Adam Copeland has discussed the Cope Open and whether fans should continue to expect the unexpected in AEW.
Following on from his debut at WrestleDream back in October, The Rated R Superstar revealed his mission statement was to have as many first-time-ever matches as possible before he would retire on his own terms. Along with rising stars such as Dante Martin and Daniel Garcia facing off against the TNT Champion, shock appearances have also been seen such as NJPW legend Minoru Suzuki and former Edge Head Matt Cardona.
While appearing on the AEW Unrestricted podcast, Copeland credited former rival Christian Cage for bringing prestige back to the TNT Championship before discussing how much fun he is having facing off against a variety of opponents:
“I think Jay (Christian Cage) really, really put some onus back on that championship and made it feel like it’s must see television. I want to continue that, but I thought I needed to continue it in a different way. So in between having my two title reigns, I thought the Cope Open would be cool to earn the shot back but also kind of opened the door to where it could be anybody. That means it’s Suzuki one week. It’s Griff Garrison, it’s Lee Moriarty, it’s Dante Martin, it’s Daniel Garcia, it’s Matt Cardona. That’s really fun to me.
It’s also fun as a performer to go, those are all completely different styles. Like there’s not one guy out of that that is similar. That’s really cool because I love trying to put on a different hat for each opponent. I’ve always tried to challenge myself to go okay, if I’m wrestling this guy, I can adapt. If I’m wrestling this guy, I can adapt. That’s a really fun challenge, though, because sometimes maybe you don’t adapt, but it’s fun to find out.
Continuing, Copeland teased that there might be some more surprises down the road as he is keeping an eye on the free agent market:
It just so happens you find out on live television, so that can be a bit of a pressure cooker but it’s just a lot of fun. It really is. It feels like all bets are off, like anybody could show up. So look at a free agent. It’s a possibility. Trust me, I’m looking at them. I’ve already done all my homework. That’s really, really fun just to keep people on their toes and if you see a Cope segment, who knows who’s gonna show up? I think that’s fun.”
In another twist, Adam Copeland’s next opponent for the TNT Championship has been decided, but he won’t find out who it is until he’s in the ring on the May 1st edition of Dynamite.
Adam Copeland Discusses Retirement
Making it clear that this is his final run, the TNT Champion has brought up the topic of bringing his in-ring career to a close on numerous occasions. In a separate interview, Adam Copeland revealed when he thinks he will retire.
H/t to Wrestling News.co