Adam Copeland and Christian Cage are set to bring back one of their most iconic segments from the past. The newly crowned AEW World Tag Team Champions will revive their signature Five-Second Pose.
Copeland and Cage captured the AEW World Tag Team Championships at AEW Double or Nothing 2026, defeating FTR. The victory marked their first tag team championship together in more than 25 years, dating back to their WWF World Tag Team Championship win in 2000.
AEW President Tony Khan announced on X, the iconic duo would be celebrating their win by performing a 5-second pose for the fans. Khan’s announcement read:
“#AEWDynamite/#AEWCollision 8/7c, TBS & HBO Max Wednesday, 5/27 TOMORROW! For the benefit of those with flash photography, @RatedRCope & @Christian4Peeps will celebrate their unforgettable #AEWDoN AEW World Tag Team Championship win with a Wednesday Night 5 Second Pose, TOMORROW!”
The Five-Second Pose originated in 2000 after the duo turned heel following their WWF World Tag Team Championship victory. The pair, who previously entered through the crowd, explained they had become too good to be that close to the fans.
They introduced the concept by posing with their titles for five seconds, allowing fans to take photos of the new champions. The segment evolved into comedic poses that often mocked the city where they were performing.
The revival of this classic bit brings back a piece of wrestling history that defined their original tag team run over two decades ago.
The duo of Copeland and Christian Cage failed to win the AEW Tag Team Championships from FTR when they challenged the champs at the Dynasty PPV earlier this month.
Tonight’s episode of Dynamite then featured a backstage segment with Adam. He first addressed the events of last week, where the champions had said that Cope and Cage will never get another title shot.
Adam Copeland said that he thinks they deserve another shot at the belts, despite what FTR said. So he has come up with an offer that the duo of Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood will not be able to refuse.
The former World Champion proposed that FTR defend their title against the Attitude Era tag team in a New York Street Fight at Double or Nothing, and if E&C lose, they will retire as a team:
.@RatedRCope issues a challenge for the #AEW World Tag Team Championships at Double or Nothing… but the stakes just got higher!
The reigning champions did not respond to the challenge immediately. Though the next AEW PPV is over a month away, so there is plenty of time for the AEW stars to make their decision.
A dream retirement scenario for an average wrestler is getting a big farewell match or a whole tour to be able to say goodbye to his fans properly. For Adam Copeland, however, it’s something completely different.
The AEW star recently had an interview with TV Insider to promote the upcoming Dynasty PPV. He talked about things such as his role in the Percy Jackson TV series, Chris Jericho’s recent return to the company and more.
The 52-year-old was also asked if the recent farewells of AJ Styles and John Cena have made him think about his own retirement. Adam Copeland, who has been forced to retire from active competition once back in 2011, said that his dream retirement scenario would be to go out kicking and screaming:
“No, because I already beat them to the punch about 15 years ago. I already had one. My dream scenario would be as a heel and to get dragged out of the building kicking and screaming.”
The former World Champion was then asked if he considers his current run to be similar to an encore that comes after a rock show. Copeland claimed that he hasn’t put so much thought into it and right now he is just showing up and having fun. The former Edge knows that he is closer to the end of his wrestling career than the beginning, but he doesn’t like to think too much about it.
The wrestling veteran will be reuniting with his Attitude Era tag team partner, Christian, to challenge FTR for the AEW Tag Team Titles at the Dynasty PPV this Sunday.
The first match has been confirmed for AEW Dynasty.
The Revolution PPV this past Sunday saw FTR retaining their tag team titles in a highly praised bout against The Young Bucks. Adam Copeland and Christian Cage made their return to the company after the bout and took out the duo of Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler.
This week’s episode of Dynamite then saw The Bucks teaming up with Jack Perry to face the trio of Kazuchika Okada, Rocky Romero, & Trent Beretta in the main event of the show. Nick and Matt Jackson got on the mic after winning the bout.
The brothers talked about their loss on Sunday and, after an emotional promo, vowed to continue pursuing the tag titles. This is when Cope and Christian came out.
The Attitude Era tag team said that they respected The Young Bucks, and so they wanted to make the announcement face-to-face. E&C then revealed that they will be challenging FTR for the tag titles at the upcoming Dynasty PPV from Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on April 12, 2026.
FTR were the final team to make their entrance, but they quickly got taken out by both opposing teams. Both The Young Bucks and E&C then had a tug of war over the tag title belts that were left in the ring, but in the end, Matt and Nick decided to let things go. The episode concluded with Copeland and Christian standing tall as the Bucks left.
17-time World Champion John Cena recently addressed why a highly anticipated match with Adam Copeland didn\’t occur during his 2025 retirement tour. Many fans hoped for a final showdown between Cena and Copeland (known to WWE fans as Edge). Despite fan interest, the match never materialized due to the promotional gap.
Speaking to The Takedown, John Cena has now revealed that the two remained in close contact throughout the entire farewell run. \’The Leader of Cenation\’ stated he only had 36 dates and couldn\’t face everyone, despite talking to Copeland often and having great respect for him.
“I talk to Adam all the time. I have great respect for him. We refer to each other as ‘old shoe’ because Adam’s got a very special place in my heart. Now here we both are, celebrating a long living space in a wonderful business. So I talk to him often. I think both of us understood about something like (the retirement tour) it is the sports entertainment business. But then again, I only had 36 dates. I can’t work with everybody.”
Cena\’s Retirement Tour
During his 2025 retirement tour, Cena faced rivals like Randy Orton and CM Punk. However, he said that he wanted to face Triple H, Shawn Michaels and Batista, which wasn\’t possible as they all have already hung up their wrestling boots.
“Gosh, I had tons of fun with Khali, all of my opponents, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Batista. You name it, we could have just run the gambit of folks. I would run out of time trying to tell you the people I wanted to face,” Cena added.
Cena and Copeland refer to each other as \’old shoe\’ due to their comfortable in-ring chemistry. While the former 17-time World Champion couldn\’t face his former rival, he paid tribute to the \’Rated-R Superstar\’ by using the Spear in his final SmackDown match. Copeland had also returned the favor by using Cena’s Five Knuckle Shuffle at AEW All Out in Toronto.
WWE taped this week’s episode of SmackDown on Monday night in Hershey, PA.
The show’s major angle saw Aleister Black and Zelina Vega attack Damian Priest during a promo segment following the Terror Twins’ victory last week. Black later laid out Priest in a backstage attack, signaling an escalating feud.
SmackDown December 26th Results:
Damian Priest opened with a promo before being attacked by Aleister Black and Zelina Vega
Nia Jax and Lash Legend backstage segment
Aleister Black attacked Priest again backstage
Nia Jax and Lash Legend defeated The Kabuki Warriors – Post-match, Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair cleared the ring
Giulia backstage promo
Giulia defeated Alba Fyre
Ilja Dragunov and Carmelo Hayes defeated DIY
JC Mateo and Tonga Loa vs Joe Gacy and Dexter Lumis – No contest
The post-match clearing by Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair suggests a potential tag team or championship program developing in the women’s division. Giulia continues her momentum with another victory, while the makeshift team of Dragunov and Hayes scored an upset over the established DIY tandem.
Pittsburgh television reporter Ed DiOrio found a creative way to honor John Cena on the day of his final WWE match.
DiOrio, who serves as the Westmoreland County Reporter for WTAE-TV (Pittsburgh’s Action News 4), incorporated Cena’s signature catchphrases into his live weather report during a Weather Alert Day broadcast this weekend.
https://x.com/eddiedtv/status/2000268858775494892
The tribute aired the same weekend that Cena wrestled his retirement match against Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event in Washington, D.C. The 17-time World Champion’s legendary 23-year WWE career came to an end when he tapped out to Gunther’s sleeper hold after a hard-fought 24-minute contest.
Cena’s iconic phrases, including “You Can’t See Me,” “The Champ Is Here,” “Never Give Up,” and “Hustle, Loyalty, Respect,” have become part of mainstream pop culture over his two-decade run as the face of WWE.
The reporter’s tribute reflects the widespread outpouring of appreciation for Cena as fans, fellow wrestlers, and celebrities honored the WWE legend throughout his farewell tour.
John Cena has announced that people from outside WWE will be taking part in the Last Time is Now tournament to determine his final opponent at the upcoming December 13 Saturday Night\’s Main Event.
While the larger belief is we\’ll see stars from TNA or AAA taking part in the competition, there have been people who have speculated about some of his former rivals who now work for AEW potentially showing up for this opportunity.
One such former rival people have wondered about is Adam Copeland, known to WWE fans as Edge. The feud between the two veterans spanned years, and they shared the ring for almost 200 matches during their shared tenure in WWE.
Fightful Select recently provided an update on these rumors and confirmed that Copeland\’s name has never been brought up in a creative meeting for this tournament, and he is not expected to show up on WWE TV anytime soon.
While Cope is not expected to make his WWE return anytime soon, there is another major AEW name whose status remains very much up in the air.
Chris Jericho reportedly has his contract expiring before the end of this year and even President Tony Khan has remained ambiguous about Y2J\’s future. You can check out what the former AEW Champion himself said on the matter here.
On the official WWE Vault YouTube channel, a video was shared recently chronicling the Story of John Cena Vs. Edge from 2002 to 2010. The 109-minute video includes some of the biggest moments from the careers of both men, including the pair\’s final match from the September 27, 2010, episode of WWE Monday Night Raw.
The timing of this video did not go unnoticed by fans, many of whom speculated in the comments that this video was a nod to John\’s impending retirement. One commenters asked WWE to \”now make edge cena’s final opponent pls and thanks\” while another questioned \”why is this being posted now.\” Others weren\’t convinced and accused WWE of \’trolling\’ fans by building speculation of Edge Vs. John Cena.
Edge is considered by many to be Cena\’s greatest rival and was responsible for John\’s first of 17 WWE World Title reigns coming to an end in January 2006. The pair feuded several times over championship gold, including facing off at WrestleMania 25 in 2009.
The obvious issue with Edge being John\’s final opponent is that Adam Copeland is signed to AEW and has been with the company for several years. While Cena himself has teased that talent who don\’t compete for WWE may be part of the tournament, there\’s been no word from WWE or AEW about Edge making a return.
AEW President Tony Khan has officially confirmed the real-world reason for Adam Copeland\’s current absence from AEW programming, verifying that the star is away for filming commitments. Copeland was written off television following the AEW All Out pay-per-view on September 20, 2025.
At that event, he and his long-time partner Christian Cage were victorious in a tag team match against FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler). The celebration was cut short by a post-match assault, where FTR attacked Copeland\’s wife, Beth Phoenix (Beth Copeland), leaving her laying in the ring with a spiked piledriver. In a backstage segment, an emotional Copeland stated that the rivalry had become too personal and had now affected his family, forcing him to \”step away\” from the company indefinitely, leaving his future in question.
While the storyline provided a dramatic reason for his exit, reports quickly surfaced from PWInsider that the write-off was planned to accommodate Copeland\’s acting career. In a new interview with Z100 New York, Tony Khan confirmed this. He praised \”The Rated-R Superstar\” as a big part of the AEW roster and confirmed that he is currently on a planned hiatus to film the new season of the Disney+ series, \”Percy Jackson & the Olympians.\”
Copeland has a recurring role in the series as Ares, the God of War. Khan made it clear that Copeland is still a valued member of the AEW roster and is expected to make his return once his Hollywood obligations are fulfilled.
“Adam Copeland’s a huge part of AEW. Adam’s out filming right now. He’s a huge star in AEW. We love having Adam Copeland, The Rated-R Superstar in AEW and I’m excited for him to be back in AEW, hopefully soon after this project is done, and he’s taking care of business and then Adam will come back and we’ll get Adam Copeland taking care of the business in the ring in AEW.”
Since the inception of AEW in 2019, People have been discussing how the company needs a training facility for its talents and what a Performance Center for them would look like.
At one point, there were talks of CM Punk\’s trainer Ace Steel leading the facility, before both of them abruptly left the company after the infamous backstage incident with Jack Perry.
The discussions about a potential training facility picked up once again this week and Fightful Select provided an update on it, revealing that the officials actually cancelled similar plans this year once again.
The site revealed that the company does have a building with a ring that talent can access but there had also been talks of a bigger facility earlier this year. The discussion was centered around establishing a hub in Asheville, North Carolina.
Both Adam Copeland and FTR reside in the area and would have helped train the talent if the plans had moved forward. It\’s also why Steven Borden; the son of Sting was going to Asheville for his wrestling training.
The promotion ultimately decided not to move forward with these plans with rumors suggesting that the expected cost associated with a full-fledged facility led to this decision.
The WWE Universe made their voices heard loud and clear following John Cena\’s victory at WWE Crown Jewel: Perth. During the post-show event, the fans chanted \”We want Edge,\” making clear who they want Cena to face next. Not satisfied with just the chant, the crowd in Australia sang Metalingus, the theme song used by the Rated-R Superstar.
The crowd chanted “WE WANT EDGE!” at Triple H and then started singing Metalingus#WWECrownJewel
These chants were mostly ignored by Paul \’Triple H\’ Levesque, who spoke about the great experience WWE has had in Australia for Crown Jewel. While Levesque eventually highlighted the fans singing, saying the crowd had been \”doing this all night long,\” he did not make reference to the message the fans were sending.
Edge, aka AEW\’s Adam Copeland, is considered by many to be Cena\’s greatest rival. In 2006, Edge ended Cena\’s first reign as WWE Champion and John would repay the favor mere weeks later.
John Cena has just four appearances left in his WWE farewell tour, a run that has seen him face rivals like Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, and AJ Styles. And while a Cena-Edge match may never happen again, fans in Australia remain hopeful.
Tag team wrestling is a staple of pro wrestling history. This style of match allows promotions to vary a card and open up genuinely different storytelling possibilities among tag team rivalries, including but not limited to teams coming together, breaking up, and reuniting. Moreover, tag teams can offer a keen place for young talents to cultivate experience or for aging talents to lend their credibility on screen and mentorship backstage to up-and-comers while their actual in-ring work tapers off.
A lot of signs suggest a renewed focus on tag teams across major promotions. This dynamic tends to ebb and flow but, at least in the short term, there\’s a lot of reason for excitement for tag team wrestling fans.
Major Reunions Have Brought Buzz to Tag Team Wrestling
Image credit: AEW
There\’s a lot to be said for the excitement of seeing a beloved tag team reunite, and pro wrestling has delivered on several such angles in recent months. In AEW, the biggest story is Adam Copeland (\”Cope\”) and Christian Cage finding themselves on the same page again. Longtime fans remember them as one of the very best tag teams in the stacked WWE Attitude Era, where in-ring ability, personality on the mic, and the kind of interpersonal chemistry that can only come with years of real-life friendship made this pair something special.
The team\’s time together was deceptively short in WWE. The duo paired for less than three years full-time, as Edge in particular got major singles opportunities interspersed with their proper teaming. From there, Edge became a main eventer, while Christian had a respectable singles run of his own while also bouncing between tag teams and factions.
Extended periods followed with Edge in WWE, Christian going to TNA to get his own main event push, and later heading to AEW years ahead of his best friend. That’s not to mention both men suffering seemingly career-ending injuries that took each out of action for years. Though the two worked one-off tag matches together and enjoyed a reunion angle shortly before Copeland’s first retirement, it makes complete sense that fans are incredibly excited to see the pair teaming up again in 2025 as age dictates both men must be eyeing a more permanent retirement.
On a smaller scale, AEW also staged a Jurassic Express reunion at All Out. While Jack Perry and Luchasaurus don’t have the decades-long story of Cope and Cage, this does represent both men returning to their roots as a babyface tag team that fans still have a lot of nostalgia for after heel runs that drew mixed reactions (Perry a polarizing big-name heel, Luchasaurus a viable henchman for Cage, but he never really found another gear beyond big man mid-carder and tag team wrestler). This revisitation of the team invokes AEW nostalgia for a pairing that got over in the earliest days of AEW. Three years apart gave fans time to miss them, but also, the sudden reunion without any meaningful foreshadowing delivered a genuinely pleasing surprise for fans.
Meanwhile, on the WWE side of things, The Usos came back together over the summer with a renewed sense of credibility for Jey’s main event push—including main eventing SummerSlam as a singles star, winning a Royal Rumble, and capturing a world title at WrestleMania—besides Jimmy remaining viable as a mid-card act and factor in main event storylines. The duo had about 13 years as a team for the WWE main roster audience, but after spending most of two years apart (and even feuding against each other), it feels refreshing to see them paired again—even if recent creative has complicated whether they’ll keep teaming or what their face-heel alignment might be for the long haul.
The Tag Team Ranks Are a Great Place for Nostalgia
One clear sign of the success of AEW and WWE tag team reunion angles is that the tag division is a great place for nostalgia, as fans love seeing meaningful alliances revisited.
TNA has been in on the act too, booking The Hardys vs. Team 3D for Bound For Glory. Alongside Edge and Christian, these two teams represented the foundation of perhaps WWE’s most successful tag team feud of all time, and arguably the company’s most successful period for tag team wrestling overall.
None of the four men involved in this TNA showdown are young anymore, so TNA is a good spot to highlight a match like this for its smaller stage and its hardcore fanbase that can definitely tap into the nostalgia of an attraction like this.
WWE had its own spin on this kind of matchup recently on its NXT Homecoming special, with DIY facing Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes. Each pair felt representative of a distinctive generation of NXT, each with roots as partners and main event level foes. The tag team format—including The Miz interfering—kept everyone reasonably well protected in the process.
Such is the essence of nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. The stakes are objectively low, but tag team matches can help cover for aging performers’ limitations, keep any single performer from being over-exposed, and allow fans to lose themselves in the rush of a hot tag and reunited pairs “playing the hits.”
Dream Matches Could Be in the Making
With the recent resurgence of tag teams, there are possibilities around dream match scenarios. Cope and Christian Cage have lots of business left to settle with FTR, but after that dream scenario wraps, a showdown with The Young Bucks is appealing as well—not to mention the complicated history Cage has with Jurassic Express that might invite that tag team feud.
On the WWE side, The Usos represent great foils for just about any pairing, including an array that might emerge from NXT and also acts like The Judgment Day. And though the rivalry may have been overdone in the 2010s, there is something fun about imagining running back a Usos vs. New Day feud in 2025.
A Little Fantasy Booking
Jimmy and Jey \’The Usos\’. Photo: WWE.com
Part of the fun of multiple major wrestling promotions operating at the same time is imagining dream scenarios pairing the best acts from one company against the best of another, in addition to speculation about what other tag teams might take shape.
Dream match scenarios start with stalwart talent who’ve stuck with the same promotion and thus haven’t had the opportunity to work with one another. The conversation starts with The Usos and New Day on WWE’s side opposite The Young Bucks in AEW; the Bucks working either of these teams would pay off years of lowkey debate around tag team supremacy.
An FTR vs. Street Profits showdown also has to be in the conversation. These teams did work some house shows in NXT and a battle royal together at Survivor Series 2019, but it’s a case of FTR being a generation ahead of Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins, who are just starting to come into their own on the WWE main roster after FTR moved on to AEW.
A hard-hitting heavyweight clash pitting Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin against Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed also has a lot of appeal. This is even before considering reigning tag champs like Brodido, The Wyatt Sicks, and The Judgment Day, or other masters of the tag team form like The Motor City Machine Guns or the inevitable Lucha Bros reunion as Pentagon and Rey Fenix team together for the first time under the WWE banner.
Finally, while women’s tag teams have in most cases not had as much time to gel or cultivate nostalgia, the pairing of Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair has the name recognition and experience to be entertaining opponents against just about any pairing. Moreover, AJ Lee and Nikki Bella’s returns to WWE, alongside speculation about a comeback tour for Paige, have fans hungry for a WrestleMania 31 rematch of Lee and Paige versus The Bella Twins.
The buzz around Adam Copeland’s acting career continues to grow, as the AEW star has landed a role in Miramax’s The Beekeeper 2, Variety reports. The film is a sequel to 2024’s The Beekeeper, which followed a government assassin who comes out of retirement on a quest for vengeance.
Copeland joins an impressive cast led by Jason Statham, who will reprise his role in the sequel. Returning stars include Jeremy Irons (Die Hard), Emmy Raver-Lampman (The Umbrella Academy), and Bobby Naderi (The Better Sister). Pom Klementieff (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Copeland are set to appear as new additions to the ensemble.
The WWE Hall of Famer is no stranger to acting. He appeared in 42 episodes of Haven and more recently played Ares in Disney+’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
Details of Copeland’s role remain under wraps, but Hollywood clearly has its eye on the former Edge. With his in-ring career winding down, fans should expect more screen roles in his future.
Adam Copeland has been written off All Elite Wrestling television, leading to a wave of online speculation, including a rampant but false rumor about a potential match with John Cena in WWE. On the September 24 episode of AEW Dynamite, a backstage segment aired showing an emotional conversation between Copeland and his long-time friend and tag team partner, Christian Cage, following their victory over FTR at the All Out pay-per-view.
Copeland expressed that the escalating, personal nature of their feud was affecting his family and that he needed to leave, uncertain of when or if he would return. While the on-screen explanation left his future unclear, a report from PWInsiderElite.com has confirmed the real reason for his hiatus and debunked the WWE rumors.
The report from PWInsiderElite.com confirms that the rumor of Copeland leaving AEW to wrestle John Cena on his retirement tour is \”not even remotely true\” and that Copeland is not doing so with AEW\’s blessing. Instead, his departure from AEW storylines is to accommodate his acting career. Production for the latest season of the Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians is set to ramp up next month, and Copeland has a recurring role on the show as Ares, the God of War. Copeland has appeared in the last two seasons of the popular series, and his commitment to the filming schedule is the legitimate reason for his temporary exit from AEW TV.
In the emotional backstage segment that aired on Dynamite, Copeland and Cage reflected on their victory over FTR. Copeland told Cage, \”This is getting to my family… I gotta go. I don\’t know if I can come back.\” Christian responded by saying he no longer has a family, and urged Copeland to take care of his. The segment ended with the two friends shaking hands, providing an on-screen justification for Copeland\’s absence while also adding another layer to the complex, personal story between the two Canadian legends. The storyline with FTR had become intensely personal, involving not only the four men but also Copeland\’s wife, Beth Phoenix, who got physically involved at the All Out event.
Adam Copeland\’s future in All Elite Wrestling is now uncertain, atleast in storyline. On the September 24 episode of AEW Dynamite, Copeland addressed the vicious attack on his wife, Beth Copeland, that took place at the All Out pay-per-view. In an emotional in-ring promo, the WWE Hall of Famer stated that the events of the past weekend have forced him to re-evaluate his priorities, and he announced that he \”has to go\” and is unsure if or when he will return to the company.
The segment saw Copeland speak about how the dangers of his professional life have now directly impacted his family. He was then interrupted by Christian Cage, who coldly told him that he no longer has a family. Copeland responded by stating that he does, and the two shared a handshake before Copeland left the ring, seemingly signaling a temporary departure from AEW TV.
The entire situation stems from the brutal post-match angle at the All Out pay-per-view on Saturday, September 20. After Adam Copeland and Christian Cage were victorious in their match against FTR, their celebration was cut short by a violent attack from The Matriarchy. The faction, led by Nick Wayne\’s mother, Shayna, ambushed Beth Copeland at ringside.
The angle ended in Shayna, Kip Sabian, and Killswitch holding Beth down, allowing Nick Wayne\’s father to deliver a devastating piledriver to her, leaving her motionless in the ring.
Wrestling fans witnessed a rare cross-promotional moment of respect at AEW All Out Toronto on Saturday, as Adam Copeland (formerly WWE\’s Edge) honored John Cena with an in-ring tribute, reciprocating Cena\’s recent gesture on WWE SmackDown.
Copeland incorporated Cena\’s Five Moves of Doom into his match, including the the \”You Can\’t See Me\” taunt, Five Knuckle Shuffle, and Attitude Adjustment.
The tribute came weeks after Cena paid homage to Copeland during the September 5, 2025 edition of WWE SmackDown. As part of his farewell tour, Cena executed Copeland\’s signature Spear, complete with the iconic setup and taunt, during his match against Sami Zayn.
The exchange highlights the mutual respect between two performers who defined an era of WWE programming through their storied rivalry.
This Saturday is shaping up to be a historic day for wrestling as AEW broadcasts All Out and WWE showcases Wrestlepalooza. While the companies have coincided and competed over dates before, including the Wednesday Night War and WWE’s NXT specials running up against AEW offerings, this may well be the combined biggest between the two companies since AEW’s inception in 2019.
All Out and Wrestlepalooza will not actually run against each other, though given the propensity for AEW shows to run long, it’s quite possible there will be some overlap. Nonetheless, each show feels as though it’s making a statement about the respective companies’ identities and what they offer the modern wrestling fan.
Featured Tag Team Matches Tell The Tale
Image credit: AEW
For AEW, the tag team match pitting Cope and Christian Cage against FTR has to be the most hotly anticipated affair. The reunite legendary tag team worked Forbidden Door together, but it’s hard not to read that bout as a dry run to shake off the ring rust of the pairing. By contrast, stepping into the ring with FTR—deep personal friends, heated on-screen rivals, and one of the best in-ring tag teams of their generation—has all the makings of an instant classic.
Meanwhile, in WWE, though John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar has now been announced as the Wrestlepalooza main event, the match with the most buzz is AJ Lee and CM Punk vs. Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins. That interest largely owes to the novelty of seeing Lee in a WWE ring again for the first time in a decade, combined with the other marquee talent and the hot feud at hand.
In AEW’s case, the tag bout is largely a testament to nostalgia and the legends at hand having some creative freedom, as a testament to both Cope and Cage picking AEW over WWE to presumably wind down their careers. What’s more, the match quality is all but guaranteed to be there for the talents involved and their relationships.
For WWE, Punk and Lee represent a past generation of top WWE Superstars, and the match itself is a lowkey dream match. This scenario demonstrates Triple H’s patient booking style as well. There’s every possibility this is the first of multiple mixed tag team encounters between these pairings. What’s more, there’s every possibility both Punk vs. Rollins and Lee vs. Lynch have enough juice to carry all the way to WrestleMania.
Wrestlepalooza Boasts A Quintessential WWE Main Event
Image credit: WWE
Though a vocal portion of the WWE audience would advocate for the mixed tag team match or Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre main eventing Wrestlepalooza, there is something quintessentially WWE about spotlighting John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar.
Both of these men are defining faces of the Ruthless Aggression Era. Moreover, when they met again in 2012 and in their 2014-2015 issue, it represented how timeless they are WWE main eventers—guys with superhero physiques, their own brands of charisma, and the ability to work the WWE main event style at the highest level.
So it is that putting on Cena-Lesnar last, with all the extra trimmings of Cena’s retirement tour and implications this is the last time these two will share a ring embodies a lot of how WWE develops attractions that feel must-see, especially for casual or lapsed fans.
Women’s Matches Are Representative Of The Respective Divisions
Both AEW and WWE are staging one women’s singles match, each for a title, on the main cards of their respective shows. In WWE, it’s Stephanie Vaquer vs. Iyo Sky for the vacant Women’s World Championship. In AEW, Mercedes Mone defends the TBS Championship against Riho.
On the WWE side of things, the scheduled match feels a lot like a fight for the future as two of the best in-ring talents square off. Sky has been heavily featured all year as her upset title win over Rhea Ripley on the Road to WrestleMania set her up to then successfully defend the Women’s World Championship in a banger at ‘Mania. Meanwhile, Vaquer’s a fresh face who garnered an early springboard promotion from NXT to become a featured player on the main roster. The victor here feels telling who will carry the division forward and ultimately prove the next major rival for Rhea Ripley over the belt—Vaquer is looking like the favorite.
On AEW’s side, Mone has been a largely dominant champion for over a year now, but faces a fresh challenge in Riho, who was the original AEW Women’s World Champion. This pairing represents a clash of AEW generations in a sense, from its earliest days when many considered their women’s division a relative weak point to the present, when Mone has contributed to elevating the TBS Championship to feeling an awful lot like a second top prize for women to go after, bespeaking a deep division with ample stars to chase each belt.
Both of these matches are all but assured to be pretty great. It does feel reflective of WWE’s growth that Vaquer will presumably advance to her first world title here, while it also bespeaks AEW’s steady, sustained push for its top female talents that Mone will likely keep rolling along.
The Macro-Scale Cards Reflect Each Company
The card for AEW All Out is largely reflective of the company. There are ten announced matches as of press time, featuring a range that includes a Tables ‘N’ Tacks Match as well as a Coffin Match, each of which all but guarantee hardcore plunder and blood given the gimmicks and talents involved.
By contrast, at press time Wrestlepalooza has five matches on the docket, sticking to a tighter formula Triple H has grown famous for that allows longer individual match times, the show itself not running to marathon lengths, and leaving plenty of meat on the bone for free TV and to hold off major bouts for other big events down the road. The card composition is also steady with one men’s world title match, one women’s world title match, a tag match, the mixed tag team bout, and a main event showdown between two marquee talents.
Wrestlepalooza Vs. All Out: Which Show Will Be Better?
CM Punk and AJ Lee on SmackDown. Photo: WWE
In an increasingly tribalistic world of wrestling fandom, the question a lot of fans will boil things down is which show as better: Wrestlepalooza or All Out? Perhaps the biggest demonstration of how well each show shapes up to represent its companies is that earnest cases will come from both sides on the companies respective merits.
Fans who burn out on long shows and who privilege star power, not to mention the return of AJ Lee will but assuredly come out in favor of WWE and Wrestlepalooza. On the flip side, fans who just can’t get enough wrestling and applaud four-hour-plus shows—and especially those who like a little blood and guts mixed in—will probably enjoy the heck out of All Out. The coexistence of these shows is a very healthy thing for wrestling on the whole as there’s really something for everyone coming this Saturday.
A dream tag team match has been officially announced for the upcoming AEW All Out pay-per-view. On tonight\’s episode of AEW Dynamite, Adam Copeland revealed that he will team up with Christian Cage, to take on FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler).
The announcement came after a chaotic opening to tonight\’s show from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. The broadcast began with FTR and their manager, Stokely Hathaway, in the ring, berating referee Paul Turner for the time-limit draw in their recent Tag Team Title Eliminator Tournament final.
When Turner refused to reverse his decision, FTR got physical with him. This led to the arrival of Adam Copeland, who has been feuding with FTR for months. Christian Cage then appeared from the crowd, and the two men stormed the ring to brawl with Harwood and Wheeler.
After officials and security finally separated the four men, Copeland grabbed a microphone and made the match official for the All Out pay-per-view, which will take place in Cage\’s hometown of Toronto.
The feud between Copeland and FTR has been a central storyline in AEW for months. Copeland and Cage recently teamed up at the Forbidden Door pay-per-view to defeat the team of Kip Sabian and Killswitch.
The dream tag team match is the first official bout announced for the AEW All Out pay-per-view, which is scheduled for Saturday, September 20, from the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The event will be going head-to-head with WWE\’s Wrestlepalooza PLE on the same night.
Adam Copeland and Christian Cage are back together.
This week\’s episode of AEW Dynamite from The Andrew Brady Music Center in Cincinnati featured a singles match with Cope in action against Stokely Hathaway.
Hathaway had to be forced into the ring by the security to get the match started and Cope was in control during this short fight. The bout ended in DQ when FTR finally decided to come to their manager\’s aid and Stokely threw powder in his opponent\’s eyes.
The duo of Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood started assaulting the former World Champion after the bell, untill Christian Cage came out to make the save.
Cage came out with Spike in hand and he got FTR to retreat. Nick Wayne tried to attack Christian from behind with a chair but the former TNT champion managed to get the upper hand using Spike.
Adam Copeland then delivered a spear to Kip Sabian before he turned around to face his Attitude Era tag team partner.
The two were unsure of each other at first but they softened up and Cage gave spike back to Adam. The former TNA star then tried to leave the ring but Copeland pulled him back and hugged him, reuniting the legendary tag team.
After this segment, AEW announced that Christian Cage and Adam Copeland will be teaming up to face Kip Sabian and Nick Wayne at Forbidden Door, for their first match together since 2011.
Stokely Hathaway will be competing in his first singles match in more than 2 years at next week\’s episode of AEW Dynamite.
This week\’s episode of the Wednesday night show featured a backstage interview with Adam Copeland. The wrestling veteran first talked about Christian Cage before turning his attention to FTR and Stokely Hathaway.
Cope discussed the No Contact clause the duo of Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler have got against him, which stops the former World Champion from coming within 200 feet of them.
The Hall of Famer then revealed that since the stipulation does not apply to Stokely Hathaway, he went to Tony Khan and got himself a match against the FTR manager for next week\’s Dynamite. If Harwood & Wheeler got involved, their restraining order will become null and void.
Stokely Hathaway last entered the ring during the All In: London PPV in August 2024. He teamed up with Kris Statlander for a match against the team of Tomohiro Ishii & Willow Nightingale.
His last singles match came during a March 2023 episode of Dynamite. Former FTW Champion HOOK defeated him in a quick NO DQ match at the time.
Apart from this, the company has also announced a singles match between Kevin Knight and Jon Moxley for the show next week.
The AEW World Tag Team Championship match at All In: Texas ended with retained champions, but the aftermath saw a stunning betrayal and the shocking return of Adam Copeland.
In a chaotic three-way match, The Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin) successfully defended their AEW World Tag Team Championships against JetSpeed and The Patriarchy. The end came after FTR appeared, distracting Christian Cage and allowing Lashley to hit a spear for the pinfall victory. Following the match, Cage was brutally attacked by his own protégé, Nick Wayne, with Kip Sabian joining in on the assault. Nick Wayne\’s mother, who was at ringside, slapped Cage repeatedly before they set him up for a con-chair-to.
Just as Wayne was about to strike, the music of Adam Copeland hit, and the WWE Hall of Famer sprinted to the ring to make the save. Copeland cleared the ring, delivering spears to Nick Wayne, Kip Sabian, and both members of FTR. In a tense and emotional moment, Copeland then helped his former friend and rival, Christian Cage, to his feet. Instead of offering a hug, Copeland looked him in the eyes and said, “Go find yourself,” before leaving a stunned Cage alone in the ring.
This marks Copeland\’s first appearance in AEW since he was taken out of action by Malakai Black in a brutal assault on an episode of Dynamite this past April. His return adds another volatile element to the landscape of AEW and the future of Christian Cage.
Adam \”Edge\” Copeland is reflecting on his 33-year wrestling career, which he knows is in its final chapters.
The WWE Hall of Famer and AEW star‘, Copeland\’s ’s journey began on Canada Day, clad in Oakland Raiders Zubaz and Converse. His career, beginning with humble origins, has since spanned the globe, touching every corner from Moose Landing to Bucharest. Copeland expressed his gratitude for the fan support and the rich experiences he gathered along the way, stating:
\”Since then, I’ve travelled the world. Literally. Everywhere you can think of… It’s been a long, fruitful, soul expanding, soul diminishing, amazing, frustrating, exhausting, exhilarating journey over 3 decades.\”
One of the most cherished moments for Copeland has been his entrance, where he joins fans in singing his theme song \”Metalingus.\” He shared:
\”The best part? I hear every one of you when I blast out of that entranceway and sing Metalingus at the top of your lungs. It’s never been lost on me what a privilege that is… It won’t last a lot longer so I’m gonna soak in every second.\”
As Copeland prepares for what may be his final appearances in the ring, he’s grateful to end his career on his own terms – and with both men working in the same company, in the twilight of their careers, it’s only a matter of time before Cope & Christian are reunited.
AEW star Adam Copeland shared his perspective on John Cena\’s recent WWE heel turn during an appearance on First Up with Korolnek & Colaiacovo. He also explained why he doesn\’t keep up with the current wrestling product as closely as he once did.
Copeland admitted he avoids consuming too much wrestling in his downtime due to burnout. Instead, he focuses on his family.
\”I generally don’t watch wrestling just because I’m burned out in terms…\” he stated. \”…I think it’s one of those deals when you’re doing it, watching it can be all consuming and I told myself in coming back this time that I wasn’t going to let it do that to me. I have a family and two kids. My downtime is spent with them or watching hockey as opposed to critiquing and pulling apart wrestling shows.\”
He noted that he catches highlights rather than full shows and he wasn\’t fully aware of how Cena\’s turn has played out.
\”I get my clips from Instagram and I’ll watch them there. I don’t watch the full story, the follow-through, and all the little beats here and there.\”
\”I don’t really know how it went, but a lot of people were talking about it,\” he said. \”When you get a character that has been around for that long as a babyface, to turn, it’s like when Hogan turned and joined the NWO. It’s always a good shot in the arm for the business, for sure.\”
For decades, Adam Copeland competed under the name Edge, and while his WWE tenure is now behind him, the sports entertainment powerhouse isn’t quite ready to part ways with the iconic moniker.
Earlier this week, WWE abandoned its trademark ownership of the name Edge, sparking excitement among fans who hoped Copeland would reclaim the title for use in All Elite Wrestling. The speculation was short-lived, however, as WWE quickly filed to reacquire the trademark. As a result, the Edge name is once again securely in WWE’s hands, preventing Copeland and AEW from using it.
In 2025, Copeland officially began performing in AEW under the name Cope, a change the Canadian wrestling legend had hoped to make a year earlier. While the name received mixed reactions, it marked a personal and symbolic shift for Copeland as he charts the final chapter of his in-ring career on his own terms.
Fans still hold deep affection for the Edge persona, but barring a significant change, it appears Adam Copeland will end his storied wrestling journey under a new identity—without the moniker that defined much of his WWE legacy.
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