Former WWE star Edge debuted in AEW last night, where he’ll be performing full-time under his real name – Adam Copeland. It seems Copeland had his attorney file some trademarks yesterday in preparation for his upcoming run. Attorney Michael E. Dockins filed for trademarks on the terms “Ledgend,” “Iconoclast,” “Cope,” and “The Rogue” for purposes relating to wrestling as of October 1. The trademarks were filed on behalf of a company called Wet Yeti, Inc., seemingly owned by Copeland himself.
Copeland’s AEW debut had been rumored for months, but it was still a shock to many wrestling fans when the longtime WWE performer appeared to close out the show. The 49-year-old initially teased siding with his longtime tag partner Christian Cage before helping out Darby Allin and Sting, who were previously outnumbered against Cage, Luchasaurus, and Nick Wayne. After Copeland fought off Wayne and Luchasaurus, forcing Cage to retreat, AEW WrestleDream went off the air with the WWE Hall of Famer shaking hands with Sting, the first time the two had ever stood in a ring together.
During the media scrum that followed last night’s pay-per-view, AEW co-owner Tony Khan announced that Copeland will wrestle his first AEW match next week during a special Tuesday night edition of AEW Dynamite. Luchasaurus will face Copeland in the veteran’s first match since his WWE sendoff against Sheamus back in August.
After getting his start in the early 1990s, Copeland signed with WWE alongside Cage in 1997, becoming prominent members of the company’s roster together over the next several years. While Cage would eventually part ways with the company, Copeland stayed until he was forced to retire in 2011 due to neck injuries. Thankfully, however, Edge was able to come out of retirement in early 2020, returning during that year’s WWE Royal Rumble. At the time, it was rumored that Copeland had strongly considered AEW, but wound up returning to his longtime home for another run.
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