Folks, the streaming era of professional wrestling is officially here, and AEW got the first bite at the apple on New Year's Day with the MAX debut of Dynamite.
Dubbed the “Mother of all Simulcasts” by all parties involved, the show featured major matches, surprising turns, and a main event that sent the fans in Asheville, North Carolina, home happy, but the most interesting turn came before the main event even began, when Justin Roberts announced the trio of Rated-FTR, Dax Hardwood, Cash Wheeler, and… Cope.
… wait, Cope? Not the “Rated-R Superstar” Adam Copeland? Was this some sort of a mistake?
Nope, as it turns out, Excaliber noted on commentary that Copeland simply wanted to make things short and sweet, likely dating back to the last time he was going by a four-letter name for a professional wrestling promotion. Either way, the fans in NC didn't seem to mind it either way, as the hometown here got the biggest pops of the night whenever he did something big, and the fans in Asheville gave him their biggest reaction of the night when he secured the pin on Wheeler Yuta 1-2-3.
Is this, like, a permanent thing? Yeah, it most clearly is, unless fan outcry and/or online clowning grows too strong and the promotion makes a change. Right now, it'd put those chances at 50-50.
Adam Copeland is excited to finally team with FTR in AEW
Discussing AEW's debut on MAX and why fans should tune into Dynamite to see his match with FTR against the Death Riders, Copeland told Rick Ucchino for The Takedown on SI that this team-up has been a decade in the making, to the point where fans will get to see something genuinely special.
“Now you fast forward to Rated FTR, which has been talked about for a decade between the three of us, and then to get to come back at Asheville, which is now where we all live, and to be able to donate to the local charities after the hurricane, like it first one streaming on MAX,” Copeland explained via Fightful.
“Outside of, obviously, the real-life aspect of the hurricane, there's a lot to be happy about right now. It's not lost on me. I still really appreciate the fact that I can get back to do this, and I think not having it for nine years really puts that into perspective for sure.”
Did the match live up to expectations? Yeah, do you know what? It was pretty good, even if the Cope of it all took some getting used to. And with this feud only heating up, with the potential for even more matches over the next few months looking incredibly likely, it's clear things will only grow better with age.