Matt Hardy Responds To AEW's Adam Copeland Shortening Ring Name

Multi-promotional wrestling veteran Matt Hardy recently shared his thoughts on Adam Copeland's return to in-ring action, and his desire to be called "Cope" as part of his re-introduction. Cope made a big impact in AEW upon his debut at WrestleDream 2023, but a broken leg sustained at Double or Nothing shelved the former WWE Champion for several months, until his return at World's End on December 28.

After running down the highlights of AEW's World's End, Hardy acknowledged on "The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy" that Cope's return was huge for AEW. Hardy didn't have an emotional reaction to the new name, good or bad, but he said he understood the reason for doing it. 

"I think coming in, he wanted something similar to 'Edge,'" Hardy suggested, noting the challenge a trademark-induced name change creates. "When I went to WWE, and there was a dispute with the names, and I wasn't 'Broken' Matt Hardy, I wanted something similar to 'Broken,' so I went with 'Woken.' And that was a word getting thrown around a lot on social media. It was kind the 'in' word at the time. So yeah, I think instead of using 'Edge,' he was looking for something else that could pop, that sounds similar, that was one syllable."

Hardy admitted that even "Adam Copeland" was hard to digest after so many years performing as "Edge" in WWE. But didn't think this name confusion would stop him from flourishing in 2025. Hardy even predicted Cope and Christian Cage would team up again in an AEW ring. 

"I think those two guys together could be a force," Hardy said, noting the impact they could have on ticket sales. "Edge and Christian, the nostalgia behind it– and they both can still go, still look great. I think that would be a very, very positive thing."