belt, showing it to Nick Wayne’s mom. But Nick runs down and snatches the title, and now it’s two on one in the ring. Except Wayne turns and hits Allin instead.

Cage covers Allin after dragging Bryce Remsburg over to revive him, and the count reaches three.

Christian Cage wins, 2-1.

Sting tries to save Allin from a post-match beating but falls himself when Luchasaurus arrives to assist the heels. The lights go out, a short video is played, and Adam Copeland arrives.

Copeland teases a Con-Chair-to on Allin, then turns and hits Wayne with the chair. He clears the ring of the heels and has a long staredown with Cage, now back on the ramp, before shaking hands with Sting as the show ends.

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AEW WrestleDream results: Seattle sees thrills plus a Rated R debut

Full AEW WrestleDream results from Seattle including title matches, a betrayal and a familiar face from Christian Cage’s past.

What’s in a dream? We’re about to find out, pro wrestling style, thanks to AEW WrestleDream in Seattle.

Tony Khan conceived this new addition to the AEW pay-per-view lineup as a way to honor the great Antonio Inoki, the founder of New Japan Pro-Wrestling who passed away a year ago. While this isn’t a straight up dual-branded PPV with NJPW a la Forbidden Door, there will definitely be some New Japan talent who are prominently featured in the show.

There are also several levels of intrigue around the event. Khan hasn’t been shy about calling WrestleDream the end of one era of AEW and the beginning of a new one, but he has declined to elaborate on what that might mean.

Could there be some debuts? Perhaps. Many fans are anxious to see if WWE Hall of Famer Edge, likely using his real name of Adam Copeland, might show up since his WWE contract has expired. The fact that the main event will feature Darby Allin and Copeland’s longtime friend Christian Cage has only ratcheted up the hype.

Even if no one new shows up, the card should deliver on pure in-ring action as AEW usually does. Let’s see what the night has in store.

AEW WrestleDream Zero Hour pre show results:
  • Satoshi Kojima, Keith Lee, Athena and Billie Starkz def. Shane Taylor Promotions (Shane Taylor and Lee Moriarty), Diamante and Mercedes Martinez by pinfall
  • Claudio Castagnoli def. Josh Barnett by pinfall; afterward, Barnett gives Claudio a big show of respect afterward and says Inoki-san would be a fan of his, then says he will come after Castagnoli again down the road, to which he says “any time, any place” and pays respect in return
  • Luchasaurus def. Nick Wayne by pinfall
  • The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens and Max Caster) and Billy Gunn def. TMDK (Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls, and Bad Dude Tito) by pinfall to retain the AEW World Trios Championship

AEW WrestleDream results:

(click on ay match with a link for

  • MJF addresses the crowd, talking about how pissed he is that someone stole his mask and that Adam Cole isn’t here tonight; he also tells The Righteous exactly what he’s about to do to them
  • MJF def. The Righteous by pinfall to retain the ROH World Tag Team Championship
  • Eddie Kingston def. Katsuyori Shibata by pinfall to retain the ROH World Heavyweight Championship and NJPW Strong Openweight Championship
  • Kris Statlander def. Julia Hart by pinfall to retain the AEW TBS Championship
  • Young Bucks def. The Gunns, Lucha Bros. and Orange Cassidy and Hook to win a future AEW World Tag Team Championship shot
  • Swerve Strickland def. Hangman Adam Page by pinfall
  • Ricky Starks def. Wheeler Yuta by pinfall
  • Bryan Danielson def. Zack Sabre Jr. by pinfall
  • The Don Callis Family (Konouke Takeshita, Sammy Guevara and Will Ospreay) def. Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi by pinfall
  • FTR def. Aussie Open by pinfall to retain the AEW World Tag Team Championship
  • Christian Cage def. Darby Allin 2-1 in a 2-out-of-3 Falls match to retain the AEW TNT Championship after Nick Wayne turns on Allin during the match
  • Cage and Wayne stomp away on Allin after the bell, but Sting comes down the ramp to make the save, except Luchasaurus arrives to aid the heels, and it looks bad for our heroes …
  • … until a short film plays that says “Rated R” on a road, bringing Adam Copeland, formerly known as Edge, to the ring; he takes a chair from Wayne and teases a Con-chair-to before using the chair to save the day; Sting and Copeland shake hands as the show goes off the air

WWE needs to book WarGames for Survivor Series — and it needs to feature The Judgment Day

A WarGames match at Survivor Series would be the perfect way to show off The Judgment Day’s growth, and they don’t even need to win.

When WWE Hall of Famer Edge was unceremoniously booted out of The Judgment Day due to a real-life injury in June of 2022, it felt like the rest of the group was suddenly rudderless in the treacherous sea known as WWE creative.

After all, Edge founded the group and was by far its most notable member, as the others — Finn Balor, Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest — had yet to reach the heights of stardom as their former leader.

What a difference a (little more than) a year can make.

Today, Balor, Ripley, Priest and now “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio are arguably the most valuable players in all of WWE.

They have been routinely showcased on all three of WWE’s television programs — Raw, Smackdown and NXT — as essentially the high school bullies who incessantly pick on the other kids, which makes them great opponents for WWE’s good guys to go up against on a weekly basis.

The have had feuds with seemingly everyone on the roster from stars of yesteryear like Edge and Rey Mysterio to current stars such as Cody Rhodes and now Jey Uso.

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The potential addition of JD McDonagh will only add another dimension to a group that has proven to be a vital and versatile piece of WWE’s weekly storytelling. 

McDonagh’s addition would also get The Judgment Day one step closer to assembling a team for … (in my William Regal voice) … WarGames!

In case you forgot, WWE brought WarGames, which began back in the 1980s in Jim Crockett Promotions, from NXT to the main roster in 2022 at Survivor Series. Survivor Series is WWE’s second-oldest premium live event, but the overall concept of the show, the multi-person Survivor Series elimination match, had grown quite stale over the years.

WarGames, along with the enthralling Bloodline story, helped give the event a much-needed boost last year and reportedly made it the most watched Survivor Series of all time, along with setting new live gate records for the city of Boston. It would make sense for WWE to run it back with another WarGames in 2023.

But as of this writing, WWE has yet to confirm whether it is bringing the two-ring spectacle back for this year. Maybe that has been by design, as WWE didn’t want to promise the match before it even had a proper angle to utilize it with. When watching Raw lately, however, it looks like WWE has the pieces in place to produce another edition. 

One major piece would be a heel faction for a group of good guys to go up against. WWE does not have to look any further than the Judgment Day to fill that role. WWE also has a great group of heroes for the villainous collective to go up against in Drew McIntyre, Jey Uso, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens and Cody Rhodes. 

The last name in that group is the most notable because the WarGames match was created by his father, Dusty Rhodes. Despite his father creating the match, Rhodes has never taken part in a proper WarGames match. During his first stint in WWE, WarGames was nothing more than a collection of matches for the promotion to package together for a home video release.

Even when Rhodes helped start up All Elite Wrestling, he never took part in the promotion’s version of the match. With Cody Rhodes being heavily involved in a story involving the Judgment Day, it would make sense to include him as a homage to the American Dream.

If a WarGames match were to come to fruition, there would be the issue of the group needing to add a fifth member. That is, unless WWE goes to a four-on-four or even a three-on-three format, the latter of which it has used before in NXT.

If the group were to add a fifth (assuming that McDonagh would be the fourth), who would that person be? Bronson Reed? What about a heel McIntyre to even the odds?

Speculation aside, The Judgment Day doesn’t even have to win the WarGames match. Outside of Ripley, the group has taken its fair share of losses over the last year and change and has managed to rebound from all of them. 

I personally thought the group was finished when Balor lost to Edge at Extreme Rules in October of 2022. Let’s not forget Priest losing to non-wrestler Bad Bunny at Backlash, albeit after a great match.

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Yet, here they are stronger than ever with championship titles around the waist of every member. Not to mention, Priest is still the holder of the coveted Money in the Bank briefcase, which grants him a world title opportunity whenever he chooses. Whether Priest actually wins the title or not is a different story.

Suffering a loss at WarGames, which if it does come to fruition I would fully expect, won’t hurt The Judgment Day one bit. The group didn’t fall apart after Edge was sidelined due to injury, nor did it dissolve after a slew of losses in big matches. If the group could survive that (no pun intended), it could get through taking a loss inside of WarGames.

Now, all WWE has to do is book it.

Rhea Ripley has 2 WWE dream opponents in mind: Edge, Rey Mysterio

Should WWE let Rhea Ripley wrestle male opponents like Rey Mysterio and Edge?

Rhea Ripley has become not only one of WWE’s most dominant performers in the women’s division, but in the entire company. She’s risen to become one of the top stars and is in the midst of a WWE Women’s World Championship reign that began at WrestleMania 39.

Ripley has often gotten into physical fights with male WWE Superstars, including Kevin Owens recently. Although WWE does not usually feature intergender wrestling, she once wrestled Akira Tozawa.

However, if the day ever came, the driving force of The Judgment Day has a few male opponents in mind, In an interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling, Ripley named Edge and Rey Mysterio as the men she would most like to face (h/t Fightful for transcription).

“I got a lot of male dream opponents. Obviously I would love to beat some sense into Dom’s deadbeat father. I think me versus Rey Mysterio would be absolutely amazing, and I would put him in his place. Then there’s also Edge. I would love to face Edge. He was the leader of The Judgment Day at one point, and Mami don’t like getting bossed around by anyone. I don’t like feeling like I have someone in charge, and that’s why The Judgment Day works so well now. So I still have a lot of pent-up aggression against Edge that I would love to get out. But then there’s one more person that everyone keeps throwing at me, and that’s Randy Orton. They want Randy to come back so that I can get RKO’ed because I keep sticking my business in the men’s business. ‘Rhea Ripley keeps hitting the men, they can’t hit her back.’ They can hit me back. They just choose not to. You know why? Because they know their place, they know their role, and they know Mami’s always on top.”

Ripley and Edge have a built-in storyline based on their Judgment Day history if they ever faced off against each other. The same applies to Mysterio, given his son Dominik is part of the faction, and Rey and Ripley interacted several times before WrestleMania 39. But with intergender wrestling incredibly infrequent in WWE, Ripley’s dream of having these matches probably won’t become a reality.

Edge is auctioning off the gear he wore in his potential final WWE match for a good cause

Edge’s ring-worn-autographed gear would make a sweet add to any collection, especially once you hear why he’s parting with it.

When Edge faced Sheamus on the Aug. 18 episode of WWE SmackDown in Toronto, he sported some sweet ring gear that payed homage to the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs. You’ll soon be able to own those pants and robe yourself, signed by Edge — and you’ll know that the money you spent on them is going to a worthwhile charity.

Sami Zayn revealed some of the details today, showing off some incredible pics of the gear signed by the Rated-R Superstar: “Edge, Toronto, 25 years, 8/18/23.” He also explained that all of the proceeds will go to Zayn’s Sami for Syria, a partnership with SAMS “to provide life-saving medical care to conflict-affected populations in northwest Syria.”

Zayn added that Edge took it upon himself to do this as well, working with WWE and Fanatics.

Making this an especially awesome gesture is the fact that this could be the last ring gear Edge ever wears during his WWE Hall of Fame career. While his match against Sheamus was promoted as celebrating his 25th anniversary with the company, it’s been widely reported that it was his final match under his current contract with WWE, which expires next month. There’s even been buzz about a potential move to AEW, though that’s all speculation at this point.

The guess here is that the winning bidder will have to pay a pretty penny to add this to their collection, but as far as conversation pieces go, this ring gear would rank right up at the top. If you’re interested in bidding yourself, you’ll want to keep an eye on Zayn’s X feed and probably the official WWE Auction page as well.