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00:00What's up everybody? Scott Campsill coming to you from The Score Studios in downtown Toronto.
00:05And I am absolutely psyched today to be joined by a living legend.
00:08He's an 11-time world champion, a 14-time tag champion.
00:12He's a member of the Canadian Wrestling Hall of Fame.
00:14You've seen him in TV and film.
00:16You've seen him at Maple Leaf Square decked out in Leaf gear.
00:19He is the Rated-R Superstar Adam Copeland. Adam, what's up man?
00:22Not much, not much man. Thanks for having me.
00:24Oh, it's great to have you here.
00:26Obviously you're in town for a couple of big AEW events this week.
00:29But before we get to that, I have to ask you, this last Leafs playoff run, you were everywhere.
00:33We saw you, seemed like all the games, mic'd up for Game 7.
00:38Joe Bowen called you a voice of the Leafs.
00:40So I gotta ask, as a lifelong Leaf fan, what's it like to reach this celebrity Leaf fan status?
00:45I mean, I'm not gonna lie, it might be the coolest part of whatever I've attained popularity-wise from wrestling.
00:53The fact that they'll ask me to do the hype video.
00:59And I'm standing on center ice, on the Leaf, in an empty arena, banging this thing out.
01:07I mean, just ridiculous.
01:09You know, I think of like some of my first tangible memories were watching the Leafs with my uncles and my grandfather in the basement of their house on Zina Street in Orangeville, shag carpeting, TV on the floor, because it was one of those old wood numbers.
01:24And just all of us watching the Islanders against the Leafs, Lanny McDonald coming down, getting that gold, like those are some of my earliest memories.
01:34So fast forward and to be any small part of Maple Leaf lore or it's just so much fun, man.
01:43Like getting to do a hype video or like, you know, I gave Morgan the belt there and then to see what they did with that.
01:51Like, this is, it's very cool, you know, just as a fan.
01:55You know, it's, it's one of those deals.
02:01One of the first things I connected with was hockey.
02:04It was hockey, KISS and wrestling and, and just couldn't afford hockey, but figured could probably afford spandex.
02:11There you go. Well, you got the two big checks on that. I don't know if you ever met KISS, but, um, so I have to ask you, obviously, um, you know, who are your guys?
02:19Who's in the Adam Copeland, like Mount Rushmore of favorite Leafs players?
02:22Ooh, like Mount Rushmore.
02:23Your favorite. They don't have to be like the all time greatest, but I'm curious who your favorites are.
02:27Wendell Clark is always, it's always, um, gonna be at the top of that list. I think George Armstrong, um, you know, just to the chief, you know, be, be captain for as long as he was.
02:39And, you know, lead them to the success they had in those years. But I mean, man, it's, it's so tough to dial it all in. Cause like, I loved Bunny LaRock cause he stopped Gretzky on a breakaway.
02:54Like, uh, Lanny Sittler, you know, son Dean. Um, there's so many, uh, Keon, like Lehman, um, builder Lego.
03:05Yeah. Yeah. You know, like just that there's so many guys over the years. Um, I, I always loved, uh, Felix Potman too.
03:13Oh yes. Um, and I feel like that team with Gilmore and, and they really kind of, that, that was a fun time to be a fan.
03:24But you look at this, this core of, of talent that they have now, and I don't know if they've ever been that talented.
03:30Um, it's just how crazy, uh, and level the playing field is in the NHL now where it's like year to year. You, you don't know who could take it.
03:40Yeah. Um, hopefully it's not Florida again.
03:43Yeah. You know what? We can agree on that.
03:46Um, so I'll transition now. We'll switch gears, um, to the reason that you're here.
03:50A couple of big events, a huge tag team matchup this Saturday at, uh, All Out.
03:55Um, I also keep getting the All In, All Out.
03:57I do too.
03:57It drives me nuts.
03:58I know.
03:59Like, I know I watch the shows. I'm like All In, All Out, but it is All Out in Toronto on Saturday.
04:03You're teaming once again, uh, with your pal Christian to take on FTR.
04:07Um, now, you know, when I met you earlier, I said, I feel like I've been watching you wrestle my whole life.
04:11And that extends to you and Christian, you and Jay.
04:13Yeah.
04:14Um, man, what is it like at this point in your career to get to, not just get to wrestle with a guy you've
04:20known for 40 plus years, but to, you know, continue, you know, writing in that chapter of, you know,
04:24what you guys have built?
04:25I think that's the most fun part is to start writing a new chapter, but also have it be a different chapter.
04:33Yes.
04:33Like we're, we're not just coming back and running the greatest hits where we're doing two different
04:39characters now and maintaining that going into this thing, which makes for this like unlikely
04:46Statler and Waldorf from the Muppets kind of curmudgeonly, like, can they get along?
04:50Are they going to get along?
04:51Like that to me is a really fun dynamic.
04:54And that is what I think is making it different.
04:57Yes.
04:58You know, because eventually if you just come back and you do the greatest hits and then, okay,
05:01well that, that might get old fairly quick, but, um, this is a new version of our team.
05:07And it's a version that never existed before.
05:10Uh, because I feel like he, you know, Christian, he found, he found his, his lane, his pocket,
05:16and to lose that, to do this team, that would have sucked.
05:20So we were able to figure out how to do this and sit down and kind of, uh, write this so
05:28that that didn't get lost.
05:29And that now we have this dynamic of, oh, it's up to me to make him likable and, and understand
05:38that you just got to accept him for all of his, um, dickheaded, dickheadishness.
05:44Yeah.
05:44That's a great word for it.
05:46You guys have always been known for making up words.
05:48So, you know, like adding to the vocabulary, um, no, truly.
05:51And that, that is like, honestly, exactly, you know, the whole thing that works there is he,
05:55he is awesome as a heel right now.
05:57And what he's built is awesome.
05:59And the way that you guys are like, I mean, one of the most iconic tag teams of all time,
06:03but teaming together in a way that feels completely different is like, you know, it's, it's amazing to watch.
06:09It's, um, you know, I, I think it was key that, that he came into it like that, you know,
06:17still without anything really likable about him, the only thing that makes him likable as I'm saying,
06:21Hey, we just got to accept him for this thing that he is.
06:25And, and I don't know.
06:27It's just, it's really fun and it makes it feel fresh for both of us too, because as a performer,
06:32you know, eventually you just come back and do the same greatest hits and okay, you know,
06:37it's probably going to get old for us too.
06:39Um, I think that's why I've always enjoyed bands like Pearl Jam because it's a different set list
06:44every night and I feel like when you can, when you can do something that you've done before that
06:49will still hit people in, in all the, the, you know, all the, the spots you want to hit them,
06:54but be able to bring a new element to it.
06:57Yeah.
06:58That has been a lot of fun.
06:59Wow.
07:00It's been, uh, it's been awesome to watch.
07:01Um, this might be a difficult question to ask because the, uh, cat, you know,
07:05the catalog is long, the history is vast, but when you think of the Copeland and Christian
07:10partnership over the years, wrestling wise, are, is there like, you know, two or three matches
07:14or two or three moments that you think are quintessentially, you know, Copeland and Christian?
07:18Well, I mean, you look at the TLCs and you know, when you're a part of creating a match that then
07:24becomes its own pay-per-view and becomes its own thing over the years,
07:29those are always going to stand out, you know, for us. And plus we were doing it on WrestleManias
07:34where it's, it's going to get remembered or, or Summer Slams. Um, but the one thing that a lot
07:41of people wouldn't think of is we did commentary a couple of weeks before WrestleMania 2000,
07:47so WrestleMania 16. And up until that point, we were going to be split up as a team at that
07:53WrestleMania really. And after that commentary, it was, you're going to be the tag team champions.
08:00So that was a pretty pivotal moment for us because we both felt like we hadn't got the team to where
08:06it could be. It felt like that was the last thing for us to really do. And, and then from there,
08:12if that was still the decision, fine, at least we set up to do what we said in his side yard when we were
08:18both in the sixth grade. Uh, and then to be able to do that at WrestleMania in Anaheim on the pond,
08:23and we're standing on top of this ladder and it's shaking. Actually, he couldn't stand up because
08:27his core strength isn't as good as mine. I was able to stand up. Um, it's got to put more time in
08:33on the pure plank. That's right. Yeah. I'm about to just plank him more, man. I don't want to tell you.
08:37Um, so those, those, you know, we're, we're definitely, uh, fun memories, but more than anything,
08:44I think it's just the aspect of we could always spit ball to each other and it's the stuff that
08:49you don't see. Yeah. And it's the stuff before we got there. And it's, it's, uh, those are,
08:55I think what made our team successful is that we always thought in a very similar fashion in terms
09:01of how to tell a story within this industry. Um, so it always felt like a lot of times with teams,
09:07you'll have, there's the one guy that has all the ideas and the other guy that is just kind of there.
09:13That's not the case with us. You know, we're annoying because we're, we're coming in with
09:17loads of stuff, but it works. Yeah, it does. Well, that's, what's so fascinating because like,
09:22obviously I think the thing that stands out are the TLC matches, but like, you know,
09:25even something like for the benefit of those with flash photography is like that stands the test of
09:29time, you know, like such an incredible thing that I think like even pops up now, like pure,
09:34I think honestly, like ahead of its time. Yeah. If, if I, you know, I always say like Brian
09:40Goertz, who is the writer that we worked with, he was a member of our team too, right? There was
09:45the three of us would all sit down in a room like this and throw out ideas. And if it made all three
09:50of us laugh, okay, we got some, let's, let's give it a shot and see. And generally speaking,
09:56they would work, you know, you'd have sometimes where it's like, oh, that didn't land. Okay. Um,
10:01but we, we, we just had so much fun. And I think as an audience member or viewer, you can sense when
10:09the performers are having fun, it just, it bleeds through and, and you can pick up on it. Um,
10:17and him and I have always just had fun because it is two guys that met in sixth grade that are living
10:23their dream careers and getting it to do it together, but then also split up and, and get
10:32as high as we could within the singles ranks of our industry. That to me is the, the kind of crazy
10:38thing. Like we both became world champions multiple times after that. Cool. Oh, it's the, you can count
10:45the amount of tag teams that has happened to on one hand, if there is even if like considered a tag
10:50team first. Yes, exactly. Yeah. You know, you have Austin and triple H and the other team after.
10:55Yeah. Rock and soccer. You know, we, we came in essentially as a team, you know,
11:00we're within six months after getting there, we were a team and then to do what we did in a
11:05singles capacity that sometimes I'll sit and think about that and go, damn, that's pretty cool.
11:11Oh, it's unbelievable. Yeah. Um, uh, I gotta ask you again, as I was a huge fan of the brood growing up,
11:19I thought that was so cool. You know, the way you guys came through the ring with the fire.
11:22Yep. Um, so it piqued my interest when I heard you on Chris VanVleet talking about how you tried
11:25to get Gangrel for WrestleMania 39. Yep.
11:27Fast forward to double or nothing 2024. Yep.
11:30Gangrel comes out of the ring. He spits blood on the house up back. He clears it.
11:33I have to know how that came about. Like, what's the story there?
11:36Um, so I, I'd just been trying to, to figure out a way to, to work Gangrel in since I was doing,
11:44I would pop back into the brood character. Um, so it felt like a no brainer to me. You know,
11:50you got the demon, you got brood and yeah, let's have Gangrel involved. You know, uh,
11:58no one else saw it. Well, the, the powers that be didn't see it that way. So, okay, well,
12:03it's not my sandbox. So, um, but I knew if we ever got there again, and, and I also knew with AEW,
12:12Tony would be wide open to it because more than anything, Tony's a wrestling fan and he
12:17understands that wrestling fans remember because he remembers. And, and that was the, the argument
12:22I'd always get was, ah, nobody's going to remember. Oh, nobody's going to remember. And I thought,
12:26well, that's what our production, production team is for is to put a package together to remind
12:31everyone. Right. If they don't, but also they remember. Um, so it was nice to be able to do that.
12:38And, and truly like I, I broke my leg probably about 10 minutes before the finish. So I was like,
12:44I got to get through this because Dave's coming up and I really want to see him in this ring and,
12:50and, uh, and just have that moment with them. Cause I don't feel like after the brood,
12:55we ever got that kind of moment. It was just one day, Hey, we're going to split you guys up. And we're
12:59like, what? Oh, okay. To do what? Yeah. This is working. Yeah. Yeah. Even watching it back,
13:07the guy, you know, all that stuff's on Netflix now, so you can go back and watch it. It does
13:10seem like you guys are together one day and then it's not done. Like the day they split us up,
13:14our second t-shirt came out like, what are we doing? We're doing, but, uh, so for, but for whatever
13:22reason, like you said, the, the brood connected. Yeah. And I think it was because the entrance,
13:27the music, it was different. It was, it was, yeah, it was just fun too. Yeah. And, um,
13:33so to be able to get to do that with gangrel that far, you know, um, with, with also with the house
13:41of black, which was characters that totally fit that dynamic and allowed me to be able to bring
13:47the brood character back. Um, so that, that, that was, that was fun. Oh man. I mean,
13:53I think wrestling is at its best when it rewards you for watching wrestling. And I think that was
13:57such a moment, like for the real heads. Like I remember watching that being like,
14:00holy shit, gangrel. Also having him come out of the ring as opposed, it's just like genius.
14:04Yeah. It was, it was a lot of fun. And, and also too, like for the people that don't remember,
14:08well, you probably got somebody sitting beside you who's going to fill you in.
14:11Yes, exactly. Um, I love that too. Yeah. You know, it, it becomes like this communal thing where like,
14:18okay, what's the big deal here? Yeah. Okay. This guy's going to fill you. He'll tell you. Yeah.
14:21Um, it's speaking of that match. Uh, I rewatched it the other day,
14:25obviously in preparation here. And, uh, number one gangrel coming through the ring is probably
14:28like the fourth most bonkers thing. I know. Right. But also I was surprised at like my memory
14:35of you taking the bump off the cage was that it happened much closer to the end of the match.
14:39But like, how the hell did you finish man? There was like, I don't know, 15 minutes left.
14:42There was a while left. Um, you know, it was, uh, I truly, I just assumed that maybe a bone bruise,
14:48right? Yeah. Maybe the ankle slammed off the tibia and that is what happened. But, uh,
14:54but yeah, so I, I didn't assume it was as bad as it, as it was little by little as the match kept
15:00going and I kept getting up and running and doing things like, okay, it's getting really uncomfortable
15:06now. Hmm. Um, but still didn't think much of it. I just, you know, I walked to the back,
15:12I walked to the trainer's room and they were moving it around. I'm like, I mean, it doesn't feel great,
15:17but you know, I don't think it's broken. And I walked out of the arena and I walked
15:22into the emergency room and they got x-rays and they went and quit walking. You have a broken leg.
15:27Oh, right. Got it. Okay. Right. So, you know, and it was one of those deals where I got up there
15:34and it sounded like a good idea in my brain beforehand, but I got up there. I was like,
15:37Ooh, this is really high. Wow. And then I looked down and I see Malachi like eyes are just like,
15:43he's staring at death. I'm like, okay, if I do a splash, I could crush him.
15:50Maybe if I just try and pull off an elbow and then when I head out, roll back, which is what I did,
15:54but the lights came down. Yeah. You can see you up there kind of being like, Oh man.
15:59And I've never done that before. No, no. Usually it's, I get up there and I just do it.
16:03Yeah. You're doing it this time. Hmm. I'm 51. I have kids. This might not have been my brightest.
16:10I'm already up here. We're here now. Here it goes. So, um, yeah, yeah, it was, it was, but,
16:18you know, just a really, really fun experience. And to be able to do that with gang row again,
16:23that far removed and also hear the reaction and hear that they remember, man, our fans remember,
16:29I think, like you said, as a wrestling fan, you, you should get rewarded, you know, for, for
16:37remembering those things and being that much of a fan of something.
16:40Yeah. Um, yeah. So it was, that was, that was a blast.
16:44Oh, that was awesome. And even, again, watching it back, I was just blown away by it.
16:48Um, now I'd be remiss if I didn't ask you, uh, you know, one of your more iconic feuds that I
16:53think stands out to everybody is, you know, edge and John Cena, John Cena coming to the end of his run
16:57here. Um, he has taken two, I'm not sure if you've seen, he's taken two sort of giving some in-ring
17:01nods to guys that he's not going to get to wrestle.
17:03I saw a clip, uh, you know, a couple of days ago where, where he did the whole setup and everything.
17:09Yes. I was. So I was going to ask you, yes, he had a spear in the ring. Um, which also a little
17:13funny side bit is the WWE commentary. We're like, oh, not to Roman reigns. And then he took to
17:17Instagram and posted a photo of you being like, clearly this is edge. Like we get up, Michael,
17:23you're a show. Yeah. Yeah. It's like, obviously someone's in your ear, but like, come on. Um,
17:27I was just wondering if, yeah, if you've seen, there's a lot of fan reaction online to like,
17:30you know, your name gets brought up a lot there. What do you, would you think of a nod?
17:33And yeah, this is super fun. Yeah. Yeah. It's, um, yeah, it's just fun. And, and I think,
17:39you know, for John and I were two guys that met each other at the right time, you know, we, we,
17:46he needed a bad guy and I needed a good guy and, uh, it just clicked. You know, you, you never know when,
17:54when something is going to click. Like, you know, I remember with Eddie and I, the first time we
17:59wrestled and it was like, huh, we didn't, it was okay. Yeah. Right. But it should have been more
18:05than that. And then next one was a little bit more. And then finally, by our third match, we're
18:09like, okay, there it is. Yeah. With John and I from day one, it just clicked. And I think it was,
18:14our characters were polar opposite. Um, I knew what the assignment was and, um, and so did he.
18:23And, and I think you had two guys that were very willing to do what we had to do to get us both
18:28over. And John was already well on his way, but I, but I feel like our angle is what really put the
18:36stamp on him being the top guy. And it put the stamp on me being a main event guy. Um, so that,
18:43you know, I'll always look back at that one fondly and what we're able to do and the fun we had.
18:48Oh yeah. I mean, anytime you have a TLC match that can somehow overshadow you going into John
18:53Cena's dad's house and smacking him in the face. I think that's a huge accomplishment.
18:58Um, all right, I'll get you out of here with one quick last one. Um, when you come to Toronto,
19:02you always come correct with the gear. Is there anything you can tease to us about your gear Saturday?
19:06So this one will be more of a tip of the hat to our team and the attire that I wore while we
19:16teamed the first time. So it's more of a throwback to that. However, I do have some other plans that
19:23that I got my fingers crossed about that, uh, are very Toronto, very Canadian. So we'll see.
19:31And with that's incredible with that, we'll leave it. Thanks so much, Adam. You guys can check out,
19:37um, Adam teaming with Christian this weekend against FTR at all out Scotiabank arena, 3 PM.
19:42Thanks so much. Thank you. Thanks.
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