After much speculation, Adam Copeland, formerly Edge of WWE fame, debuted for All Elite Wrestling at the conclusion of the Wrestle Dream pay-per-view this past weekend. The former WWE champion was on the shelf for nine years after it was thought that a very serious neck injury ended his career, but he resurfaced in a very memorable moment at The Royal Rumble in 2020. Over the course of nearly four years, minus eight or nine months on the sidelines for a triceps injury, Edge had a very solid run for a comeback to WWE. He wasn’t cast as a main event guy, but worked near the top of the card and in a featured spot for most of his tenure. When his WWE deal was almost finished, he had a 25th anniversary celebration in his hometown of Toronto last month, prompting rumors that it might be a way for him to retire on his own terms.
As with anything, the rumor mill swirled about the possibility of Copeland making the jump to the Khan-owned organization, especially with the number of WWE veterans that landed there to sign high-priced contracts in the latter stages of their careers. The online gossip gained enough traction that Edge addressed the topic online, claiming that he had an offer from WWE and was considering the options for his career.
I don’t doubt that Copeland had some tough decisions to make, and it’s also doubtful that it was a longstanding plan for him to sign with AEW. In some ways, the WWE is a safer choice, as it’s familiar and they’ve used him reasonably well, especially given his age. He knows he will make solid money under the newly-created TKO banner and with the addition of Fanatics to handle WWE’s merchandise, there are added incentives for the brand awareness and exposure that the WWE offers. Plus, the jump to another organization always has some risks associated with it, as far as if the performances there will measure up against the already established legacy. Let’s be honest, nobody wants to remember Ric Flair in TNA.
At the same time, the decision-making process is two-fold. At almost 50, Edge had to decide what he wanted to do in his career, and along the same lines, the WWE office had to determine what they had planned for him in the future. In some respects, Edge did everything he could do in WWE, and in a similar fashion, management did everything they could do with him. They’ve already told the comeback story and he went on to add to that with matches against Finn Balor, including at this year’s Wrestlemania. Despite the extensive time away because of the neck injuries, Edge worked as a main eventer for years so after the comeback run with a fresh coat of paint, there simply isn’t a lot of new ground left for him to cover, unless he wanted to attempt to reinvent himself, but that would’ve been hit or miss, depending on if the office would want to run with such a concept.
According to The Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer, Edge was offered a $3 million contract when he re-signed with WWE in 2020 and had the benefit of a limited schedule. At that time, it was worth the company putting up that type of cash because it gave them the chance to draw based on the return to the ring. Again, that story has been told so there are different circumstances now. Not that the WWE offered Edge peanuts, but in some ways, the WWE doesn’t necessarily need Edge so they didn’t have to attempt to outbid Tony Khan. When you take the current roster into account, it’s not imperative that they have a nearly 50-year-old veteran on the shows, outside of someone with the star power of The Rock or John Cena.
Don’t get me wrong, that’s not a jab at Copeland, because while the WWE doesn’t need him on the roster, he doesn’t need the WWE to continue his career. Granted, the future of an organization isn’t going to be built around him, but all indications are that Edge still has enough left in his tank to be a difference-maker for a company, and the WWE probably just wasn’t the place for him to excel in that type of role.
On the flip side, All Elite Wrestling immediately makes Copeland a bigger fish in a small pond, and that’s not a negative. This is where the existence of a second national promotion is so important, as it allows the performers the chance to make the most of their careers, and the fans to get a better overall product. Copeland will be a featured performer that will attempt to make a noticeable difference in AEW instead of being typecast in a secondary role for the WWE. It’s not that one is the right answer and one is the wrong answer, but rather a different organization can present different opportunities.
Right now, it’s a win-win for everyone involved, as this gives All Elite a major star that can help be the foundation of either Collision or Dynamite, which is a key aspect of the signing since the ratings of the Saturday night show have slipped considerably since its debut in June. It also gives Copeland another big money contract later in his career.
If this all translates to better business for AEW is a completely different matter.
According to the post-PPV press conference, Copeland is scheduled to be a regular on AEW television so it doesn’t appear that this will be a TNA scenario where a performer uses their star power to leverage a schedule that is beneficial to them, but not the company. Remember when TNA ran out of contracted appearances for Rob Van Dam so he had to be abruptly written off the show after an attack from Abyss?
The fact that Copeland seems to be there with his working boots on rather than to coast along for an easy paycheck gives him a chance to add a new chapter to his career, and will give AEW a chance to maximize his star power. The concern with this being is that Tony Khan has a track record of signing talent fresh from WWE television and then their impact gets minimized through booking pitfalls. When Bryan Danielson arrived in All Elite, he was probably the best heel in the business, but not long after that he was more or less lost in the shuffle of The Blackpool Combat Club. It wasn’t until more recently, almost two years after his debut, that Danielson is really regaining a lot of momentum when he was given the chance to shine with some stellar in-ring performances. The same could be said for Adam Cole, who arrived with a lot of momentum from NXT, but wasn’t used in a main event role until earlier this year.
Unfortunately, there’s a laundry list of performers that Tony promoted as a “game changer” that fizzled out within a few weeks. Let’s be clear, there’s not an individual signing that will suddenly generate a major shift in AEW business, but rather the right decisions being made consistently on a regular basis. The feud with Christian is a natural starting point for Copeland, but beyond that, his involvement in the shows will have to include important segments to maximize the star power he brings to the table. Copeland can’t be lost in a promo segment with five wrestlers on the mic. He can’t be used in attempted comedy segments with secondary wrestlers. He can’t be booked in a segment with Orange Cassidy just because Tony wants to see Edge put the sun glasses on, but instead used for compelling matches that the fans will want to watch. In theory, there’s a lot of new ground for Copeland to cover and a slew of matches that could be considered a draw on pay-per-view if they have the right presentation. Edge vs. Kenny Omega, Christian, or Will Ospreay could all be bouts that are used as a selling point for a pay-per-view.
At this point, I would be cautiously optimistic about Adam Copeland’s tenure in All Elite Wrestling, as he seems to be a guy that wants to perform to the best of his ability rather than coast on his reputation, and he undoubtedly has the star power to bring the company at least some level of new exposure. As with almost anything else, the key will be if the presentation will maximize the star power he brings to the table.
What do you think? Share your thoughts, opinions, feedback, and anything else that was raised on Twitter @PWMania and Facebook.com/PWMania.
Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
E mail [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
