Former WWE Star Reflects On 'Dream Match' With Adam Copeland On AEW Collision

While he may now be known as "The Complete," Matt Cardona is always an Edgehead at heart, so much so that he broke one of his personal rules to make a match against the former Edge finally happen. During a recent interview with Daniel Menna, Cardona recalled his TNT Championship battle against Adam "Edge" Copeland on "AEW Collision."

According to Cardona, he had long dreamed of wrestling Copeland one-on-one, well before then even worked as a part of a unit in WWE. "I thought it would happen in WWE [with] Edge, [Curt] Hawkins, [Zack] Ryder. It never happens. There could have been a chance when I'm the 'woo woo woo' guy, but unfortunately Adam has that neck injury, he retires," Cardona said. 

"Okay, [I thought] it's never gonna happen. Then he comes back, and not that I thought the match was going to happen, but at least it's on the table, it's possible. I thought maybe there's something we can do where Hawkins and Ryder become the Edgeheads again. Well, we get fired [from] WWE, so the match is definitely off the table. He leaves, he goes to AEW, and now anything can happen with the forbidden door. I knew that it was at least a possibility."

That possibility later became a reality when AEW officials called Cardona with an opportunity to challenge Copeland for the TNT Championship in March 2024. Admittedly, Cardona momentarily hesitated to accept the match as it potentially came at the cost of another — a long-announced Squared Circle Expo IV bout against Ultimo Dragon. Furthermore, he prides himself on never cancelling his wrestling bookings. In the case of fulfilling his dream match, however, Cardona made a rare exception, which resulted in a genuine surprise for AEW fans and a show of natural chemistry between him and his former mentor.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Daniel Menna with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.