When Adam Copeland makes his in-ring return on Wednesday night, he’ll be bringing to life a wrestling trio that he has dreamed about for years.
Copeland suddenly re-appeared last weekend as part of AEW Worlds End, running to the ring alongside FTR to brawl with the Death Riders trio of Jon Moxley, Wheeler Yuta and Claudio Castagnoli.
It was announced shortly thereafter that Copeland and FTR would team up to face the Death Riders on Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite. The bout will mark Copeland’s first in-ring appearance since he suffered a fracutured tibia in May, putting him out of action for most of 2024.
It will also be the first time that Copeland and FTR share the same ring, something the “Rated R Superstar” has considered for a while.
Copeland recently told Sports Illustrated that he has long wished for an on-screen collaboration with FTR, and that this week finally gives him the opportunity.
“If you had told me five, six years ago, when me and the FTR guys would sit there and go ‘Yeah just imagine if,’ here we are,” Copeland said in an interview with Sports Illustrated. “The three of us are legitimate friends. We spend birthdays together, our families are together. Our kids go to school together. We’ve all lived through this together. It was also one of the massive reasons for coming to AEW, those three guys. I’m at a stage where it’s just about, again, having fun. And trying to have these moments, and still finding a way to have these moments this many years in. That’s a gift.”
Apart from his teaming up with FTR, Wednesday’s Dynamite is also significant for Copeland due to where it is taking place. This week’s episode is set to air from his hometown of Asheville, North Carolina, a location which was hit hard by Hurricane Helene in September 2024.
Copeland believes a night of wrestling will give locals an escape.
“To be able to come here after the devastation of that happened here, and to just try and let your hair down … I think Wednesday is going to be a good time. Hopefully people can come and just cathartically yell, and scream, and do what pro wrestling is supposed to do.”
AEW is running a charity drive as part of the upcoming Fight for the Fallen episode of Dynamite this week, with a series of hurricane relief efforts being supported by the promotion.
