The “Cope Open” challenge has been going strong ever since Adam Copeland reclaimed the TNT Championship. This opens the door for anybody to challenge him, which might lead to surprising outcomes. Now that the championship is at stake, every stage of the competition gets more exciting.
However, Copeland’s first open challenge for the TNT Title at AEW Collision drew a known face from his past who is not currently signed to AEW. Due to their lengthy history (beginning in 2007), fans got excited to see their master and student battle in the ring.
Adam Copeland’s open challenge accepted by Matt Cardona
Newly crowned TNT Champion Adam Copeland resumed “The Cope Open” to kick off AEW Collision. The R-rated star announced he had settled things with Christian Cage and threw out the challenge for a new opponent. The audience erupted in shouts and cheers as Matt Cardona made his way out to accept the proposal.
The strange soundtrack that hailed Cardona’s entrance into the ring revealed that he was Copeland’s opponent. The success that the 38-year-old has achieved in his career is mostly due to Copeland. They’ve worked together a lot in WWE but never battled until now. Adam Copeland used his special spear to triumph over the former Zack Ryder in a game of wits.
Though this was Cardona’s third stint with AEW, he still seems to prefer working independently rather than signing with a single promotion. He joins the list of people from Copeland’s background that he has faced in AEW. Considering their past, fans hope to see them working together again or establishing a new rivalry, but that can’t happen right now since Cardona hasn’t signed with the promotion.
Adam Copeland’s history with Matt Cardona
Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins were Major Brothers until 2007 when they became Edgeheads. The duo reached a turning point in their careers during their time as Edge’s friends at Armageddon when they assisted him in defeating two big names in the industry, Batista and The Undertaker. They changed their faction name from Major Brother to Edgeheads so they would fit in with Edge’s character.
Despite the group’s popularity, they faced some oddball moments behind the scenes. Ryder mentioned on Sam Roberts’ show that they nearly titled themselves Ketus and Kobain with K’s before adopting their real names. He said, “One thing people don’t know is that we were supposed to be, when we first switched our names from Brett and Brian Major to our “real” names, Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins. There was a miscommunication. We almost became Ketus and Kobain with K’s. Johnny Ace said we need something like Slash or Axle to go with Edge.”
Plus, the fake tattoos they wore as Edgeheads are something no one will soon forget. He further added about those tattoos, “The makeup people had to draw them on with sharpies. That was on a Sunday. On Sunday and Monday, we are scrubbing these off. We got to SmackDown taping on Tuesday and they said you have to do it again. Luckily it was only a two night thing.”
However, did you have fun watching their match on the recent AEW Collision? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
