Top AEW star Adam Copeland (Cope) spoke with TVInsider about several topics, including being nominated for an Emmy.
Cope said, “I never assumed I would be nominated for an Emmy. It wasn’t on my bingo card at all. When I got the news, my manager said, ‘Do you consider yourself an actor now that you’re nominated for an Emmy?’ ‘I guess. Maybe I have to now?’ Beth of course was on speaker and said, ‘I told you!’ To her credit, in 2011 when I started full-time acting because I retired from wrestling she said I would be the first pro wrestler nominated for an Emmy. There were less congratulations and more, ‘I told you.’ Then fast forward to the night and to have all three of my ladies there. It was really fun. It was one of those things you don’t expect, so you enjoy every aspect of it. To be nominated against Lance [Reddick], Amanda Lawrence and Eric Stonestreet. You tell someone you’re up against Cam from Modern Family, and yeah, I don’t have hope [of winning]. It was a great experience to rub elbows with that talent. I guess if anything it lets you know you’re going in the right direction. Percy itself, my gosh, it was nominated for 16 awards and took home eight. It’s a beast. It’s a big hit. I’m just stoked to be a small part of that.”
On the reaction to his match with Moxley:
“I look at wrestling as a variety show. That means you bring a lot of different things to the table with that. There can be some comedy, straight up wrestling, hardcore matches. That has always been the case. It’s also not really out of the ballpark of what Moxley and I do every once in a while. Think about me and [Mick] Foley. I’m sure there are a lot of people that were disturbed by that too. There are also a lot of people who enjoy horror movies. There are people who enjoy romcoms. I think wrestling can bring that all to the table. I think that is what AEW does. I also feel like AEW is not afraid to take some risks. For a lack of a better analogy, we’re kind of a bit punk rock. It’s not always going to be pretty. It’s an alternative. It’s something different. I think if you look throughout the history of the company, it’s not something new. Darby Allin was falling off ladders and glass and thumbtacks. It has always been there to an extent. Let’s also face it. If you have two wrestlers coming out to wrestle a technical match every match, that can get pretty boring.”
On the creative process in AEW:
“I don’t factor in where I end up. I always say, “Where do you need me? You want me to go in this direction? Cool, I’ll start putting together some ideas.” It’s a collaborative effort, but I really enjoy that. I enjoy piecing together stories. Contrary to popular belief, we don’t come up with the finishes. I always just ask where do you need me? Point me in whatever direction you need me, and I’ll get to work. On coming back, it felt like, “Okay, you want me here because I’m coming back from an injury, I’m nominated for an Emmy and we want to capitalize on that buzz. Cool, let’s do this.” Then we would try to do a cohesive story with the Death Riders and try to get them some momentum going forward.”
On if he’s thought about what he wants his last match to be and which AEW wrestlers he still wants to work with:
“Not really, That will be more of where do you need me? I’d then sit down with Tony Khan and think about what he wants and what the company needs and what the show ends. That always supersedes to me what you have in mind for this retirement. I know I want to work the Swerve Strickland’s, Hangman Page’s, Jay White’s and the Kyle Fletcher’s and the Will Ospreay’s, Kenny Omega’s and the Samoa Joe’s. I haven’t worked with any of those people and would really like to do that before I hang them up.”
