The current AEW star, Adam Copeland, has also experienced the crest and trough in the WWE as Edge. Copeland made his WWE main roster debut at the June 22, 1998, episode of Raw, but he had been performing in the promotion’s dark shows since 1996.
Copeland evolved into one of the most renowned WWE stars by the late 2000s, which helped him earn a substantial amount of money as his WWE salary. However, his autobiography, named, ADAM COPELAND: Biography of the Edge: The Rated R Superstar’s Turbulent WWE Journey to an Inspirational Personal Story, reveals how he earned a meager “$75” for his first WWE match. (via TalkSport)
Despite such a lackluster beginning in the WWE, Copeland changed his fate with his hard work and dedication to his craft to earn a staggering amount of money later in his WWE career.
Adam Copeland’s Final WWE Salary
Copeland experienced a rapid rise in popularity after accepting the role of a heel in the 2000s. Known as Edge in the community, he personified the ‘bad guy’ on the screen to perfection by intervening in matches and launching attacking babyfaces like John Cena.
By 2010, Copeland had held almost every title in the promotion, including the prized WWE championship. However, an unfortunate neck injury forced him to declare his retirement from WWE in 2011.
Copeland came out of retirement to return to the WWE ring at Royal Rumble 2020. Fans welcomed him back with one of the loudest crowd pops of all time. Triple H and company sensed the star power Copeland still had and offered him a salary that makes his initial “$75” payout look laughable.
The 51-year-old reportedly earned a whopping $3 million salary in 2023, his final year in the WWE. (via Fightful)
WWE fans may know how the unsatisfactory salaries of several WWE wrestlers, including Jazmyn Nyx, led to their departure from the promotion. This might make them wonder why Copeland decided to part ways with the WWE despite earning such a whopping amount of money as his salary.
Why Did Adam Copeland Join AEW Despite His Staggering WWE Salary?
Adam Copeland making an entrance in AEW | Credits: AEW
While the details of Copeland’s AEW contract, including his salary aren’t available in the public domain, it would be extremely ambitious to assume that AEW provides him with an amount more than $3 million as his salary.
However, after experiencing the highest of highs and lowest of lows in every aspect during his WWE career, by 2023, earning money wasn’t the primary goal of Copeland’s pro-wrestling career.
In an interview with Chris Van Vliet, The Rated R Superstar detailed the reasons that propelled his transition from the WWE to AEW. Besides mentioning that he had done everything he wanted in the WWE, Copeland also detailed that the opportunity to work with stars like Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli also played a major part in his transition to AEW. (via CVV CLIPS on YouTube)
I’d done everything that I was going to do with WWE. I had worked [with] the people I wanted to work, 95% of them. It really just felt like they were on a direction and I was on a [different] direction…I see Moxley, and I see Claudio, and Brian, and then if you look at the tag teams, FTR, Young Bucks, that’s just the tip of the iceberg, let alone all the young guys…It’s fun to get out there and um and just try new things, especially at this stage of the career, working with new people and a whole roster of new people.”
Check out Copeland’s comments below:
What do you think of Copeland’s WWE journey from rags to riches? Also, would you call his transition to AEW a wise one? Let us know in the comments below.
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