Early career (1992–1996) Copeland made his professional wrestling debut on
Canada Day 1992, in an event at
Monarch Park Stadium in Toronto. Throughout the 1990s, he wrestled on the
independent circuit in Ontario and the
Great Lakes region of the United States under the
ring name Sexton Hardcastle. During his independent career, he won the MWCW Tag Team Championship twice with Legend and the ICW Street Fight Tag Team Championship twice. The duo of Hardcastle and Cage were known as Hard Impact before changing their name to the Suicide Blondes. They also worked in Japan under the name The Canadian Rockers. Copeland also wrestled as Damon Striker against
Meng on an episode of
WCW Pro in February 1996. (Copeland stated in 2021 the name was intended to be "Damien Striker", but the on-screen caption of the name was incorrectly written.) In the summer of 1995, he worked a show in
Ajax, Ontario, where
Bret Hart's business manager,
Carl De Marco, was watching. Impressed, he suggested Copeland send an audition tape to the
World Wrestling Federation (WWF).
World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE (1996–2023) Early years (1996–1998) On May 10, 1996, Copeland replaced
Bob Holly's opponent on short notice in the opening match of a WWF house show as Sexton Hardcastle in
Hamilton, Ontario. In 1996, Copeland initially made $210 per week while working for the WWF without an official contract. The company also paid for his outstanding college debt, which was around $40,000. After a
Grand Prix Wrestling tour in the summer of 1997, De Marco urged Copeland to go to
Calgary, where Hart was informally training wrestlers while recovering from knee surgery. He spent his tour earnings on a plane ticket and landed with no money or place to stay. He called
Johnny Smith, whom he met twice, and Smith agreed to give him food and shelter. Smith also drove Copeland to and from the gym and Hart's house, where he trained alongside
Ken Shamrock,
Test,
Mark Henry and
Kurrgan. Copeland returned to the
Maritimes for another Grand Prix tour before going back to Hart's house, bringing Christian with him. After this camp, Hart was impressed enough to put in a good word for both men at the WWF. Copeland received a developmental contract with the WWF in 1997. His first match was on November 10, 1997, in
Ottawa, Ontario losing to CFL football star
Glen Kulka. The next day in
Cornwall, Ontario, he faced and defeated Christian Cage at
Shotgun taping in a dark match, this match is included on
WWE Home Video's 2008 retrospective,
Edge: A Decade of Decadence. From March to June 1998, Copeland appeared in many house shows and dark matches. Upon completing his training, Copeland made his WWF television debut on the June 22, 1998, episode of
Raw as Edge. Copeland took the name Edge from an
Albany radio station. Edge's first televised match was on June 16 (aired June 22) against
Jose Estrada Jr., which ended prematurely by
countout when Edge performed a
somersault senton from the ring to the outside,
legitimately injuring Estrada's neck. In his first pay-per-view match at
SummerSlam on August 30, he served as
Sable's mystery tag team partner defeating
Jacqueline and
Marc Mero, and slammed Sable onto Mero in a
pinning position to pick up the win. At
Breakdown: In Your House on September 27, Edge faced
Owen Hart in a losing effort making it his first loss on WWF TV. On the October 11 edition of
Sunday Night Heat, Edge defeated
Vader in Vader's final televised WWF match and at
WWF Capital Carnage on December 6, Edge faced
Tiger Ali Singh in a losing effort.
Teaming with Christian (1998–2001) in their Brood attire, which they used along with gothic symbols, in April 1999 In September, Edge began a
feud against the vampire wrestler
Gangrel. During the feud, Gangrel introduced Christian, Edge's
storyline brother, as his ally. Eventually, Gangrel and Christian convinced Edge to join them, and the three of them formed a
stable known as
The Brood. At
Rock Bottom: In Your House on December 13, The Brood defeated
The J.O.B. Squad in a
six-man tag team match. At the
Royal Rumble on January 24, 1999, Edge competed in the 30-man
Royal Rumble match, being eliminated by
Road Dogg. The Brood was later abducted and converted into
The Undertaker's
Ministry of Darkness. In May, the Brood broke away from the Ministry after Christian was attacked by
Ken Shamrock and forced to reveal the location of the captive
Stephanie McMahon. The Undertaker chose to have Christian punished for his trespass, but Edge and Gangrel stood by him and
betrayed The Undertaker, leading to a brief feud with the Ministry. At
Backlash on April 25, the Brood faced Ministry members
Bradshaw,
Faarooq, and
Mideon in a losing effort. At
King of the Ring on June 27, The Hardy Boyz defeated Edge and Christian in a match to determine the number one contender to the WWF Tag Team Championship, after their first match on
Sunday Night Heat ended in a no-contest. Edge captured his first singles championship, the
WWF Intercontinental Championship, on July 24, defeating
Jeff Jarrett at a
house show in Toronto, Ontario. Interestingly, the match wasn't booked this way. Edge explained in an interview in 2021 with Loudwire: "During the match we did this thing where I pinned [Jeff Jarrett] and the crowd thought I won and then they were gonna reverse it, but then
Jack Lanza, who was the road agent at the time, walked out and said, 'Go get your belt.' I went, 'Whaaaa?' We're calling an audible here!" Edge lost the title the next night to Jarrett at
Fully Loaded on July 25. At
SummerSlam on August 22, Edge and Christian competed in a Tag team turmoil match where they eliminated three teams: The Hardy Boyz, Mideon and Viscera, and Droz and Prince Albert before getting eliminated from the match by The Acolytes. At
Unforgiven on September 26, Edge and Christian faced The New Age Outlaws for the WWF Tag Team Championship but failed to win the titles. Later in the year, Edge was placed in a storyline angle with the
Hardy Boyz. Gangrel soon betrayed both Edge and Christian and formed
The New Brood with their enemies, The Hardy Boyz. They feuded with the Hardy Boyz, as they went on to compete in a
ladder match at
No Mercy on October 17 for the "
managerial services" of
Terri Runnels and $100,000, which the Hardy Boyz won. The match was widely praised and described as the match of the year by various reviewers. At
Survivor Series on November 14, Edge and Christian and The Hardy Boyz faced Too Cool and The Hollys in a four-on-four Survivor Series elimination match where they lost. At
Armageddon on December 12, Edge and Christian competed in an 8-team battle royal which was won by The Acolytes. At the
Royal Rumble on January 23, 2000, Edge competed in the Royal Rumble match where he was eliminated by Al Snow and Val Venis. Edge and Christian began a
Heel turn At
No Way Out on February 27, Edge and Christian defeated The Hardy Boyz in a tag team match to determine the number one contenders to the WWF Tag Team Championship. At
WrestleMania 2000 on April 2, Edge and Christian defeated the Hardy Boyz and the
Dudley Boyz to win the
WWF Tag Team Championship in a
Triangle Ladder match, which ultimately led to the creation of the
Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match. in June 2000 At
Backlash on April 30, Edge and Christian defeated D-Generation X to retain the titles. At
Judgment Day on May 21, Edge, Christian and Kurt Angle lost a six-man tag team match to Rikishi and Too Cool. Soon after, they lost the tag titles to Too Cool but won them back in a Four corners elimination match at
King of the Ring on June 25. At
Fully Loaded on July 23, they defended the titles against The Acolytes Protection Agency where they got disqualified but retained the titles. After retaining the titles at
SummerSlam on August 27, at
Unforgiven on September 24, Edge and Christian defended the titles against The Hardy Boyz in a steel cage match where they lost the titles and were not allowed another title shot. At
No Mercy on October 22, Edge and Christian, masked as
Los Conquistadores, defeated The Hardys for the titles. The next night on
Raw, the Hardy Boyz dressed as the Los Conquistadores and defeated Edge in a handicap match after Christian was taken out backstage to regain the WWF Tag Team Championship. At
Survivor Series on November 19, Edge and Christian teamed with
Right to Censor's Bull Buchanan and The Goodfather in a four-on-four Survivor Series elimination match, where they lost to The Dudley Boyz and The Hardy Boyz, They regained the tag titles at
Armageddon on December 10 in a fatal four-way match, but lost them eight days later to The Rock and The Undertaker. They won them back three days later on
SmackDown! thanks to special guest referee Kurt Angle. During Edge and Christian's run as a tag team, they also competed as a team in the first three TLC matches, winning the first two over The Dudley Boyz and The Hardy Boyz, at
SummerSlam in 2000 and then again at
WrestleMania X-Seven. At the
Royal Rumble on January 21, 2001, Edge and Christian were defeated by the Dudley Boyz and lost the tag team titles. Christian betrayed Edge shortly afterward, and the two feuded over Edge's
Intercontinental Championship (which he won at
SummerSlam on August 19) that he later lost to Christian at
Unforgiven on September 23, though Edge later captured the title in a
ladder match at
No Mercy on October 21. Edge lost the Intercontinental Championship to
Test on the November 5 episode of
Raw and shortly afterwards won the
WCW United States Championship from
Kurt Angle on the November 12 episode of
Raw. Edge defeated Test at
Survivor Series on November 18 to regain the Intercontinental Championship which he unified with the United States Championship. From there, Edge was placed in a feud with
William Regal for the Intercontinental Championship. Edge first defeated Regal at
Vengeance on December 9 to retain the championship: however, he lost the title to Regal at the
Royal Rumble on January 20, 2002, and then his rematch against Regal at
No Way Out on February 17 in a Brass Knuckles on a Pole match. At
WrestleMania X8 on March 17, Edge defeated
Booker T in a match that was the result of Edge beating out Booker T for a fictitious Japanese shampoo endorsement. Shortly after defeating Booker T at WrestleMania, Edge was drafted to the
SmackDown! brand in the first
WWF Draft Lottery. During this time, Edge also gained
Never Gonna Stop (The Red Red Kroovy) by
Rob Zombie as his new entrance theme. Upon arriving there, he began a feud with Kurt Angle. At
Backlash on April 21, Angle defeated Edge which later culminated in Edge shaving Angle's head following a
hair vs. hair match at
Judgment Day on May 19. On the May 30 episode of
SmackDown!, Edge defeated Angle in a steel cage match to end the feud. During the match, Edge speared Angle from the top rope, injuring his own arm and forcing himself out of action for a month. Two months later, he won the
WWE Tag Team Championship alongside
Hollywood Hulk Hogan on the July 4 episode of
SmackDown! by defeating
Billy and Chuck. Edge and Hogan lost the titles at
Vengeance on July 21 to
The Un-Americans (
Lance Storm and Christian), and at
SummerSlam on August 25, Edge defeated Eddie Guerrero then lost to Guerrero at
Unforgiven on September 22. They met one final time days later on
SmackDown! in a No Disqualification match where Edge won, ending the feud. He then formed a tag team with
Rey Mysterio, and the two participated in a
tournament for the newly created and
SmackDown! exclusive
WWE Tag Team Championship. They lost to Kurt Angle and
Chris Benoit in the finals of the tournament at
No Mercy on October 20; the match was voted
Match of the Year by the
Wrestling Observer Newsletter. After they failed in winning the titles, Mysterio and Edge defeated
Los Guerreros in a number one contender's match on the October 24 episode of
SmackDown! to earn a title shot. At the
Rebellion pay-per-view on October 26, Edge faced
Brock Lesnar and
Paul Heyman in a Handicap match for the
WWE Championship where Lesnar retained the title after Lesnar pinned Edge. On the November 7 episode of
SmackDown!, Edge and Mysterio defeated Angle and Benoit in a
two out-of-three falls match to win the WWE Tag Team Championship. They soon lost the tag titles to Los Guerreros in a
triple threat elimination match that also involved former champions Angle and Benoit at
Survivor Series on November 17. After losing the title, Edge and Mysterio went their separate ways to focus on their singles careers. At the
Royal Rumble, Edge competed in the 30-man
Royal Rumble match on January 19, 2003, where he had three eliminations before getting eliminated by Chris Jericho. Edge then teamed up with Chris Benoit, facing
Team Angle in a series of singles and tag team matches. Prior to
No Way Out, Edge suffered a
legitimate neck injury, rendering him unable to compete in his scheduled match. The injury stemmed from a bump he took on a closed ladder on the September 26, 2002, edition of
SmackDown! while wrestling Eddie Guerrero, who then frog-splashed him while he was still laying on the ladder. His arms would then numb more and more in the following months before deciding to have the surgery, as he was gradually in more pain and did not want to risk dropping an opponent dangerously because of his numb arms. At No Way Out on February 23, Edge was written off television through a backstage attack. He then underwent surgery with Dr.
Lloyd Youngblood and was sidelined for over a year.
World championship pursuits (2004–2005) Edge was drafted to the
Raw brand in the
2004 WWE draft lottery on the March 22, 2004, episode of
Raw, where he speared
Eric Bischoff and returned to in-ring action shortly after the event. At
Backlash on April 18, Edge defeated Kane, and on the April 19 episode of
Raw, he and
World Heavyweight Champion Chris Benoit won the World Tag Team Championship from
Batista and
Ric Flair. They continued a close partnership even after losing the title; at
Bad Blood on June 13, Edge and Benoit defeated
La Résistance (who defeated them for the titles on the May 31 episode of
Raw) in a match for the World Tag Team Championship by disqualification but did not win the titles. The team disbanded when Edge won the Intercontinental Championship at
Vengeance on July 11 defeating
Randy Orton, thus becoming a five time Intercontinental Champion. At
SummerSlam on August 15, Edge defeated Chris Jericho and Batista in a triple threat match to retain the Intercontinental Championship. Following a legitimate groin injury in a non-televised match, Raw
General Manager Eric Bischoff stripped Edge of the Intercontinental title on the September 6 episode of
Raw. Upon his return, Edge began to pursue the World Heavyweight Championship. Edge, Chris Benoit, and
Shawn Michaels received a title shot for
Triple H's World Heavyweight Championship at
Taboo Tuesday on October 19. Michaels won the audience vote to receive the title shot, giving Edge and Benoit a tag team title shot against La Résistance. They regained the titles. During the match, an angry Edge abandoned Benoit and instead interfered in the World Heavyweight Championship match, costing Michaels the championship. On the November 1 episode of
Raw, Edge and Benoit lost the World Tag Team Championship back to La Résistance with Edge abandoning Benoit again and sitting in a chair and watching the match. After the conclusion of the match, Edge attacked Benoit, turning heel for the first time since 2001. Edge also gained a new entrance theme,
Metalingus, performed by the then-newly established band,
Alter Bridge. At
Survivor Series on November 14, Edge was part of Team Triple H along with Triple H, Batista, and
Gene Snitsky. They were defeated by Team Orton (Randy Orton, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, and
Maven). During the match, Edge eliminated both Benoit and Jericho before getting eliminated by Orton. On the November 29 episode of
Raw, both Edge and Benoit competed in a number one contender's
battle royal, but they eliminated each other simultaneously at the conclusion of the match, resulting in a draw. As a result, Triple H was forced to defend the title in a
triple threat match. In the match, Benoit locked the
Crippler Crossface on Edge, who shifted his weight putting Benoit's shoulders on the mat for a
pin. This match also ended in a draw for Benoit and Edge, as Benoit made Edge
submit at the same time the referee counted a pinfall for Edge. On January 9, 2005, Edge competed in his first
Elimination Chamber match at
New Year's Revolution for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship. Special guest referee Shawn Michaels performed a
superkick on Edge, in retaliation for an accidental
spear by Edge, causing Edge to be the first eliminated. This led to a match at the
Royal Rumble on January 30, in which Edge defeated Michaels. Edge also competed in the Royal Rumble match later that night, where he lasted until the final three but was eliminated by eventual winner Batista and
John Cena.
WWE Champion (2005–2006) At
WrestleMania 21 on April 3, Edge won the first ever
Money in the Bank ladder match, gaining a contract that gave him a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship within one year. According to a podcast interview with Chris Jericho, Copeland said that he did not initially like the idea of the ladder match and even told WWE management not to include him on the WrestleMania 21 card altogether. However, he was talked into competing by the other participants like Jericho and
Kane who said the match had the potential to be a big success. At
Backlash on May 1, Edge defeated Chris Benoit in a
Last Man Standing match to end the feud. Several weeks after, Edge was then paired with
Lita, his real-life girlfriend at the time, in an
angle in which she betrayed her storyline husband Kane, by costing him the Gold Rush tournament finals match to determine the number-one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship on the May 16 episode of
Raw. The next week, Edge received his World Heavyweight Championship match against Batista, which he lost. Edge started a feud with Kane leading to several matches between them including one at
Vengeance on June 26, when Edge lost to Kane. After trading several victories on
Raw, the feud ended in a
stretcher match on the July 25 episode of
Raw that Edge won, but shortly after, Kane performed a
tombstone piledriver on Lita and later abducted her in an ambulance. during a
WWE house show in 2006 On the July 11 episode of
Raw, Edge's match with Kane was interrupted when Matt Hardy made a surprise appearance. Hardy referred to Edge by his real name and issued a threat to Lita as well. When Hardy was officially brought back to Raw, he and Edge continued their feud, including a match at
SummerSlam on August 21 where Edge defeated Hardy by referee stoppage, after causing Hardy to have excessive blood loss. The next night on
Raw, after a match Hardy had with
Rob Conway, Edge then appeared and overpowered Hardy. He then wedged Hardy's head between the steel steps and the ringpost, and then kicked the steel steps into Hardy's head. On the August 29 episode of
Raw, Edge and Hardy fought in a
Street Fight, which resulted in a
no contest when Hardy performed a
side effect on Edge off the entrance ramp into the sound speakers and other electrical equipment. They also fought in a
Steel cage match at
Unforgiven on September 18 in which Hardy defeated Edge. The feud culminated in a Loser Leaves Raw ladder match on
Raw Homecoming on October 3, which Edge won. After the match, Hardy left the Raw brand to go to the SmackDown! brand, while Edge suffered a legit torn
pectoralis major muscle that kept him shelved for a couple of months. During his time off, he starred in his own talk show segment on Raw entitled
The Cutting Edge, Edge eventually began using
The Cutting Edge as a soapbox to run down Flair until, after weeks of public mockery, Flair eventually showed up and attacked Edge. Edge and Flair formally met at the
New Year's Revolution event on January 8, 2006, in a match for Flair's
Intercontinental Championship, which resulted in Flair retaining after Edge was
disqualified. Although Edge had lost his scheduled match at New Year's Revolution, that would not be his only match that evening as the main event saw
John Cena, the reigning WWE Champion, defend his title in an
Elimination Chamber match. After a bloody Cena won the match, WWE chairman
Vince McMahon revealed that Edge was cashing in his Money in the Bank contract to face Cena for the championship immediately. After two spears, Edge quickly defeated Cena to win the
WWE Championship, marking his first world title win. Flair, however, ended up on the receiving end of a
con-chair-to on the announcers' table until Cena came out to Flair's aid and performed an
FU on Lita. the highest
Raw rating in over a year, leading Edge to call himself the "most watched champion ever". On the January 16 episode of
Raw, Edge defeated Ric Flair in a TLC match to retain the WWE Championship. Edge then lost a rematch on the February 16 episode of
Raw and blamed
special guest referee Mick Foley for his loss. They feuded until
WrestleMania 22 on April 2, where Edge defeated Foley in a
hardcore match by Spearing him through a flaming table but suffered
second degree burns, thanks to anti-flame material not being applied to the table, at both wrestlers' request. According to Copeland, the match with Foley proved him as a main eventer. After losing a
triple threat match at
Backlash for the WWE Championship, Edge teamed with Foley, pointing as
Hardcore Champions. At
ECW One Night Stand on June 11, Edge, Foley and Lita defeated Dreamer,
Terry Funk and
Beulah McGillicutty in an Extreme Rules tag team match. Later in the event, Edge interfered in the WWE Championship match between John Cena and challenger
Rob Van Dam, helping Van Dam win the title after he speared Cena through a table. he won the championship on the July 3 episode of
Raw during a triple threat match. This angle re-ignited Edge's feud with Cena, retaining the title against him at
SummerSlam on August 20. The night after SummerSlam, Lita disposed of Cena's customized "spinner" belt into the
Long Island Sound and he unveiled the new "Rated-R" version of the belt. Edge lost the title to Cena in a TLC match at
Unforgiven on September 17, a PPV that took place in Edge's hometown of Toronto.
Rated-RKO (2006–2007) as
Rated-RKO in 2006 On the October 2 episode of
Raw, interference from the newly reformed
D-Generation X (DX) (Triple H and Shawn Michaels) cost Edge his "
final chance" at John Cena's WWE Championship in a
Steel cage match, though their interference was a response to the interference of
Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch. It led to Edge approaching
Randy Orton and asking him to join forces to defeat DX, which Orton accepted and joined an alliance with Edge. The two formed the tag team
Rated-RKO. At
Cyber Sunday on November 5, Rated-RKO defeated DX with
Eric Bischoff as the special guest referee. On the November 13 episode of
Raw, Rated-RKO defeated Ric Flair and
Roddy Piper to win the World Tag Team Championship, making Edge a record eleven-time tag team champion. At
Survivor Series on November 26, Rated-RKO teamed with
Johnny Nitro,
Mike Knox and
Gregory Helms to face Team DX (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, CM Punk, Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy) in a Survivor Series match, but lost when all members of Team Rated-RKO were eliminated in a clean sweep. Also that month, Lita retired, and her on-screen relationship with Edge abruptly ended, with no explanation. As part of the storyline angle, Rated-RKO attacked Ric Flair with steel chairs to enrage DX on the November 27 episode of
Raw. At
New Year's Revolution on January 7, 2007, Rated-RKO defended the World Tag Team Championship against DX, but the match was declared a no-contest when Triple H suffered a legitimate injury during the match. At the
Royal Rumble on January 28, Edge competed in the 30-man Royal Rumble match where he lasted the longest in the match with a time of 44 minutes, eliminating 5 men and making it to the final 4 in the match before getting eliminated by Shawn Michaels. With Triple H out of action, the team continued their on-screen rivalry with remaining DX member Shawn Michaels. Michaels teamed with John Cena to defeat Rated-RKO for the World Tag Team Championship on January 29, 2007. Edge and Orton suffered a series of losses to Cena and Michaels in the following months. Edge competed in the Money in the Bank ladder match at
WrestleMania 23 on April 1 in a losing effort. During the match, Matt Hardy threw him onto a ladder and encouraged Jeff Hardy, who was close to the winning briefcase, to finish him off. Hardy then leaped off the 20-foot-high (6.1 m) ladder, and drove him through the ladder with a leg drop, seemingly injuring both Edge and himself. The two were unable to continue the match and were removed from ringside on stretchers. After this Edge and Orton also became rivals in their goals of achieving the WWE Championship. Neither Edge nor Orton won the championship, and they lost their claims as number one contenders after a failed match with Cena at
Backlash on April 29.
La Familia (2007–2009) After WrestleMania, it was revealed that the winner of the 2007 Money in the Bank contract,
Mr. Kennedy, suffered an injury, so WWE booked Edge to defeat him for the briefcase on the May 7 episode of
Raw. Edge thus became the first person to gain the Money in the Bank contract twice and the first not to do so in the ladder match. He cashed the briefcase four days later on
SmackDown! against the
World Heavyweight Champion The Undertaker after he retained the title against
Batista in a steel cage match and was attacked by
Mark Henry. As a result, Edge became a member of the SmackDown! roster. Edge then retained the title against Batista at
Judgment Day on May 20,
One Night Stand on June 3 in a steel cage match, and
Vengeance on June 24 in a last chance match, though he did lose to Batista in a non-title match on the June 29, 2007, episode of
SmackDown!, to end the feud. Edge then began a feud with
Kane after SmackDown! General Manager
Theodore Long announced Kane as the new number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship at
The Great American Bash on July 22. Edge was forced to relinquish the World Heavyweight Championship due to a legitimately torn left
pectoral muscle on the July 20 episode of
SmackDown!. , three principal members of
La Familia On November 18, at
Survivor Series, Edge made his return, interfering in a World Heavyweight Championship
Hell in a Cell match between Batista and The Undertaker, helping Batista win the match. The following
SmackDown! show saw Edge and General Manager
Vickie Guerrero make their relationship public, making his official in-ring return in a World Heavyweight Championship match against Batista on the November 30 episode of
SmackDown!, a match that ended after The Undertaker interfered. At
Armageddon on December 16, Edge won his second World Heavyweight Championship, after giving The Undertaker two
chair shots and pinning the defending champion Batista (who had been
Tombstoned by The Undertaker prior) in a Triple Threat match. During the match,
the Major Brothers, who looked similar to Edge, distracted Batista and Undertaker. As a champion, a stable was created, which included The Major Brothers, repackaged as
Curt Hawkins and
Zack Ryder,
Chavo Guerrero, Vickie Guerrero and Bam Neely, being known as
La Familia (Spanish for "The Family"). Edge then successfully defended the World Heavyweight Championship over Rey Mysterio at the
Royal Rumble on January 27, 2008 and again at
No Way Out on February 17. at WrestleMania XXIV in 2008 At
WrestleMania XXIV on March 30, Edge lost the World Heavyweight Championship to The Undertaker when he tapped out to the
Hell's Gate. The match was booked for Edge to retain and break the Undertaker's streak, but Edge refused to win the match. In a WrestleMania rematch, The Undertaker defeated Edge once again at
Backlash on April 27 to retain the World Heavyweight Championship. Following Backlash, The Undertaker was stripped of the World Heavyweight Championship by Vickie Guerrero for using the Hell's Gate, which she previously banned. After winning a tournament to determine who would face The Undertaker for the vacant championship, the two met at
Judgment Day on May 18, which ended in Edge losing via countout. However, since championships cannot change hands via countout, no champion was crowned. A rematch was scheduled for
One Night Stand on June 1, in a
TLC match. On the May 23 episode of
SmackDown, Vickie Guerrero added a stipulation that stated if The Undertaker were to lose, he would be
kayfabe banished from the WWE. At One Night Stand, Edge defeated The Undertaker, winning the World Heavyweight Championship for the third time. On June 29, Edge retained his championship against Batista at
Night of Champions, after interference from La Familia. The next night on
Raw, Edge appeared to gloat that two of the top championships were on SmackDown, as WWE Champion
Triple H was drafted to SmackDown in the
WWE draft earlier that week. A vengeful Batista then appeared and incapacitated Edge with the
Batista Bomb. Just as Batista was leaving,
CM Punk ran to the ring carrying his Money in the Bank briefcase, with referee in tow, who then cashed in the briefcase. Edge, who was still knocked down from the attack by Batista, was easily pinned by Punk after a
Go To Sleep, losing the World Heavyweight Championship. Due to this win, the championship became exclusive to the Raw brand. On the July 4 episode of
SmackDown, Edge took his frustrations out on Vickie because he lost the title and told her the wedding was off. The following week, however, after Guerrero saved Edge from a con-chair-to by
The Big Show, Edge re-proposed, and the wedding was back on. On the July 18 episode of
SmackDown, at the wedding reception, Triple H came out and showed a video of Edge cheating on Guerrero the day before with the wedding planner,
Alicia Fox. At
The Great American Bash on July 20, Edge faced Triple H for the WWE Championship in a losing effort. Edge attempted to apologize to Guerrero, but she revealed to him that she had rehired The Undertaker and that Edge would face him in a Hell in a Cell match at
SummerSlam on August 17. Edge then turned on La Familia during the August 8 episode of
SmackDown, performing a one-man con-chair-to on Chavo Guerrero in the ring, and tossed Vickie out of her wheelchair, effectively disbanding the faction. At SummerSlam, The Undertaker defeated Edge, and after the match, The Undertaker
chokeslammed Edge off the top of a ladder and through the ring canvas, with flames rising from the hole. On November 23, at
Survivor Series, Edge returned to WWE after an introduction by SmackDown General Manager and his on-screen wife Vickie Guerrero, replacing Jeff Hardy in the Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship involving champion Triple H and
Vladimir Kozlov. He pinned Triple H to become the WWE Champion for the
third time in his career. Edge lost the title to Hardy at
Armageddon on December 14 in a triple threat match, which also featured Triple H. At the
Royal Rumble on January 25, 2009, however, Edge regained the title in a no disqualification match, following
Matt Hardy's interference. At
No Way Out on February 15, Edge lost the WWE Championship in an Elimination Chamber match after being pinned by Jeff Hardy, being the first to be eliminated, with the title eventually being won by Triple H. Later that night, Edge inserted himself into the World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber match after attacking
Kofi Kingston and barricading himself inside one of the chamber's pods, proceeding to win his fourth World Heavyweight Championship, last eliminating Rey Mysterio and taking the title over to SmackDown. At
WrestleMania 25 on April 5, Edge lost the championship to
John Cena in a Triple Threat match, which also included Big Show (causing the title to go back to Raw), but regained the championship for a fifth time at
Backlash on April 26, when he defeated Cena in a
Last Man Standing match, after interference by Big Show, bringing the title back to SmackDown. After a successful defense against Jeff Hardy at
Judgment Day on May 17, he lost the title to Hardy at
Extreme Rules on June 7 in a ladder match. While Hardy was celebrating, CM Punk cashed in his Money in the Bank and defeated Hardy to win the World Heavyweight Championship. The following night on
Raw, Guerrero resigned as the Raw General Manager due to being humiliated, and Edge came out to apologize. Instead, however, he confessed he married Guerrero only because she had authoritative powers as the General Manager, and sought a
divorce. On the June 15 episode of
Raw, Edge received his rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship in a triple threat match against both Hardy and Punk, but was pinned by Punk. Edge won the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship (the unified version of the
World Tag Team Championship from the Raw brand and the
WWE Tag Team Championship from the SmackDown brand) with
Chris Jericho at
The Bash on June 28 after he and Jericho were inserted into what was originally a match between reigning champions
The Colóns and
Legacy. The win made Edge a record-setting 12 time World Tag Team Champion. On July 3, Edge suffered a torn
Achilles tendon while competing at a live event in San Diego in a match against Jeff Hardy, and later underwent surgery. It was reported that he could be out of action for up to a year. During Edge's absence, Jericho replaced him with Big Show (forming
Jeri-Show) and Jericho began to speak badly of Edge, mocking him for his injury.
Record-breaking World Heavyweight Champion (2010–2011) in January 2010 At the
Royal Rumble pay-per-view event on January 31, 2010, Edge returned from injury by entering the
Royal Rumble match as the twenty-ninth surprise entrant, where he won the Royal Rumble match for the first time in his career, after last eliminating John Cena. At
Elimination Chamber on February 21, after Chris Jericho won the
World Heavyweight Championship, Edge challenged Jericho for the World Heavyweight Championship at
WrestleMania XXVI after a surprise attack on Jericho, turning
face for the first time since 2004. At WrestleMania on March 28, Edge failed to win the title. Edge defeated Jericho in a steel cage match at
Extreme Rules on April 25, ending their feud. On April 26, as part of the
2010 WWE draft, Edge was drafted to the Raw brand, also costing Randy Orton a title shot, by spearing him in a triple threat match against
Batista and
Sheamus. On the April 30 episode of
SmackDown, Edge said goodbye to the SmackDown fans. However, Edge turned on the fans by calling them "puppets" for chanting for him and later tried a sneak attack on his former tag team partner Christian, thus turning
heel once again. Edge began a feud with Randy Orton, with both Edge and Orton gaining the upper hand over one another. Much of the antagonism stemmed of Orton's refusal to re-form Rated-RKO with Edge, as Edge wanted to pursue the tag team titles he had been stripped of. Edge and Orton met in a match at the
Over the Limit pay-per-view on May 23, with the match resulting in a double countout. At
Fatal 4-Way on June 20, Edge participated in a fatal four-way match that also included Orton, John Cena, and Sheamus for the WWE Championship, though Edge failed to win the title. Edge then participated in the Raw Money in the Bank ladder match at the
Money in the Bank pay-per-view on July 18, but failed to win the briefcase, as it was won by
The Miz. Edge then went on to participate in the main event of
SummerSlam on August 15 in a seven-on-seven elimination tag team match against
The Nexus. Although he was eliminated by
Heath Slater, his team was victorious. On the 900th episode of
Raw, Edge disqualified himself in the main event in a five-on-five elimination match against The Nexus. This saw him enter into a feud with the
anonymous Raw General Manager, during which the general manager cost him several matches. At
Night of Champions on September 19, Edge participated in a six-pack elimination challenge for the WWE Championship, but once again failed to win the title. At the
Hell in a Cell pay-per-view on October 3, Edge defeated
Jack Swagger. The next night on
Raw, he was traded back to SmackDown for CM Punk, due to him destroying the Anonymous Raw General Manager's computer, turning
face once again. On the October 15 episode of
SmackDown, he defeated
Dolph Ziggler to become part of Team SmackDown at
Bragging Rights. At Bragging Rights on October 24, Edge won the match for Team SmackDown alongside
Rey Mysterio, eliminating R-Truth, John Morrison and The Miz. On the October 29 episode of
SmackDown, Edge defeated Rey Mysterio and
Alberto Del Rio to become the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship at
Survivor Series. On the November 12 episode of
SmackDown, Edge lost his match with
David Otunga, thanks to
Paul Bearer's interference. Edge then kidnapped Bearer and used him to cost Kane his match with
Big Show. The following week, Edge tortured Paul Bearer, forcing him to play dodgeball and force-feeding him, planning to wear down Kane. He then ambushed Kane in the garage when he was a few feet from Paul Bearer and drove away with his hostage. At Survivor Series on November 21, Edge failed to win the title after the referee determined the match a draw, due to both men pinning each other at the same time. At
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 19, Edge defeated
Kane,
Rey Mysterio, and
Alberto Del Rio in a four-way
Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match to win the World Heavyweight Championship for a record sixth time and making him a ten time World Champion. Edge then defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Kane in a winning effort in a Last Man Standing match on the January 7, 2011, episode of
SmackDown, thus ending their feud. 's car after their match at
WrestleMania XXVII At the
Royal Rumble on January 30, Edge successfully defended his World Heavyweight Championship against
Dolph Ziggler. On the
600th episode of SmackDown on February 18, acting General Manager Guerrero fired Edge in storyline, and awarded the World Heavyweight Championship to her on-screen boyfriend Ziggler. SmackDown General Manager
Theodore Long returned later that night, and rehired Edge. Edge then defeated Ziggler to become the World Heavyweight Champion for the record seventh and final time, his 11th world championship overall. At the
Elimination Chamber pay-per-view on February 20, Edge successfully defended his World Heavyweight Championship in an Elimination Chamber match by finally pinning Rey Mysterio. After he won the match, he was attacked by Royal Rumble winner Alberto Del Rio, but was saved by the returning Christian.
Edge and Christian briefly reunited to defeat Del Rio and his bodyguard
Brodus Clay on the March 11 episode of
SmackDown. At
WrestleMania XXVII on April 3, Edge successfully defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Del Rio.
First retirement and WWE Hall of Famer (2011–2019) On the April 11 episode of
Raw, Edge gave an emotional speech about his career and the realities of wrestling. He reflected upon his previous neck injury and cervical vertebral fusion, and stated that he had felt numbness in his arms. He passed basic-strength tests prior to WrestleMania, but WWE had urged him for further testing and an MRI result forced him to retire. This was diagnosed as
cervical spinal stenosis, and doctors would not clear him to compete, for risk of neck-down paralysis or even death should he take a hard enough fall. Later that same week, on the April 15 episode of
SmackDown, Edge officially relinquished the World Heavyweight Championship, retiring as the World Heavyweight Champion while recapping his announcement and expressing gratitude over this happening now rather than when it was too late. On the April 22 episode of
SmackDown, Edge interrupted Alberto Del Rio's mock retirement party for him. At
Extreme Rules on May 1, Edge helped his friend Christian defeat Del Rio in a ladder match to win the vacant World Heavyweight Championship. At
SummerSlam on August 14, Edge was in Christian's corner for his
World Heavyweight Championship defense against
Randy Orton but, disappointed by the cowardly tactics Christian used to win his second World Heavyweight Championship, berated him and walked out on him. Christian then lost the title to Orton for a second time. On the September 16 episode of
SmackDown, in his hometown of Toronto, Edge hosted
The Cutting Edge between
Mark Henry and the World Heavyweight Champion, Randy Orton. After the show went off the air, they held
Edge Appreciation Night to celebrate his career. inducting
The Dudley Boyz to the
Hall Of Fame 2018|upright On March 31, 2012, Edge was inducted into the
WWE Hall of Fame by Christian, during
WrestleMania XXVIII weekend. Edge made a surprise appearance on the April 23 episode of
Raw SuperShow, confronting his long-time rival
John Cena about
Brock Lesnar. On the September 21 episode of
SmackDown, Edge made an appearance addressing
Team Hell No. Edge returned on the September 9, 2013, episode of
Raw in his hometown of Toronto where he hosted his talk show
The Cutting Edge having
Daniel Bryan as his special guest. Edge insulted Triple H in the segment, who retaliated by sending
The Shield to attack Edge's friend Christian. Later that week, Edge hosted
The Cutting Edge on the September 13 episode of
SmackDown, where he mocked Randy Orton and watched as Orton's attack on Bryan backfired. Edge and Christian hosted the December 29, 2014, episode of
Raw, where they held the first ever
Cutting Edge Peep Show interviewing
Seth Rollins, who, along with
Big Show, attacked them. Rollins held Edge hostage, thus forcing John Cena to reinstate
the Authority. When Rollins tried to break Edge's neck anyway, Cena ended up making the save. Edge returned on the January 2 episode of
SmackDown and with The Authority back in power, apologized to the pair for the Seth Rollins attack. Edge and Christian appeared in a backstage segment on the September 7 episode of
Raw, where they were seen playing their trademark kazoos after a confrontation with Rollins. They later became involved in an altercation with The New Day and The Dudley Boyz. In 2016, Edge and Christian began hosting the WWE Network Show, "The Edge and Christian Show That Totally Reeks of Awesomeness", a second season would eventually go on to air. On February 15, 2016, it was announced Edge and Christian would host an installment of
The Cutting Edge Peep Show at
Fastlane with The New Day as their special guests. At the event, Edge and Christian joined forces with The New Day against The League of Nations with The New Day completing a 'Face turn'. On November 15, 2016, on the 900th episode of
SmackDown, Edge hosted a special edition of
The Cutting Edge with the men's SmackDown
Survivor Series team members as his guests and was later interrupted by the returning
Undertaker. He later reunited with his 'Edgeheads'
Zack Ryder and
Curt Hawkins. Edge was present at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony in 2017 as his wife
Beth Phoenix was inducted. On April 7, 2018, Edge and Christian inducted the Dudley Boyz into the WWE Hall of Fame. Later that year on October 16 at the
1,000th episode of SmackDown, Edge hosted
The Cutting Edge with
SmackDown Women's Champion Becky Lynch as his guest. At the
SummerSlam pay-per-view event on August 11, 2019, Edge interrupted
Elias' performance and performed a
spear on him, engaging in physical wrestling for the first time since his retirement. This sparked rumours that Edge had been medically cleared to wrestle, which he denied.
In-ring return and Universal Championship pursuits (2020–2022) At the
2020 Royal Rumble on January 26, Edge entered the
Men's Royal Rumble match at the number 21 spot to the loudest crowd reaction of the show, competing in his first
professional wrestling match after a nine-year retirement. He eliminated three participants, including former teammate
Randy Orton, before being eliminated by
Roman Reigns. The following night on
Raw, Edge was attacked by Orton, leading to a
Last Man Standing match between them on the second night of
WrestleMania 36 on April 5, which Edge won. They had another match at
Backlash on June 14, where Orton was victorious. During the match, Edge suffered a torn triceps and it was reported that the injury would sideline him for four to eight months. After a seven-month hiatus, Edge returned on the January 25, 2021, episode of
Raw, where he declared that he would enter the
2021 Royal Rumble match, which he won after entering first, by last eliminating Orton. With this victory, Edge became the eighth man to win the Royal Rumble match twice, the third to win it from the number one position, and the first to win it after being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. At
Elimination Chamber on February 21, Edge attacked
WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns with the spear, making his decision to face him at
WrestleMania 37. At
Fastlane on March 21, Edge attacked Daniel Bryan, costing him the title. On the March 26 episode of
SmackDown, Daniel Bryan was added to the match, making it a
triple threat match. On the second night of WrestleMania 37 on April 11, Edge ultimately lost the match to Reigns following the assistance from
Jey Uso, thus becoming the first person to win the Royal Rumble twice and lose both championship matches at WrestleMania. After a two-month hiatus, Edge made his return on the June 25 episode of
SmackDown, attacking both Reigns and
Jimmy Uso. The following day on
Talking Smack, it was announced that Edge would face Reigns for the Universal Championship at
Money in the Bank. At Money in the Bank on July 18, Edge was unsuccessful in capturing the title due to interference from
Seth Rollins. Over the following weeks, Edge and Rollins kept confronting and attacking each other until the August 6 episode of
SmackDown, where Edge challenged Rollins to a match at
SummerSlam, which Rollins accepted, starting the feud. At SummerSlam on August 21, Edge defeated Rollins by submission. Edge then faced Rollins on the September 10 episode of
SmackDown where Rollins won and attacked Edge post-match in order to hospitalize him. As part of the
2021 Draft, Edge was drafted to the
Raw brand. At Crown Jewel on October 21, Edge subsequently defeated Rollins to end their feud. Edge returned on the November 29 episode of
Raw, where he was confronted by
The Miz. The following week on
Raw, after another heated verbal exchange between the two during a Miz TV segment, Miz challenged Edge to a match at
Day 1, with Edge accepting. At Day 1 on January 1, 2022, Edge defeated Miz with help from his wife,
Beth Phoenix. At
Royal Rumble on January 29, Edge and his wife Beth Phoenix defeated The Miz and Maryse in a
mixed tag team match.
The Judgment Day, final feuds and departure (2022–2023) On the February 21 episode of
Raw, Edge reflected on all the
WrestleMania moments in his career and then he issued an open challenge for
WrestleMania 38. The following week on
Raw, his challenge was accepted by
AJ Styles, but Edge viciously attacked him, turning
heel for the first time since 2010. In the buildup to WrestleMania, Edge debuted a new gimmick and a new entrance theme, "
The Other Side" by
Alter Bridge. On the second night of WrestleMania 38 on April 3, Edge defeated Styles following a distraction by
Damian Priest. Edge formed a faction with Priest named
The Judgment Day. At
WrestleMania Backlash on May 8, Edge defeated Styles with the help of
Rhea Ripley, who became the newest member of The Judgment Day. At
Hell in a Cell on June 5, The Judgment Day defeated Styles,
Finn Bálor and
Liv Morgan in a
six-person mixed tag team match. The next night on
Raw, Edge introduced Bálor as the newest member of The Judgment Day. Almost immediately, Bálor, Priest and Ripley suddenly turned on their leader, attacking Edge with his own signature con-chair-to move and kicking him out of the group. At
SummerSlam on July 30, Edge returned as a face to help
The Mysterios (
Rey and
Dominik) win their
No Disqualification match vs. The Judgment Day. He also returned with his previous theme song
Metalingus by
Alter Bridge on the next show of
Raw. At
Clash at the Castle on September 3, Edge teamed up with Rey Mysterio to defeat The Judgment Day. After the match however, Dominik attacked Edge with a low blow and clotheslined his father Rey. At
Extreme Rules on October 8, Edge was defeated by Bálor in an
"I Quit" match after interference from Dominik, Priest and Ripley. After he said "I Quit", Ripley attacked his wife,
Beth Phoenix (who also interfered during the match on his behalf), with a violent con-chair-to, causing her an injury (
kayfabe). After a 3-month hiatus, Edge returned at the
Royal Rumble on January 28, 2023, at #24 eliminating Bálor and Priest before being eliminated by them after interference from Dominik. At
Elimination Chamber on February 18, Edge and Phoenix defeated Bálor and Ripley in a
mixed tag team match despite interference from Dominik. In a press conference after the event, Edge answered
Austin Theory's open challenge for the
United States Championship. On the next
Raw show, Edge failed to win the title after an interference from Finn Bálor. On Night 2 of
WrestleMania 39, Edge defeated Bálor in a
Hell in a Cell match, ending his rivalry with The Judgment Day. In the
2023 WWE Draft, Edge was drafted to the SmackDown
brand. Following being drafted to SmackDown, Edge would enter the tournament to crown the inaugural
World Heavyweight Champion. On the May 12 episode of
SmackDown, Edge faced AJ Styles and Rey Mysterio in the first round of the tournament, but lost after being pinned by Styles. On the July 7 episode of
SmackDown, Edge was interviewed by
Grayson Waller on
The Grayson Waller Effect, where Edge shot down rumors of his retirement. Later that night, Edge defeated Waller and praised him, following the match. On the August 18 episode of
SmackDown, which celebrated his 25 years with WWE, Edge defeated Sheamus in his hometown of Toronto in what would be his last appearance and match for WWE. Edge's contract with WWE expired on September 30.
All Elite Wrestling (2023–present) TNT Champion (2023–2024) in October 2023 On October 1, 2023, Copeland debuted in
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) at the end of AEW's
WrestleDream PPV event under his real name and the "Rated R Superstar" monicker, saving
Sting and
Darby Allin from an attack by
Christian Cage,
Luchasaurus, and
Nick Wayne. During the post-event media scrum, it was revealed that Copeland signed a full-time multi-year contract with AEW. Copeland made his AEW in-ring debut on the October 10 episode of
Dynamite, defeating Luchasaurus. Copeland began a feud with Cage, facing him and his stable,
The Patriarchy, teaming with Allin & Sting to defeat them in a six-man tag team match at
Full Gear on November 18. Copeland went on to defeat Cage for the
TNT Championship at
Worlds End on December 30, but lost it back to Cage when Cage invoked the title shot earned by his Patriarchy member Killswitch (formerly Luchasaurus) earlier that night to get an immediate rematch, ending Copeland's reign in approximately three minutes. Copeland regained the title in an
"I quit" match on March 20, 2024, which started as the main event of
Dynamite and concluded on a special live
Rampage airing immediately after, ending their six-month feud. Copeland defended the TNT Championship on
Dynamite and
Collision in a series of open challenges, he dubbed "The Cope Open", successfully defending the title against the likes of
Matt Cardona,
Penta El Zero Miedo,
Buddy Matthews,
Brody King and
Kyle O'Reilly. In March, Copeland began a feud with the
House of Black (
Malakai Black,
Brody King and
Buddy Matthews). At the
Dynasty event on April 21, Copeland teamed with
Mark Briscoe and
Eddie Kingston to face the House of Black in a six-man tag team match, but lost. On May 26 at
Double or Nothing, Copeland successfully defended the TNT Championship vs.
Malakai Black in a
barbed wire steel cage match. However, during the match, Copeland suffered a legitimate fractured tibia after leaping from the top of the cage, and was stripped of the title in
kayfabe by AEW executive vice presidents
The Young Bucks (Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson) on the May 29 episode of
Dynamite, ending his second reign at 70 days.
Rated FTR; reunion with Christian Cage (2024–present) At
Worlds End on December 28, Copeland returned from injury and aligned himself with
FTR (
Cash Wheeler and
Dax Harwood) against the
Death Riders (
Jon Moxley,
Claudio Castagnoli,
Pac, and
Wheeler Yuta). The trio of Copeland and FTR would go by the name "Rated FTR". In January 2025, Copeland adopted the shortened ring name
Cope, a real-life nickname, and feuded with the
AEW World Champion Jon Moxley, where he faced him at
Revolution on March 9 for the title (which became a
three-way match after Christian Cage invoked a title shot contract during the match) and on the March 19 episode of
Dynamite in a
street fight, but failed to win both matches. On April 6 at
Dynasty, Rated FTR unsuccessfully challenged the Death Riders (Claudio Castagnoli, Pac, and Wheeler Yuta) for the
AEW World Trios Championship. After the match, Cope was attacked by FTR, ending their alliance. On July 12 at
All In, Cope returned after a three-month absence, saving Christian Cage from an attack by FTR and The Patriarchy. After returning, Copeland quietly reverted to performing under his real name. On the August 13 episode of
Dynamite, Cage came to the aid of Copeland from an attack by FTR, Nick Wayne, and
Kip Sabian. Copeland then embraced Cage and a tag match was announced between the duo and Wayne (later replaced by Killswitch) and Sabian on August 24 at
Forbidden Door, where Copeland and Cage were victorious. At
All Out on September 20, the team defeated FTR. After the match, FTR attacked Copeland, Cage, and then Copeland's wife
Beth Copeland, while he was handcuffed. On the following episode of
Dynamite, Copeland explained to Cage that he would be leaving for a while to take care of his family and was unsure if he would return; this was done to allow Copeland to go on hiatus to film the third season of
Percy Jackson and the Olympians. After a six-month absence, both Copeland and Cage returned at
Revolution on March 15, 2026, where they attacked FTR (who had just retained their
AEW World Tag Team Championship) and stared down
The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson). On April 12 at
Dynasty, Copeland and Cage unsuccessfully challenged FTR for the tag titles. ==Professional wrestling style and persona==