Adam Copeland just returned the favor to John Cena.
The September 5 episode of WWE SmackDown saw John Cena face Sami Zayn for the United States Championship. During the match, Cena used moves associated with some of his former rivals, including the pop-up powerbomb, Angle Slam, GTS, and Spear. Cena can’t face everyone on his retirement tour, so he’s been using the opportunity to pay tribute by using their moves.
Now, Adam Copeland has tipped his hat back to Cena by paying tribute to him at All Out. During his tag team match against FTR, Copeland hit the Five Knuckle Shuffle and Attitude Adjustment. The crowd popped for the moves, starting a loud “Cena” chant as Bryan Danielson also acknowledged Cope’s tribute to a great rival on commentary.
The surprises in the match didn’t stop there, however, as Beth Phoenix also made her AEW debut. Her celebration was cut short, though, as FTR ended up attacking her and left her laid out in the ring, with Cope handcuffed to the ropes.
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Adam Copeland reacts to Cena’s tribute to him
Adam Copeland reacted to John Cena’s homage to him during a recent interview with The Score.
“Super fun. Yeah, it’s just fun. And I think for John and I, we’re two guys that met each other at the right time. You know, he needed a bad guy and I needed a good guy, and it just clicked. You never know when something is going to click. I remember with Eddie [Guerrero] and I, the first time we wrestled, it was like, it was okay, but it should have been more than that. The next one was a little bit more, and then finally, by our third match, we were like, ‘Okay, there it is.’ Yeah.
“With John and I, from day one, it just clicked. And I think it was, our characters were polar opposites. I knew what the assignment was, and so did he. And I think you had two guys that were very willing to do what we had to do to get us both over. And John was already well on his way. But I feel like our angle is what really put the stamp on him being the top guy. And it put the stamp on me being a main-event guy. So, you know, I’ll always look back at that one fondly and at what we were able to do and the fun we had.”
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