Edges career can be defined by any number of things.
You need look no further than the Canadian-born legends pro wrestling resume:
An 11-time World Wrestling Entertainment World Champion;
One of the most decorated superstars in WWE history, having captured 31 championships in a career that spanned some 15 years;
He was an integral part (along with his best friend Christian) of one of the greatest if not the greatest eras of tag-team wrestling in history;
At 38 years young, hes a WWE Hall of Famer, inducted by his best friend Christian.
Those are just some of his accomplishments. What cant be measured are the countless fans he has won over along the way, the kids who ask for an Edge T-shirt, the fans who cart signs to live events professing their admiration for the self-proclaimed Rated-R superstar; the people willing to wait for hours in line for a photograph, an autograph or just a simple hello.
Yes, Edge can be defined in so many ways. And deservedly so.
But Adam Copeland, the man behind the moniker, remains the humble Canadian today he was when he set out down that path of greatness.
While his former employer, WWE, possessing the rights to the name Edge, its Copeland who holds all the memories. The fact that he no longer controls the name he helped define doesnt bother him.
For me, Edge was just a character, he said during a telephone interview this week. I never introduced myself as (him). I never really worried about what people can advertise me as. It doesnt really matter to me. Ive always just introduced myself as Adam Copeland.
I never really thought too much about it, he added.
Since abruptly retiring from pro wrestling on April 11, 2011 at the urging of doctors, Copeland has kept busy, filming various projects, making occasional appearances and adjusting to life after wrestling.
His schedule now is vastly different from his days of travelling from city to city, sometimes country to country, all in the name of sports entertainment.
What then, is a typical week in the life of this retired superstar?
It varies week to week now, Copeland said. Whereas before it was pretty standard
travel four to five days a week, and then try and recoup and refill the tank for two days, now
Ill be gone for six weeks, then come back, have two weeks, then be gone for a weekend, then come back and have a week and a half. Its kind of all over the place in that respect. I was gone for most of the summer, to Halifax to shoot (the television series) Haven.
Did that, and put off my neck surgery to do this appearance for Tommy, Copeland said.
That appearance would be the debut House of Hardcore show, which happens Saturday night in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. The Tommy to which he refers is Dreamer, the legendary hardcore wrestler, the brainchild of House of Hardcore and one of Copelands best friends.
Ah, Tommy, Tommy, Copeland mused, when asked about his relationship with Dreamer. He is a complete moron; and generally thats what I seem to surround myself with, he joked. You get me, him and Christian into a room and then you throw Kane in as the straight man its just
ridiculousness, he offered, before turning serious.
Weve travelled a lot together, Copeland said of Dreamer. Id be on generally last, and pretty exhausted after a 40-minute match or something
pretty beat up. Tommy would always grab the keys and drive and hes not the greatest driver. Hes afraid of very weird things like purple lightning at night, tornadoes and fog ... its a bad combination for driving, but I just let him.
He paused.
Great stories, great memories ... and he just always has the ability to make me laugh, he added.
Helping out his friend with his debut show was a no-brainer for Copeland.
When (Dreamer) was talking about doing the show and everything, I was like well Im supposed to get neck surgery, were trying to do it sometime in October, but maybe if we push it back till November, I can get the show in, do that and then
I can enjoy my October and then go under the knife.
Neck surgery is pretty serious business. Putting that off in the name of friendship speaks loudly of the relationship.
There are few people I can honestly say from the industry that Ill maintain contact with. You can probably count them on one hand, maybe if youre pushing it, two, Copeland said, emphasizing the words probably and maybe. And Tommy would be one of them, without a doubt.
Obviously fans wont be treated to a Copeland match, but that doesnt mean he wont contribute.
Its strange in a way, because its my first non-WWE thing Ive done since, like 97, he said.
Asked if he has had any ill feelings come his way from his former employer over doing the House of Hardcore gig, he quickly answered no.
Havent heard a thing, Copeland said. All I hear is from people saying its on the Internet, which, its got to be true then
he said, sarcastically.
While on the subject, he quickly cleared up a rumour that eminated from his recent WWE SmackDown! appearance in Philadelphia, after which he was reported to have have been offered another contract by WWE.
I wasnt offered another contract. I dont know where people get their news from, he added, calling the appearance another day at the office.
If there are bad feelings out there, Copeland said, nobody has said anything to me.
The site of the House of Hardcore show, the Mid-Hudson Civic Center, is a place Copeland is very familiar with.
(Ive) been in Poughkeepsie, actually at the Mid-Hudson, quite a few times over the years with WWE, he said. I know that building and the parking at the side. I always remember places by the parking. I remember the parking there for the boys was really bad, he added, even managing to remember his his last appearance there. I think the last time I was there, I wrestled Randy Orton.
What, Copeland was asked, does House of Hardcore present for the wrestling industry?
I think it can be a place that I know Tommy kind of wants it to be where guys can have a little bit more freedom to maybe not have quite as many restraints, he said. That doesnt mean light bulbs or any of that crap. I think it just (means) if guys want to go out and try some different things, theyll have the freedom to do it.
And Im sure theyll be told hey, that didnt work, but you dont know unless you try. I think youll probably have the Young Bucks and (Brian) Kendrick and (Paul) London go out and try a million things, he said of some of the stars on tap at the debut show. Half of them might work, half of them might not, but it will be cool to watch the process of what does and doesnt. Or where things should be tweaked.
Which brings Copeland back to more of his reasons for wanting to be there, beside his friend Dreamer, on his big night.
I told Tommy
man I dont mind helping out, helping guys put their ideas together in a way that makes sense, or helping guys after the fact if they want, and just kind of being hands-on with (Dreamer) in the back and help him out in that respect.
Thats something that is a little foreign to the wrestling veteran, believe it or not.
Ive had a lot of young guys come up and ask me throughout the years, and its always nice to see them implemented and then when it works, its even nicer. Its like OK, good, I didnt give bad advice. But Ive never been in a backstage role where I wasnt also wrestling, too. That could be kind of neat, just to, I guess for lack of a better term, kind of give back in that respect.
And, of course, it doesnt hurt to have a Hall of Fame superstar on hand for the fans.
What I can do is still sign autographs, and meet people and take pictures and things like that, Copeland added.
I dont know what Ill be doing. I told him you know, if you want to do a promo, we can do that too. Itll be cool. Rhinos there and hes one of the handful, he added, referring to those he considers his true friends.
Where Copeland goes after House of Hardcore, neck surgery and rehab remains to be seen.
I have a couple of appearances and then Im at the New York Comic Con with the Haven cast. Then from there Ive cleared the docket just to be able to recuperate from the neck surgery and then I figured Id take it from there.
While some might shudder at the unknown, Copeland is not among them.
I kind of like the fact that its wide open to go after whatever I want. Its nice to not feel constrained and go OK, well I have to get back to do this. No, for the time, this is my fourth surgery, and this is the first time where I can go OK, I can just take my time, recuperate, not kill myself in the gym with rehab and therapy to get back. Its my neck, so theres not a lot of therapy I can do anyway. I just kind of have to sit there and let it heal. Its a nice place to be ... to kind of have the reins on my future.
While hes not sure what is next move is, Copeland is certain about one thing: he has no regrets.
I think if I would have wrestled another five or seven years, I would have had regrets, he said. At this point, the rest of my body feels great. My neck will give me days, obviously, but I think once I get the surgery and they take the pressure off of my spinal cord, Im going to feel like a million bucks. Im much more active than other dudes my age, I know that. When I run into the guys, and theyre all limping, and kind of walking like Boris Karloff, and Im running laps, I kind of look at it and go yeah, I think this happened for a reason. From a physical standpoint, this is the healthiest Ive ever felt.
For those who wondered if anyone foresaw the abrupt end of his career because of neck injuries, not even the man himself was 100% sure.
None of us did, Copeland said. I knew there were issues, but we didnt the extent of what the issues were. It kind of caught all of us me probably least of all just because I was like whoa, something weird is happening here... I knew something (was wrong). No one else really knew because I didnt tell anybody else. I think Christian was the only who knew because he rode with me. And he knows me. Him, Ill confide in. And Tommy, there were nights where he carried my bags up for me because I had no strength in my arms. He knew, too. But generally, it was like you just go out, you do your thing and you dont say anything and then you get back and you do it again.
While a case can be made that having ones career cut short by a neck injury is far from the storybook ending, there is no disputing the that Adam Copeland fulfilled his boyhood dreams. Heck, he lived them, exceeded them, lived them again and exceeded even those.
Not even he as a young Hulkamaniac in Orangeville, or as a student under the guidance of influential trainers like Ron Hutchison or Sweet Daddy Siki could have predicted what the future had in store. And what he had in store for the future.
I knew certain things, he said. I knew I was going to get to the WWE. I never doubted that. I assumed Id do good. I never thought it would get to the point that it did. At a certain point, I think it was like the third World title, it was like huh, alright. And then the eight past that was just like OK, now its getting ridiculous. This is awesome, but never expected that
never expected to be retiring at 37
never expected to be in the Hall of Fame by 38. Those are things you cant expect. It just kind of things thatll blow you away and (make you) kind of go wow, that was pretty awesome. It was a charmed career.
A charmed career, indeed.
Defined by any number of things.
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