More on Adam Copeland’s AEW Debut & Signing – WWE & AEW Backstage Reactions, Copeland on Leaving WWE, Trademarks

Oct 2, 2023

WWE & AEW Backstage Reactions Over Adam Copeland Joining AEW

As noted before, Adam Copeland, former Edge in WWE, made his official debut for AEW at Sunday’s WrestleDream event in Seattle, Washington. Following the show, AEW had announced that Copeland was signed to an official contract with the company.

Fightful Select reported that several sources spoken to within AEW had a unanimously positive reaction to Copeland joining the company.

In regards to Copeland’s status in AEW, it was reported that their sources stated that Copeland will have a significant presence within the company and has expressed his willingness to help in a variety of capacities. One AEW talent spoken to reportedly stated that Copeland had told others about wanting to fill the gap that CM Punk left in regards to being helpful for the company but also not wanting to cause any internal issues.

In regards to the reaction over Copeland using his “Rated R Superstar” nickname in AEW, it was reported that several people within both AEW and WWE were surprised that WWE had allowed the trademark for it to lapse in 2020 and did not bother to renew it when it became clear he was going to leave.

In regards to the reaction within WWE over Copeland leaving the company, it was reported that several sources spoken to stated that it became obvious to them at the start of this past Summer that Edge would not be returning once his contract expired.

One AEW talent spoken to stated that while they were not “officially” told about Copeland joining the company beforehand, it was the worst kept secret in wrestling. AEW and WWE talent reportedly spoken to felt that Copeland was going to jump ship as far back as mid-August. Those close to Copeland reportedly stated that they felt it was a fact Copeland would be leaving even before his last WWE match but many were not told in an official capacity until well after his last match.

It was also reported that those spoken to within WWE claimed that Copeland left on good terms and would be welcomed back into the company if he were to decide to ever return.

The overwhelming consensus over Copeland joining AEW reportedly was a positive one within AEW and a “happy for him” one within WWE.

Adam Copeland Comments on His Reason for Leaving WWE & Joining AEW

Following his official debut for AEW at Sunday’s WrestleDream event, Adam Copeland reflected on Twitter about the reason for his decision to leave WWE to join AEW.

“From The Desk of…
As some of you may now know, I’m no longer with WWE. My new home is AEW. I’m excited. Whole new roster. Some familiar faces that I wanted to work with again and a whole set of first ever matches. New challenges, and if you’ve followed my career, you know that’s what I’ve always been driven by.
But first and foremost I want to address my 25 years with WWE. I love WWE and appreciate everything the company did for me. Always have, always will. They put me on the map, gave me amazing opportunities and through hard work on both ends, I’ve been supplied with a wonderful life. Hell, WWE helped me meet the woman I’d start my family with. Sometimes relationships just grow apart and I feel the WWE and I have just outgrown each other. I wanted to do more. They didn’t have much more for me to do. Simple as that. And that’s ok. I’ll still be watching and still be supporting all of my friends there.
I don’t buy into this odd mentality of one company or the other. It’s weird. If you took offense to that, take a walk, get some fresh air and soak up some sunshine. It’s wrestling. An amazing gig. But still, it’s wrestling. Relax. It’s supposed to be fun.
And it’s just a segment of the fans, not most fans, and definitely not the performers. Within the industry we all know that more choices is better for everyone and pushes us all to be better. As a wrestling fan, which I still am, it’s exciting that there’s viable companies providing wrestling on national and worldwide platforms. If you’re actually a fan of wrestling, and not acronyms, that should make you happy too.
I guess what I’m trying to say is this, if you’ve appreciated my work, you still can, no matter what the initials are. Because I’ll still be bustin my ass everytime I’m out there. This ride isn’t over just yet. Just try to have fun, like it should be. Because trust me I’ll be having fun everytime I’m out there in an AEW ring.
Let’s go!”

But first and foremost I want to address my 25 years with WWE. I love WWE and appreciate everything the company did for me. Always have, always will. They put me on the map, gave me amazing opportunities and through hard work on both ends, I’ve been supplied with a wonderful…
— Adam (Edge) Copeland (@EdgeRatedR) October 2, 2023

I guess what I’m trying to say is this, if you’ve appreciated my work, you still can, no matter what the initials are. Because I’ll still be bustin my ass everytime I’m out there. This ride isn’t over just yet. Just try to have fun, like it should be. Because trust me I’ll be…
— Adam (Edge) Copeland (@EdgeRatedR) October 2, 2023

Adam Copeland Files Several New Trademarks

Adam Copeland recently filed several new trademarks to the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Trademarks for “Ledgend,” “The Iconoclast,” “The Rogue,” and “Cope” were filed by Copeland through Wet Yeti, Inc. on October 1st for wrestling and merchandise-related purposes.