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After leaving his time as Edge in the rearview mirror to go it alone as the “Rated-R Superstar,” Adam Copeland, in AEW, folks from all over the professional wrestling fandom, from casual fans to two-time WWE Hall of Famers, have commented on the decision and how it could affect the industry moving forward.
Some view the move as nothing but a positive for AEW on screen, as the promotion needs a huge household name to help replace CM Punk after his firing, whereas others question whether or not the move really moves the needle for Tony Khan's company, as going all-in on a near-50-year-old WWE castoff that even Paul “Triple H” Levesque admitted didn't move the needle is a risky proposition.
And yet, while fans can argue ad nauseam over how Copeland affects AEW on screen, one WWE Hall of Famer, Kevin Nash, actually believes the “Rated-R Superstar's” addition could be more valuable to the boys in the back than the folks watching at home, as he can help to break some of the promotion's “bad habits.”
“I pray that Edge doesn’t get hurt, but he’s a great addition,” Kevin Nash said on Kliq This via Fightful. “Their style is so different than the WWE’s style; it’s kind of more of an indie-riffic. I think by bringing in somebody like Edge, he has always worked a main event style; he’s been at the top of the WWE for a very long time. I think you put him with some of the younger guys and stop some of the bad habits that the other guys have and use a little bit more psychology and better storytelling.”
Will Copeland's addition fundamentally change AEW moving forward? Yes, TK has already noted that the promotion is now in its “Rated-R Era,” and that was on display when Christian Cage told his long-time pal to “go f**k yourself” on Collision. Whether or not that brings more psychology and better storytelling to the promotion for performers who don't have a plaque in the WWE Hall of Fame, however, remains to be seen.
Matt Hardy wants to get back in the ring with Adam Copeland.
Speaking of Edge and Christian, or, should I say, Cage and Copeland, though the duo aren't even close to reuniting as a tag team in AEW, as they still have to feud with each other first, one of the team's most prolific foes, Matt Hardy is already licking his chops imagining another match between the Hardys and their eventually reunited foes.
“I mean, I pretty much feel that is inevitable when you say that, but like you said, we're a long ways away,” Matt Hardy said via Fightful. “I mean, you have to remember that Edge is such a huge deal on his own, I still think that Adam Copeland and Christian Cage still have a lot of stuff to do on their own. I think down the road, they obviously will reunite the reconcile, they'll figure out things one way or the other, and then will be back together.”
Will Cage and Copeland face off against the Hardys in another TLC match? I mean, probably not, but hey, considering their history, it's only right for the four men to get back in the ring at some point in the future, as the angle could still draw money all of these years later.
“I just think that is inevitable to eventually have an Edge and Christian vs. Matt and Jeff match, I mean, that will happen. It is one of those things, I think because we're not going to do the 1999 No Mercy Ladder Match whenever we do have this match. I think we can still have a great match, we can still go out, we can have a killer match, it can be super entertaining, and it's going to be fun, and there'll be a lot of nostalgia involved, but I think we can still do it on a level high enough, in 2023, 2024, whatever year it is in the future, that is still going to be a great match,” Hardy noted.
“I think where the money is the most intriguing thing about having Matt, Jeff, Christian, and Edge are the interactions between the characters because these are characters that have known each other for nearly three decades now. So that's where the money is, I think, the interactions and the characters, and eventually I think we will pay it off with a tag team match.”
Will fans get to see the match they wanted at All In 2023, Edge and Christian versus the Hardys at All In in 2024? Only time will tell, but if “Big Money” Matt Hardy has his say, that match will be on the books sooner than later.
