6 Ups & 4 Downs From AEW Dynamite Title Tuesday (Results & Review)
3. Adam Copeland's Debut Was...
Passable, in a word.
He didn't wrestle differently in AEW. He probably doesn't need to; it's a promotion that values most styles and approaches, and he knows exactly what he's doing. Solid if unexciting, it's important to remember that Christian Cage didn't blow anybody away for a few months initially either. Copeland has years to really impress people, but this was hardly one of the better in-ring debuts in company history.
He works a sort of proggy style, in which he builds his matches very, very patiently in order to make a big moment feel huge deeper in the match. This works to incredible effect when there's a deep layer of emotion, but the reality is that he was in there with a dinosaur character.
The two spots he built were awesome - the tornado DDT and particularly that highlight reel spear, which he launched into by jumping from the apron and onto the upturned steel steps - but this was plodding for a not insignificant portion of the runtime.
In a signature exciting post-match angle, the Blackpool Combat Club and Hangman Page brawled with the Mogul Embassy as Bryan Danielson visually tapped out Christian Cage in a bombastic, deft advertisement for several upcoming matches.
Ahead of the match, Christian Cage cut an outstanding promo, in which he invoked the real names of Copeland's family and said that he's going to be a father again - to Copeland's children. A heel has no right to be as genuinely loathsome as Christian is in 2023.