AEW's Adam Copeland Identifies His First 'Star-Making Moment' As Edge In WWE

Adam Copeland is winding down his career, having set his sights on the AEW World Championship to top off his time in the promotion and officially retire in 2027. Before arriving in AEW, Copeland first became a fan-favorite (and sometimes the most hated wrestler) as Edge during his lengthy WWE tenure.

During an appearance on "The Mick And Kenny Show," Copeland looked back at his WWE career, and identified the moment he believes he became a star. "To answer your question about it feeling like the first star-making moment: it was actually in Cleveland. No Mercy, the ladder match against The Hardys; it was the first tag team ladder match ever," he recalled. "When we got to the back, and we walked through the curtain, Mick [Foley] came up to all four of us and said, 'You just became stars.'"

Copeland added that the praise coming from someone like Foley made it all the more meaningful to them, even though they weren't deaf to the audience's roaring reaction. "When you you start to hear it from your peers, that's when you know you've kind of made your mark," he added. "So, for me, that match was the one that really kind of set us on the path." 

Another memorable moment in Copeland's WWE career saw him jump off of a ladder to spear Jeff Hardy at WrestleMania X-Seven, in their TLC Match for the World Tag Team Championship. Copeland shared that he didn't feel too nervous ahead of taking the leap. "I honestly didn't think about it, to be [honest]. You just kind of got to go," he said. "I don't think Jeff Hardy understands what fear is, so I don't think he was scared."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The Mick and Kenny Show," and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.