Brock Lesnar’s wife saved my skin after I knocked out WWE veteran within one minute of debut
As debut’s go, Edge’s first major outing in WWE was one he doesn’t have cause to remember fondly. Arguably one of the most iconic tag team performers of all time, Adam Copeland – the man behind Edge – is bona fide wrestling legend. Edge remains a top-tier wrestling performer decades after his WWE debutWWE A 2012 inductee into WWE’s Hall of Fame, he wasn’t too shabby as a singles star, either, having racked up 12 world championship reigns and still winning gold in AEW at the age of 51. He came from relatively humble beginnings, too, the Canadian working for $75 per match even after his WWE debut, and taking his time to work his way up the wrestling ladder. Today, he may be remembered for the iconic career that saw him top the industry before being forced into retirement, only to wrestle again almost a decade later. At the outset of his WWE days, however, things were very different – so much so that he might well have fallen by the wayside early after a fairly disastrous TV debut. Having impressed bosses enough in his first try-out match to earn a contract, he continued to home his craft before being called upon to make his first televised appearance in June 1998. On an episode of Raw in Texas, he was paired with veteran Jose Estrada and, according to Copeland’s autobiography, the outing seemed doomed from the start, even before the ball rang. “I had a feeling throughout the day that he wasn’t cool with the fact that he was putting me over,” explained the star, referring to the fact he’d be winning the match. “Knowing what I do now, I know he wasn’t cool with it. The finish was supposed to be my downward spiral, one-two-three, and a nice debut for Edge.” Sadly, there would be no such good fortune for the starlet who, within seconds of the contest starting, inadvertently knocked his opponent out after appearing to mistime a dive over the top rope that called for Estrada to catch him. Caught by Copeland’s stray leg or foot, the Puerto Rican star was knocked for six, leaving WWE to swiftly alter the match’s planned finish. Edge struck his opponent with his leg during a landing at the onset of their match on RawWWE The ending to the match was changed on the fly due to the unexpected injuryWWE The scene had a lasting impact on ‘Edge’, too, who added: “After [referee] Timmy White told me he was on dream street I was visibly shaken. “I won by a count out and left back through the crowd with [commentator] Jim Ross announcing what an inauspicious debut Edge had made. Wow, thanks for the morale booster. Just what I needed to hear at that point. “Jose ended up with some pinched nerves in his neck, and eventually he came back for another short run with the company. This destroyed the confidence I had built. “Besides the occasional shiner, I had never hurt anyone. Now, in what was my first aired match, I knocked my opponent out. I called him weekly to see how he was, but I could just imagine what my perception was in the locker room.” Luckily for the youngster, WWE clearly saw something in him and, rather than being punished for the unintentional error, he was given another huge chance to shine just weeks later with a prominent role at SummerSlam. Copeland’s luck was in, too, as he was teamed with one of WWE’s most popular stars of the day, Sable, a former champion who is also the wife of wrestling and UFC legend Brock Lesnar. Edge, alongside Sable, would be given another crack and shone at WWE SummerSlam in 1998WWE At Madison Square Garden, he was teamed with Sable to take on Jaqueline and Marc Mero, the alignment the megastar undoubtedly proving to be the shot in the arm his career needed. Sable at that time had even less wrestling experience than Edge, so the combatants, he said, all met at WWE Headquarters to discuss the match and its finish. He even got to pitch what ended up being the climax to the bout, explaining: “I pitched the tag finish Jay [WWE star Christian] and I used to use. “Sable would stand in front of me, roll backward, and I would catch her from behind around the waist, pick her up, and slam her down in a splash across Marc. “It helped all of us, the match, and it was a cool move that always got a reaction. “My first Madison Square Garden appearance was kind to me that night, and I had my first pay-per-view behind me.” Sable was a former WWE Women’s Champion and an icon in the Attitude EraWWE For Edge in WWE, the rest was history – titles, accolades, and a WrestleMania main event were all to follow before his retirement and return. While it’s unreasonable to say Sable, who remains a wrestling icon to this day, made it all possible, she certainly provided a timely boost.
As debut’s go, Edge’s first major outing in WWE was one he doesn’t have cause to remember fondly.
Arguably one of the most iconic tag team performers of all time, Adam Copeland – the man behind Edge – is bona fide wrestling legend.
A 2012 inductee into WWE’s Hall of Fame, he wasn’t too shabby as a singles star, either, having racked up 12 world championship reigns and still winning gold in AEW at the age of 51.
He came from relatively humble beginnings, too, the Canadian working for $75 per match even after his WWE debut, and taking his time to work his way up the wrestling ladder.
Today, he may be remembered for the iconic career that saw him top the industry before being forced into retirement, only to wrestle again almost a decade later.
At the outset of his WWE days, however, things were very different – so much so that he might well have fallen by the wayside early after a fairly disastrous TV debut.
Having impressed bosses enough in his first try-out match to earn a contract, he continued to home his craft before being called upon to make his first televised appearance in June 1998.
On an episode of Raw in Texas, he was paired with veteran Jose Estrada and, according to Copeland’s autobiography, the outing seemed doomed from the start, even before the ball rang.
“I had a feeling throughout the day that he wasn’t cool with the fact that he was putting me over,” explained the star, referring to the fact he’d be winning the match.
“Knowing what I do now, I know he wasn’t cool with it. The finish was supposed to be my downward spiral, one-two-three, and a nice debut for Edge.”
Sadly, there would be no such good fortune for the starlet who, within seconds of the contest starting, inadvertently knocked his opponent out after appearing to mistime a dive over the top rope that called for Estrada to catch him.
Caught by Copeland’s stray leg or foot, the Puerto Rican star was knocked for six, leaving WWE to swiftly alter the match’s planned finish.
The scene had a lasting impact on ‘Edge’, too, who added: “After [referee] Timmy White told me he was on dream street I was visibly shaken.
“I won by a count out and left back through the crowd with [commentator] Jim Ross announcing what an inauspicious debut Edge had made. Wow, thanks for the morale booster. Just what I needed to hear at that point.
“Jose ended up with some pinched nerves in his neck, and eventually he came back for another short run with the company. This destroyed the confidence I had built.
“Besides the occasional shiner, I had never hurt anyone. Now, in what was my first aired match, I knocked my opponent out. I called him weekly to see how he was, but I could just imagine what my perception was in the locker room.”
Luckily for the youngster, WWE clearly saw something in him and, rather than being punished for the unintentional error, he was given another huge chance to shine just weeks later with a prominent role at SummerSlam.
Copeland’s luck was in, too, as he was teamed with one of WWE’s most popular stars of the day, Sable, a former champion who is also the wife of wrestling and UFC legend Brock Lesnar.
At Madison Square Garden, he was teamed with Sable to take on Jaqueline and Marc Mero, the alignment the megastar undoubtedly proving to be the shot in the arm his career needed.
Sable at that time had even less wrestling experience than Edge, so the combatants, he said, all met at WWE Headquarters to discuss the match and its finish.
He even got to pitch what ended up being the climax to the bout, explaining: “I pitched the tag finish Jay [WWE star Christian] and I used to use.
“Sable would stand in front of me, roll backward, and I would catch her from behind around the waist, pick her up, and slam her down in a splash across Marc.
“It helped all of us, the match, and it was a cool move that always got a reaction.
“My first Madison Square Garden appearance was kind to me that night, and I had my first pay-per-view behind me.”
For Edge in WWE, the rest was history – titles, accolades, and a WrestleMania main event were all to follow before his retirement and return.
While it’s unreasonable to say Sable, who remains a wrestling icon to this day, made it all possible, she certainly provided a timely boost.
