Adam “Edge” Copeland joining AEW shows how different a wrestling world we live in and should be a reminder to WWE that the industry’s legends shouldn’t be undervalued.
It’s what Copeland said and tweeted that stuck out after he showed up to a huge pop at Climate Pledge Arena to save Sting and Darby Allin from an attack by Christian Cage, Luchasaurus and Nick Wayne to close AEW’s WrestleDream pay-per-view on Sunday night.
It seemed like the deplorable tribalism that only poisons the beauty of pro wrestling took over as Copeland felt the need to address on X (formerly known as Twitter) why he chose to leave WWE after 25 years as a number of the promotion’s die-hard fans were likely not happy with his decision.
He said he appreciated everything WWE did for him from putting him on the map, supplying him with a wonderful life, and helped him meet his wife Beth Phoenix. But it’s what came after that spoke volumes.
“Sometimes relationships just grow apart and I feel the WWE and I have just outgrown each other,” Copeland wrote. “I wanted to do more. They didn’t have much more for me to do. Simple as that. And that’s ok. I’ll still be watching and still be supporting all of my friends there.”
It highlights one of WWE’s biggest problems, an inability or maybe an unwillingness to find a way to use legends weekly at or near the end of their careers in a meaningful way.
You can say people like Edge, Matt Hardy, Billy Gunn, Jeff Jarrett, Sting, Christian Cage and Saraya were past their expiration dates in WWE or had injury concerns or would become nothing but tribute acts or take away spots from up-and-coming talent.
But that’s hard to buy after what we have seen from them in AEW.
AEW has excelled at presenting legends — including Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard and Jake “The Snake” Roberts — in meaningful roles. Cage worked the main event of the WrestleDream and has had meaningful stories with Allin, Jack Perry and Nick Wayne. Saraya, who also said she was pitching WWE ideas to get involved before her exit, was helping raise the stock of Jamie Hayter before she was injured and Matt Hardy has worked with a number of different talents during his AEW tenure. Gunn is as over as any talent on the roster with The Acclaimed and Sting and Jeff Jarrett still get strong audience reactions.
While you can’t keep all of them, It’s a reminder that legends can still be useful when used properly either as managers, member of a faction or someone for other wrestlers to learn from and play off of while working programs with them — even if not for a championship.
All this generation of legends wants to do is help push the business forward and give back to the next generation. It’s one of the things Copeland, who is making a full-time commitment to AEW and is a great storyteller, wants to do as well.
“This feels like an opportunity to come in and not just come in every three months, but be there every week,” Copeland said at the post-event media scrum. “I’m a full-time guy. I want to do that for as long as that is possible. I feel like that is how I can help the most and more than anything, that’s what I’m here to do.”
Sure, WWE still does short programs with John Cena, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Trish Stratus, Lita and in the past Goldberg, but so much of its rich history is missing week to week – and maybe that’s OK for them.
It’s just with AEW around now, those performers who want to give back in a more meaningful way than collecting a legends’ contract have a major outlet for that now and are helping WWE’s biggest rival.
The Judgment Day, one of WWE’s most over factions right now, was a product of Edge’s mind and one he helped get over even when he was kicked out.
“Absolutely plan to be helping out whoever wants help,” Copeland said. “Whoever talks to me, I’m an open book. My 31 years of experience, if you want to tap into that, always. I’m a phone call. I’m a text. I’m a come talk to me face-to-face. That’s ways how I’ve been.”
That’s why there should be no anger toward him for taking an opportunity he’s earned — to go “have fun” with Christian, or Uncle Jay as he said his daughter put it.
“I said it out there, after the fact when I came back out there tonight, I felt free,” Copeland said. “That’s just the word that popped — I felt free. And it felt fun.”
Let him have his.
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