"I don't like it" - WWE veteran unhappy with AEW changing Adam Copeland's in-ring name

Adam Copeland's AEW comeback is underway. The erstwhile Edge of WWE linked up with close friends FTR for a surprise return at Worlds End to target The Death Riders. Now that the wrestling legend is moving forward with momentum, AEW has made a massive change that is not going over well, with fans and wrestlers.

The Ultimate Opportunist debuted for AEW in October 2023 after more than 25 years with WWE. No longer billed as Edge, the multi-time champion was first billed as The Rated R Superstar, then he began using "Cope" as a nickname before his recent injury hiatus. As Rated FTR came to the ring to defeat Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, and Wheeler Yuta on Wednesday's Fight for The Fallen edition of Dynamite, the WWE Hall of Famer was introduced as just Cope.

AEW made the name change official with Wednesday's Dynamite main event as Copeland is now billed as just Cope, even on the roster. The switch has led to significant criticism from fans, and others in the industry, including Dutch Mantell. Speaking on his latest Story Time episode, Dirty Dutch stated his opinion on the Cope name, and casually let his mind wander on potential improvements.

The erstwhile Zeb Colter of WWE then seemed to take a swipe at the AEW creative process, or at least the steps they took to decide on Copeland's new moniker.

"I don't like it already, Cope. Put an 'S' in front of it, could be 'Scope'... I wonder if they could get the 'S' to mean anything. Scope... Cope... [laughs] Yeah... Sullivan Cope, what the hell? Dr. Sullivan Cope? We'll come up with something if we keep throwing it around," Dutch Mantell said. [From 1:11:40 to 1:12:02]

Cope may not be the strangest ring name the wrestling legend has used in his career. Long before Edge and Conquistador Uno, the Canadian grappler was known by ring names like Sexton Hardcastle, Damon Striker, and Adam Impact.

Rated FTR set for big AEW Collision match

All Elite Wrestling will present the first Collision episode of 2025 on Saturday. The show will air live from the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, NC.

Rated FTR will team up once again on Collision as Cope, Dax Harwood, and Cash Wheeler face The Learning Tree's Chris Jericho, Big Bill, and Bryan Keith. The match was made after Bill taunted Cope on Dynamite, only for The Rated R Superstar to issue a challenge for Saturday.

Collision will also feature Jeff Jarrett in singles action after he re-signed and announced his goal of winning the World Championship. The following matches were also announced: Toni Storm vs. Deonna Purrazzo, TNT Champion Daniel Garcia vs. Mark Briscoe with the title on the line, plus World Tag Team Champions Private Party vs. Lio Rush and Action Andretti, also with the gold up for grabs.