Tag: Adam Copeland

Daily Update: Danhausen & the Knicks, Adam Copeland, Stardom notes

Posted on by Bryan Rose

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Adam Copeland
Lee SouthOkada RPG Vice vs Bucks Jack PerryFresno, CAAEW DynamiteMarch 18, 2026 (Image credit: AEW)

 WWE

AEW & Other Wrestling

  • Adam Copeland reflected on his Tag Team title win at Double or Nothing on his Instagram: “Last night at Double or Nothing @christian4peeps and I did something we haven’t done in 25 years. And that’s win tag team gold. He was retired for 7 years and I was retired for 9. But we fought to get our careers back and last night made it all worth it. NY you came out in full voice and supplied one of the favorite nights of my career. Even though I blew my pants out. The fact that I’m still having nights like this so deep into my career, with my best friend, my wife and wrestling one of the best teams ever in FTR, is not lost on me. Also, in case ya missed our ppv, @aew rules.”
  • Daniel Garcia vs. LaBrone Kozone has been announced for West Coast Pro on June 20.
  • Kevin Nash will attend Salute to Pro Wrestling Night on May 28 in Rochester, NY.
  • Syuri will next defend the IWGP Women’s Championship against Rina Yamashita on June 20.
  • Utami Hayashishita returned to Stardom on Monday morning after choosing to leave Marigold.
  • Deadline reports that MLW will start streaming on Veeps.com starting this Saturday.
  • This week’s TNA Xplosion.

Matt Hardy teases final tag team showdown with Cage & Cope after AEW Double or Nothing 

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Matt Hardy celebrated Cage and Cope’s AEW Double or Nothing win while teasing one final chapter between the legendary tag teams someday. 

Hardy congratulated the new AEW Tag Team Champions with a throwback photo with them, himself and Jeff Hardy. He teased that they had ‘one more night of magic’ left in them potentially indicating a collision along the way. 

“Congrats to @Christian4Peeps & @RatedRCope on becoming @AEW Tag Team Champs. Great stuff! Not sure where, not sure when.. But we’ve got ONE more night of magic left in us.” 

The Hardy Boyz and Cage & Cope were instrumental to WWE’s tag team division in the Attitude Era. They modified the division with intense and chaotic TLC and ladder matches, becoming must-see attractions for tag team gold. And their rivalries remain some of the most influential feuds in wrestling history. 

The Hardy Boyz were reunited in AEW from 2020 to 2024 before returning to TNA where they are active competitors. 

At AEW Double or Nothing on May 24, Cage and Cope defeated FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) in a New York Street Fight ‘I Quit’ match to win the titles. Had they lost, they would have been forced to retire as a tag team. 

Adam Copeland & Christian Cage win Tag Team titles at AEW Double or Nothing

Posted on by Bryan Rose

New AEW Tag Team Champions were crowned at Double or Nothing.

Adam Copeland and Christian Cage emerged victorious in the opening match of Sunday’s show, defeating FTR in an I Quit New York Street Fight. Towards the end of the match, Beth Copeland came out to even the odds, focusing on Stokely Hathaway. However she was shoved into the steel steps and was about to be put through a flaming table when, at the last minute, she grabbed Stokely and put him in harm’s way, sending both him and Cash Wheeler through the table.

With two of the three out of commission, Cope and Cage focused on Dax Harwood, with Cage putting him in a sharpshooter. Cope followed with a crossface, but Harwood refused to quit. Once Beth introduced a spiked board, Copeland used it and finally got Harwood to say I Quit, ending the match.

Cope & Cage won their initial match against FTR back at All Out, but took time off after FTR injured Beth during their match. They returned and faced FTR once again at AEW Dynasty in April, but failed to win the titles. It was then that Copeland challenged the champions to one final match saying if they didn’t win, they would never team again.

Adam Copeland addresses AEW contract status, wants sendoff on his own terms  

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Adam Copeland feels he already had his retirement sendoff in 2011 after his neck injury. He addressed his wrestling future and the wear and tear on his body. 

In an exclusive interview with Clutch Points, Copeland talked about injuries and time away being added to his AEW contract. And signalling the uncertainty of its potential expiration. 

“I broke my leg, so there’s injury time added, and I had to go film Beekeeper (2) and Percy Jackson, so (that’s) added. Anytime I have to take a break, that gets added on the back end. I’m not even sure when it’s up.”

Considering a potential retirement tour like John Cena’s last year, Copeland stated his sendoff was already done in 2011. He was forced to retire due to a cervical spinal stenosis. However, nearly a decade later he returned at the 2020 Royal Rumble. 

“I already had my sendoff. This time, it’ll be my choice, and that makes it a different experience entirely. I don’t care if I get this big, tearful sendoff.” 

“I have no preconceived idea of what it needs to be.”

He also discussed the reduced wrestling schedule and the physical toll it has on his body at the age of 52. 

“That’s the interesting part. We’ve always talked about within the industry the best you feel is when you can wrestle the most, because it’s almost like you stay in this purgatory of pain and never really come out of it. You’re always kind of in that zone, and gosh, (if) you take two weeks off and take a bump, the first time it’s like, ‘Oh, man.’ And if you’re doing that live on national television or on pay-per-view, that can be a disconcerting thing.”

Copeland and Christian Cage will team up against FTR for the AEW Tag Team Titles at Double or Nothing this weekend. The stipulation is an ‘I Quit’ match but if Cope and Cage lose, they will retire as a tag team. 

“My very first pay-per-view appearance ever was in New York (at Madison Square Garden). It was at SummerSlam ’98 – that was the beginning of my pay-per-view career anyway. So New York holds a special place (in my heart).” 

The PPV will emanate from Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York on May 24. 

Adam Copeland addresses interest in possible AEW backstage role

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Adam Copeland loves working in AEW and isn’t closing the door on remaining with the promotion even after his in-ring career ends.

At Double or Nothing this Sunday, Copeland & Christian Cage are set to challenge FTR for the AEW Tag Team titles. Copeland spoke with Westwood One Sports Night ahead of the event and said he feels like a “kid in a candy store” with how much he enjoys going to work at AEW. He isn’t sure what he wants to do whenever his time as an active wrestler is over, but Copeland would be willing to have a conversation with Tony Khan about post-wrestling possibilities.

“That’s up to Tony and what he may need,” Copeland said. “And that’s stuff that I don’t know. Like, I don’t know, where would you need me? And then I think we’d just discuss it at that time and go, ‘Okay, that sounds like fun.’ Or, ‘I just want to sit on my deck or [go] jet skiing or kayaking or something.’ I don’t know.

“But I’m a creative person, and I know that no matter what, I’ll need to scratch that creative itch, whether that’s just purely acting or maybe it’s helping with creative in AEW and still continuing in acting. I don’t know. But I do know, in terms of the workplace, I love going there. So it wouldn’t be like twist my arm to keep me around.”

The 52-year-old Copeland knows that, when he does retire, it will be easier to step away than when he was medically disqualified from WWE competition in 2011. This time, the hardest thing will be not being part of the AEW locker room anymore.

Adam Copeland on giving advice to AEW peers —

Copeland told Westwood One Sports Night that he’s more than willing to give advice to fellow AEW wrestlers who are seeking his input. He described it as a “really fun” locker room that is shared by veteran wrestlers and those who are fairly new to the business.

“Man, I got all day for the Darby Allins and the Will Ospreays and the guys who really just want to crack this code. And there really is no fully cracking it, right? Just great attitudes, great work ethic, yeah, I got all day for people like that,” Copeland said. “And then also, take any advice for what it’s worth, but you have to put it in your spin cycle and make it you. And you have to feel comfortable with it. You’re probably going to get told 20 different things by 20 different people. So then it’s deciphering who do you want to listen to, who has the type of advice that you relate to.

“The great thing is, it’s a really fun locker room in that you can look and there’s Dustin [Rhodes] and there’s Griff Garrison. Like, that is opposite ends of the experience spectrum, right? And that’s a good thing. It really, really is.”

FTR vs. Copeland & Cage at Double or Nothing is an “I Quit” match where, if Copeland & Cage lose, they will not be able to team together again. In the Westwood One interview, Copeland said he and Cage are both really proud that they’ve been able to reinvent their team into something “entirely different” than it was when they were younger.

Will Ospreay credits Adam Copeland for guiding him through recovery struggles 

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Will Ospreay disclosed how Adam Copeland and other AEW stars supported him during recovery from neck injury.

In an exclusive interview with Rob Wolkenbrod of Forbes, Ospreay recalled Copeland telling him of his experience with a triple fusion neck surgery. He comforted and encouraged Ospreay to reach out to him if it became mentally challenging. He also cited support from Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong and Bryan Danielson during the trying recovery period. 

“Yeah, I spoke with Adam Copeland quite a lot about it, just because I guess he’s kind of the godfather of this surgery. He’s had three of them. I think he’s had a [triple fusion neck surgery]. I remember when I got told how severe it was because I didn’t realize how bad it actually was. I’d been wrestling on it for like 10 months. It only really started getting bad around May, and then it started f****** destroying me.”

“But I spoke to him, and he gave me the whole backstory of when he found out about his surgery and what was going to happen. He gave me his number to keep in contact because he knows it can get really depressing at times. So if I ever needed to vent or bullshit, he was always a great person to call or text about stuff.”

“There were a lot of times he was in London too, so I got to chat with him during good hours. I never felt like I’d text him and have to wait until the next morning because of the time zones. So he was really good.”

“I spoke with Kyle O’Reilly as well. He was great. I spoke with Roddy and Bryan Danielson a little bit, but not much. Everybody’s just been super cool because it really is such a good group of people backstage. I feel like news got around very quickly, and it was one of those things where it was really lovely having the support of my peers and everybody wishing for me to come back.”

Ospreay suffered two herniated discs and was written off AEW TV from August 2025 until his return at Revolution this year. He continued to wrestle through the injury which worsened over time forcing subsequent surgery and time off.

Extra stipulation added to Christian Cage and Adam Copeland vs FTR at AEW Double or Nothing 2026

Posted on by Jake Skudder

Christian Cage and Adam Copeland will be facing FTR at AEW Double or Nothing 2026 with the Tag Team gold on the line. Copeland made the challenge back on the April 25th episode of Dynamite, adding that if Cope and Cage lose then they will retire as a tag team. Now, an extra stipulation has been added to the match.

It was confirmed on this week’s episode of Dynamite that this will now be an I Quit match for the AEW Tag Team Championship.

AEW Double or Nothing 2026 confirmed card

The following matches have been confirmed for AEW Double or Nothing 2026:

  • AEW International Championship Match: Kazuchika Okada vs. Konosuke Takeshita
  • AEW World Tag Team Championship I Quit Match: FTR vs. Adam Copeland and Christian Cage –
    If Cope and Cage lose, they must retire as a tag team

Extra Context to this story

When and where is AEW Double or Nothing 2026?

Double or Nothing 2026 takes place on Sunday, May 24th at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York. It’s the eighth annual edition of the event and the first to be held inside the five boroughs of NYC.

What happens if Cope and Cage lose at Double or Nothing?

They retire as a tag team. Adam Copeland made the stipulation himself on the April 25th Dynamite, meaning a loss ends the on-screen partnership between Cope and Cage.

What other matches are confirmed for Double or Nothing 2026?

So far there are two: the FTR vs Copeland and Cage I Quit match for the tag titles, and Kazuchika Okada vs Konosuke Takeshita for the AEW International Championship. More will be added across Dynamite and Collision in the build-up.

Adam Copeland & Christian Cage to team on AEW TV for first time ever

Posted on by Josh Nason

For the first time since reuniting, Adam Copeland and Christian Cage will team up for a match on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite — their first non-PPV match as a team in the promotion.

The two will take on RPG Vice (Rocky Romero & Trent Beretta) after Copeland and Cage laid them out with chairs several weeks ago and as they have been an added irritant in Copeland and Cage’s feud with FTR.

Copeland and Cage have teamed just three times since last August’s Forbidden Door with all three taking place on TV. After losing to FTR at Dynasty, the two teams will rematch at next month’s Double or Nothing with a multitude of stipulations: the AEW World Tag titles will be on the line, a street fight, an I Quit match, and if Copeland and Cage lose, they can never team again.

Current AEW Dynamite lineup | Tomorrow | Fairfax, VA

  • AEW World Champion Darby Allin defends against Brody King
  • AEW Women’s Tag Team Champions Divine Dominion (Megan Bayne & Lena Kross) defend against Kris Statlander & Hikaru Shida 
  • TNT Champion Kevin Knight defends against MJF
  • Adam Copeland & Christian Cage vs. Rocky Romero & Trent Beretta
  • Rush in action

Adam Copeland proposes stipulation to FTR for AEW Double or Nothing trilogy match

Posted on by Josh Nason

Adam Copeland is so confident about he and Christian Cage’s chances at defeating AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR that he is willing to put he and Cage’s future as a team at stake.

In a pre-taped promo seen on AEW Dynamite, Copeland said they want another shot after losing in their rematch at Dynasty but he came up with something that will be impossible for the champions to turn down.

At next month’s Double or Nothing, if he and Cage cannot beat FTR for the titles, they will never team again. The match is unofficial as of this writing.

The two teams first wrestled at last September’s All Out in a match that Copeland and Cage won, but the debuting Beth Copeland was then taken out afterward by a spike piledriver. Copeland and Cage then took time off and didn’t return until March’s Revolution to revive the feud. They wrestled again at Dynasty with FTR picking up the victory and successful title defense.

Current AEW Double or Nothing lineup | Queens, NY | Sunday, May 24

  • AEW International Champion Kazuchika Okada defends against Konosuke Takeshita
  • AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) defend against Adam Copeland & Christian Cage in a title vs. career as a team match*

*Unofficial but expected

Willow Nightingale reveals praising from fellow AEW star Adam Copeland

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Willow Nightingale opened up about high points in her career, naming her experience working with Adam Copeland as one of them. 

Nightingale reflected on the proudest moment of her wrestling career in AEW during an interaction with Dani of Black Girl Wrestling. She named an instance with Bryan Danielson backstage after a match where she was upset about underperforming but he applauded her work.  

“I think I’ve been thinking recently about interactions I’ve had backstage with people I really admire.And how much that means to me. I recently remembered a match that I actually hate watching back. It’s a match that one of my biggest, I don’t I guess regret one of my biggest like in ring regrets after after that match Bryan Danielson actually comforted me and was like ‘hey, you know what I was actually going to say when you were giving us fire in that match and you were all amped up. I wanted more of that.’ He’s like ‘I wasn’t even going to critique the stuff you did. I was just going to..’ and I was crying and I was like, ‘Really? Thank you.’”

Nightingale added that working with Adam Copeland was a notable point in her AEW career. And he told her that she was the best babyface on the promotion. 

“Working with Cope, with Adam Copeland, that is something that has meant so much to me, and he’s said things to me, like, ‘I think you’re the best, biggest babyface that we have,’ and for him to see something like that in me, it moves me a lot.”

Nightingale and Copeland teamed up in April 2024 for a mixed tag team match against Brody King and Julia Hart. Last year she also assisted him in his feud with FTR. 

A couple of weeks ago, Nightingale issued an open challenge for the TBS Championship on Collision. This past weekend, she was attacked by Kamille who made her AEW return after nearly 530 days. 

Adam Copeland & Christian Cage return at AEW Revolution

Posted on by Josh Nason

For the first time since September, Adam Copeland and Christian Cage have returned to AEW, making a surprise return at Sunday’s Revolution.

The duo appeared after FTR’s successful AEW World Tag Team title defense over the Young Bucks as the lights went out with the word “Revenge” shown on the video board. Copeland’s music hit followed by Cage’s, but as FTR and Stokely Hathaway were looking toward the entrance, Cage snuck behind them, spraying a substance in Wheeler’s eyes followed by a Killswitch to Dax Harwood. Copeland then took out Wheeler with a spear.

The two then tossed Hathaway outside, picked up the title belts, and stared down FTR before the Bucks re-entered the ring behind them, leading to a “holy sh*t” chant and all four men then staring down FTR to end the segment.

Copeland and Cage defeated FTR at last September’s All Out but Harwood and Wheeler took out the debuting Beth Copeland with a spike piledriver afterward. In a segment shown later, Adam Copeland told Cage he needed to take time off to write them out of storyline.

Copeland has been working movie and TV projects in addition to his second memoir.

Adam Copeland reflects on six-year anniversary of WWE Royal Rumble return

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Taking to Instagram today, Adam Copeland reflected on the six-year anniversary of his return to the ring at WWE Royal Rumble 2020.

Copeland (formerly known as Edge) had been retired for nearly a decade before coming back in that Rumble match. Because of neck issues, he was forced out of action from 2011-2020. He’s now been back for six years for a run that started in WWE and now has him with AEW. Copeland said he views all of this as a bonus — and everything that’s happened since his music hit during that Rumble match has been icing on the cake.

“I didn’t realize that today is six years to the day since I came back at the Royal Rumble. You know, for me, every second after that first ‘You think you know me’ at the Rumble in Houston has been a success, man. You know the story: I wasn’t supposed to do this, yet here we are six years later,” Copeland said

“If you had told me six years ago that I’d still be doing this after six years, I would have thought you were a little crazy. But, man, I’ve been so lucky. I feel like I got my dream career twice. I got to do it the first time, had to retire for nine years, and then get it back again. That’s good stuff. But I’m also a realist, and I know I’m coming close to the end here. So hopefully you’ve enjoyed this ride. If you haven’t, whatever. And if you have, great, little bit more to go.

“Thank you. Thanks for reminding me. Just reflecting — it’s been a four-decade career now. With everything that I did in WWE and then to move to AEW with a whole fresh slate of new opponents, and for six years now just been wrestling a lot of the talent that I never thought I’d get to but have been able to get in there with. So that’s been a blast, and I’m at a stage of life where I don’t do it unless it is a blast. So, yeah, anyway, thanks.”

Copeland last wrestled for WWE in August 2023. He’s now been signed to AEW for two-plus years, though he is currently off television amid an angle where his wife Beth (Beth Phoenix) was taken out by a piledriver from FTR.

Outside of the ring, Copeland continues to pursue acting and is working on writing a new memoir.

Adam Copeland reportedly working on new memoir

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: AEW

More than two decades after releasing his first memoir, Adam Copeland is reportedly working on a follow-up.

First reported Wednesday by PWInsider Elite, their “publishing world” sources indicated the book will be released in October 2026 by HarperCollins. No other details were provided.

Copeland is currently with AEW, but hasn’t appeared on TV since right after September’s All Out, written off in storyline following Beth Copeland taking a spike piledriver from FTR. He has been working on acting roles like the second season of Percy Jackson & The Olympians that debuted last month in addition to a role in The Beekeeper 2 movie.

It would be Copeland’s second book with his first — Adam Copeland on Edge — coming out in 2004 from Simon & Schuster.

The 52-year-old has strongly hinted at his in-ring days coming to an end, saying in January 2024 that he was looking at “a two-year window.” That was before he missed a significant portion of the year with a fractured leg suffered during a cage match against Malakai Black at May 2024’s Double or Nothing.

FTR comment on possible AEW training center

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Helping train wrestlers is something that interests FTR, especially in the future when they have more time.

A report emerged from Fightful last month saying that an AEW-affiliated training center in Asheville, North Carolina had been considered by Tony Khan. Adam Copeland, Beth Copeland (Beth Phoenix), and FTR — who all live in Asheville — would have been the trainers. The original report said there were rumors that AEW decided not to move forward with the idea due to the costs involved, but Khan later clarified that he’s still interested in the possibility.

FTR were asked about the possible training center during a new interview on the Battleground podcast.

“Training is something that I’m very, very, very interested in — something that I love doing,” Dax Harwood said. “We did have a few guys and girls come to Asheville from AEW. They were doing very well. We were working with Sting’s son as well. You know, it is something that is an itch that training will scratch for me. And I hope to one day be able to do that. If it’s with AEW, that would be even better. So we’ll see.”

Cash Wheeler added that, with FTR’s schedule in AEW being so busy, there are weeks where they aren’t home in Asheville for too long before heading back out on the road again.

“Right now, honestly, especially for us, most weeks we do Dynamite and Collision. That’s four days on the road or so given at that point. And then you count pay-per-views or international tours,” Wheeler said. “Like, we got Newark this week for Full Gear and then we got Cardiff and everything coming up in December. So there’s no set schedule for us ever, and it’s a lot of weeks where it’s up in the air where you’re just not home enough at all. So it might be easier for us once we’re a little more part-time also.”

Though FTR are good friends with the Copelands off-screen, they’re rivals with Adam Copeland in AEW at the moment. Harwood and Wheeler laid out Beth with a piledriver back in September at All Out. Adam has been away from TV since shortly after that as part of the angle.

Saturday’s Full Gear pay-per-view card in Newark includes an AEW Tag Team title match with FTR challenging Bandido & Brody King.

Tony Khan addresses Adam Copeland-John Cena final WWE opponent rumors

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

AEW President Tony Khan has opened up about the rumors surrounding Adam Copeland potentially serving as John Cena’s final opponent.

Earlier today, Khan appeared for an interview with Ariel Helwani on The Ariel Helwani Show, where he responded to the ongoing speculation about Copeland’s involvement in Cena’s retirement storyline. Denying the rumors, Khan clarified that WWE had never reached out to All Elite Wrestling with such a proposal. He said,

“Never say never in wrestling, because I would imagine they could always extend [John Cena’s] date past the end of the year. But no—Adam’s going to be here with us through the year.

Adam Copeland is a huge part of AEW, and I have so much respect for him. I really, really like Adam a lot, and I’m glad to have him here. Even though he’s away filming, he’s still with us and will continue to be.”

Raw, NXT, and SmackDown stars are currently competing in the ‘Last Time is Now’ tournament to determine Cena’s final opponent for the December 13th edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event. While, Copeland was also a rumored participant, it never happened. Interestingly, Matt Cardona, aka, Zack Ryder and Nic Nemeth as Dolph Ziggler made their surprise returns in the tournament.

Tony Khan addresses WWE-AEW counterprogramming tactics

In the same interview with Ariel Helwani, Khan opened up in detail about WWE’s recent counterprogramming tactics.

“I do think it’s done on purpose and I understand it and it’s part of wrestling and I think we’ve seen a lot of it but I think other wrestling promotions that have been the challenger wrestling brand in our lifetime have seen a lot of it. Jim Crockett Promotions, which was the forerunner to WCW, saw a lot of this.”

“I do think that we’ve seen that kind of counter programming and those things and I understand and looking back at wrestling history, kind of expect that.”

Earlier this year, WWE clashed directly with AEW All In with their Saturday Night’s Main Event and Evolution 2025. It later followed it up with NXT Heatwave against Forbidden Door 2025 and WrestlePalooza against All Out 2025.