Edge | |
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![]() Copeland in 2023 | |
Born | Adam Joseph Copeland October 30, 1973 Orangeville, Ontario, Canada |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1992–2011, 2020–present (professional wrestler) 2011–present (actor) |
Spouses | Alannah Morley
(m. 2001; div. 2004)Lisa Ortiz
(m. 2004; div. 2005) |
Children | 2 |
Ring name(s) | Adam Copeland[1] Adam Impact[2] Conquistador Uno[3] Damon Striker[4] Edge[5] Sexton Hardcastle[6] |
Billed height | 6 ft 5 in (196 cm)[5] |
Billed weight | 241 lb (109 kg)[5] |
Billed from | Toronto, Ontario, Canada[5] |
Trained by | Ron Hutchison[5] Sweet Daddy Siki[5] |
Debut | July 1, 1992[7] |
Adam Joseph Copeland (born October 30, 1973) is a Canadian professional wrestler and actor. He has been signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) since October 2023[update], where he performs under his real name, and is a former two-time AEW TNT Champion. He is best known for his 25-year tenure in WWE from 1998 to 2023, where he performed under the ring name Edge. Copeland is regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.[8][9]
After making his professional wrestling debut in 1992, Copeland wrestled in various independent promotions, competing in singles and tag team competition, the latter with long-time friend Christian Cage. Copeland then wrestled two matches as Damon Striker on WCW Pro in early 1996. In 1997, he signed a developmental deal with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, renamed WWE in 2002) and made his televised debut in 1998 under the ring name Edge. After winning the Intercontinental Championship in 1999, he formed a tag team with Christian, and the two won the World Tag Team Championship on seven occasions. During this time, they gained notoriety due to their participation in Tables, Ladders, and Chairs matches. They are considered one of the major teams that revived tag team wrestling during the Attitude Era.[10] The team split in 2001 and Copeland embarked on a successful solo career. He won a total of 31 championships in WWE, holding the World Heavyweight Championship (2002–2013 version) a record seven times, the WWE Championship four times, the Intercontinental Championship five times, the United States Championship once, the World Tag Team Championship a record 12 times, and the WWE Tag Team Championship twice. He is WWE's 14th Triple Crown Champion and 7th Grand Slam Champion. He won the 2001 King of the Ring tournament, the inaugural Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 21 in 2005, and the 2010 Royal Rumble match, making him the first wrestler to achieve all three.[11]
Copeland first retired in 2011 due to several neck injuries and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame the following year. Nine years after retiring, he returned to wrestling as a surprise entrant in the 2020 Royal Rumble match and won the next year's Royal Rumble, becoming the eighth man to win the Royal Rumble twice, the third to win it as the first entrant, and the first to win it after being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. He headlined multiple pay-per-view (PPV) events for WWE, including WrestleMania XXIV and WrestleMania 37, being one of the company's most prolific PPV performers.[12] After his WWE contract expired in September 2023, he joined rival promotion AEW the following month, debuting at the WrestleDream PPV. He has since become a two-time AEW TNT Champion.
Aside from professional wrestling, Copeland has acted in the films Highlander: Endgame, Bending the Rules, and Money Plane. He has made guest appearances on television shows such as Weakest Link, Mind of Mencia, Deal or No Deal, MADtv, and The Flash. He played Dwight Hendrickson on the Syfy series Haven (2011–2015), Ketill Flatnose in Vikings (2017–2020), and Ares in the Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2023–present).
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