Adam Copeland on Bruins-Maple Leafs, Penalty Box Fights, and The Most Appealing Feature of AEW

“That’s the reason I came to AEW”

A month ago, as Adam Copeland was laying down a beating on Christian in their “I Quit” match on Dynamite, the brawl sprawled into the venue’s penalty box.

In front of the hometown crowd in Toronto at the Coca-Cola Coliseum, Copeland put on a Maple Leafs jersey. He then took particular joy in beating Christian, who was forced to wear the jersey of the Leafs’ rival, the Boston Bruins.

“Those jerseys were picked up two hours before the show,” said Copeland. “It’s Canada, we’re in Toronto. You always want to cater to your audience. I saw a penalty box. We wanted to tap into that.

“Earlier in the day, I told our props guys that there’d be one place they could find a Bruins jersey in Toronto, and that’s the Hockey Hall of Fame. By that point, Christian had no choice but to wear the sweater.”

Copeland wearing his Leafs jersey, courtesy of the Hockey Hall of Fame / Courtesy AEW

Copeland defeated Christian on Dynamite on March 20, winning the TNT championship in a match that wrapped up just after the Leafs defeated the Washington Capitals.

“I know some of the Leafs were watching,” said Copeland. “I got some texts on the bus after their game.”

Copeland takes flight / Courtesy AEW

Copeland is watching the ongoing Leafs-Bruins playoff series with bated breath, which is tied at one game apiece. But his focus is always on AEW. He reflected on an important promo he delivered in the opening of Dynamite on April 3, which was two days after CM Punk’s explosive interview on the MMA Hour. Copeland felt it necessary to infuse some positivity into AEW for both the fan base–and the locker room.

“People can be so negative,” said Copeland. “That’s people who are wrestling, and that’s also among our fan base. There are people who have this super rigid ‘I’ll only watch and celebrate this one thing.’ For us in the industry, it’s completely different. We want each other to succeed. It’s an awesome way to make a living, don’t get me wrong, but it’s a tough way, too. When more than one company is flourishing, that’s a positive for all wrestlers. But there is this strange outlier of fan who looks at things from a different perspective. So I wanted to address that, and I wanted our locker room to hear it, too.”

Adam Copeland wants everyone to celebrate professional wrestling!

Watch #AEWDynamite LIVE on TBS!@RatedRCopeland pic.twitter.com/SdhQqAvUS8

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) April 4, 2024

Copeland’s leadership approach was cultivated over the past three decades. Learning from wrestling great Bret Hart left a particularly strong impression.

“Bret was a major reason why I was able to get my foot in the door at WWE,” said Copeland. “He didn’t really know me from Adam, no pun intended. But once he saw me work, he knew there was promise. He really helped. I had a lot of veterans take me under their wing early on, whether it was Bad News Brown or Rick Martel. When I got to WWE, there was Michael Hayes and Pat Patterson and Tom Prichard and Dory Funk. I learned from those guys. As cliche as it sounds, you just want to pay it forward.”

Copeland with the running powerslam / Courtesy AEW

There is plenty of reason for excitement surrounding Copeland’s immediate future in AEW. With Christian now in his rear view, his newest feud is with The House of Black, specifically Malakai Black, an opponent who perfectly juxtasposes Copeland. Black got the better of Copeland this past Sunday at the Dynasty pay-per-view, defeating him in a six-man tag after Black misted him and then dropped him with Black Mass.

Black is an opponent with significant size, the type that can allow Copeland to wrestle as an underdog. That will also be the case when he wrestles House of Black member Brody King, a massive, agile giant who should mesh extraordinarily well with Copeland.

“This roster is really intriguing for me,” said Copeland. “That’s the reason I came to AEW.

“I can get in there with someone new almost every week. I love that.”