Adam Copeland is preparing for something big on AEW Dynamite.
The March 20th episode will see Copeland face Christian Cage for the third time in AEW. With previous encounters seeing interference and Killswitch ending the Rated R Superstar’s TNT Title reign in a matter of seconds, the match will be the final chapter as the two long-time friends will face off under “I Quit” rules.
Speaking with Sports Illustrated about the encounter and his rivalry with Cage, Copeland stated that the Cage feud had to be addressed as soon as possible as it would be something that would be continually addressed until it finally happened:
“We had to tackle this first–it couldn’t be ignored,” said Copeland. “To me, we had to do this story right, the way we always thought it could be. After this, there is a whole roster of people I want to wrestle. To me, it feels like the late 90’s. There are less handcuffs here. We’re able to try more here, and that’s exactly what I want.”
Although the Hall of Famer has been in “I Quit” matches in WWE, most recently against Finn Balor, this will be different. Not bound by the PG guidelines of the sports entertainment titan, Copeland and Cage effectively have no restrictions heading into their match in Toronto. Discussing the importance of the match on a TV-14 show, Copeland explained that this is the match that he always wanted ever since he returned at the 2020 Royal Rumble:
“With an ‘I Quit’ match, there is a finality to it,” said Copeland. “We’re going to go out and feel the audience, react, and take chances. When you watch Christian, he’s such an assh—, I can’t wait to feel the energy from the crowd. It’s a real story, and that adds a different twist. This is our third match in AEW, and there is a lot of special meaning in this one. When I made the decision to continue wrestling, I came back for a match like this.”
Adam Copeland Discusses Recent AEW Signees
Much like Copeland did back in October 2023, Mercedes Mone and Kazuchika Okada became All Elite in March 2024. Additionally, Will Ospreay, who announced that he would join the promotion after he finished up his New Japan commitments, officially joined AEW shortly before Revolution. When asked about The CEO becoming All Elite, Adam Copeland explained the main benefit to Mercedes Mone joining AEW.