AEW's Adam Copeland Initially Didn't Want To Be In This Historic WWE Match, Now A Mainstay

Early on in his WWE career, Adam Copeland, formally known as Edge, made a name for himself in Ladder and TLC matches alongside his tag team partner Christian. Most famously, the "Rated-R Superstar" competed in the classic TLC Three-Way match at WrestleMania 17, and fought against The Hardy Boyz in countless Ladder matches, but after beginning to succeed as a singles competitor, Copeland didn't want to be anywhere near a ladder. Ahead of the first Money in the Bank match in 2005, the AEW star had zero interest being in the contest, explaining that he felt he was being held back in the mid-card, rather than positioned in the main event scene.

"I said, "I don't want to be in it." That ladder thing felt like a crutch, and it definitely for me, like, you don't have anything for me, so just chuck me in a ladder match. I feel like Christian was put in that. I feel like after the Money in the Bank, Shelton got put into that role, and it's not a bad role. But at a certain point, you go, okay, I gotta move past this. I got to get past these to get to where I want to get to, which is the main event." Copeland told "ITR Wrestling."

Despite feeling like the Money in the Bank match was a demotion, Copeland quickly realized winning the briefcase would get him closer to the main event scene, but also revealed a secondary reason for wanting to avoid Ladder matches in the future.

"I didn't realize that Money in the Bank would be the springboard to that. So I had to be talked into it. I'm glad I was. And truth be told, I just got sick of bumping off of ladders too, because it hurts. There's no good way to do it."