Stokely Hathaway incurred the wrath of Cope when he got involved in his AEW feud with FTR. A restraining order was filed against the former WWE Champion that if he were near FTR and Hathaway, he would be fired from the company.
Last week on Dynamite, Cope found a loophole. He announced that a discussion with Tony Khan permitted him to take on Hathaway in a singles match. And if Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler interfered, then the restraining order would be considered null and void.
While Stokely Hathaway has been Cash Harwood and Dax Wheeler’s manager, he has competed in the ring. This past weekend on Collision, the trio took on Joe Keys, Josh Fuller & Ryan Zukko in a six-person tag match. However, his last singles match was against Hook on the March 22 edition of Dynamite in 2023, which was a No Disqualification Match. This would also turn out to be his first match in the promotion. Although he did try to weasel his way out of the match but to no avail.
Stokley Hathaway had a lot to say when accepting Cope’s challenge, to the extent of calling him a cancer and will become his h*e after their match.
This Would Also Mark Cope’s First AEW Match In Four Months
Cope fka Edge made his shocking AEW debut at WrestleDream 2023. All this transpired after his 27-year association with WWE.
He initially teamed up with Darby Allin and Sting to take down Christian Cage and his group. A reunion was teased between the two when Cope saved Cage from a beatdown by Nick Wayne and the group at All In. However, Cage was not too eager for the reconnection.
Cope’s back and forth with FTR led to the singles match with Stokely Hathaway, before which he was good friends with the AEW tag team. The Rated R Superstar’s last match was at Dynasty 2025, where he teamed up with Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler against Death Riders (Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta & PAC).
FTR then attacked Cope at the end of the match, signalling the conclusion of their alliance.
And this event took place on April 6 this year, indicating that the upcoming Dynamite match is a first in quite a while for both names involved. Cope’s last singles match was in the same month against Claudio Castagnoli on Dynamite where was victorious.