149-431: IWA World Heavyweight Championship is the name given for the principal title of a number of professional wrestling promotions that operate under the acronym "I.W.A." (despite not sharing corporate name). It may refer to: Professional wrestling championship Mid 20th Century 1970s and 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s and 2020s A championship or title in professional wrestling
298-627: A hardcore match by Spearing him through a flaming table but suffered second degree burns , thanks to anti-flame material not being applied to the table, at both wrestlers' request. According to Copeland, the match with Foley proved him as a main eventer. After losing a triple threat match at Backlash for the WWE Championship, Edge teamed with Foley, pointing as Hardcore Champions . At ECW One Night Stand on June 11, Edge, Foley and Lita defeated Dreamer, Terry Funk and Beulah McGillicutty in an Extreme Rules tag team match. Later in
447-575: A last chance match at Vengeance on June 24. Edge then began a feud with Kane after SmackDown! General Manager Theodore Long announced Kane as the new number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship at The Great American Bash . Edge was forced to relinquish the World Heavyweight Championship due to a legitimately torn left pectoral muscle injury on the July 20 episode of SmackDown! following an attack by Kane
596-622: A road rage incident. Edge eventually began using The Cutting Edge as a soapbox to run down Flair until, after weeks of public mockery, Flair eventually showed up and attacked Edge. Edge and Flair formally met at the New Year's Revolution event on January 8, 2006, in a match for Flair's Intercontinental Championship , which resulted in Flair retaining after Edge was disqualified . Although Edge had lost his scheduled match at New Year's Revolution, that would not be his only match that evening as
745-722: A two out-of-three falls match to win the WWE Tag Team Championship. They soon lost the tag titles to Los Guerreros in a triple threat elimination match that also involved former champions Angle and Benoit at Survivor Series on November 17. After losing the title, Edge and Mysterio went their separate ways to focus on their singles careers. At the Royal Rumble , Edge competed in the 30-man Royal Rumble match on January 19, 2003, where he had three eliminations before getting eliminated by Chris Jericho. Edge then teamed up with Chris Benoit, facing Team Angle in
894-546: A Brass Knuckles on a Pole match. At WrestleMania X8 on March 17, Edge found himself in a match with Booker T that was the result of Edge beating out Booker T for a fictitious Japanese shampoo endorsement. Shortly after defeating Booker T at WrestleMania, Edge was drafted to the SmackDown! brand in the first WWF Draft Lottery . During this time, Edge also gained Never Gonna Stop (The Red Red Kroovy) by Rob Zombie as his new entrance theme. Upon arriving there, he began
1043-461: A Hell in a Cell match at SummerSlam . Edge then turned on La Familia during the August 8 episode of SmackDown , performing a one-man con-chair-to on Chavo Guerrero in the ring, and tossed Vickie out of her wheelchair, effectively disbanding the faction. At SummerSlam on August 17, The Undertaker defeated Edge, and after the match, The Undertaker chokeslammed Edge off the top of a ladder and through
1192-574: A No Disqualification match where Edge won, ending the feud. He then formed a tag team with Rey Mysterio , and the two participated in a tournament for the newly created and SmackDown!-exclusive WWE Tag Team Championship . They lost to Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit in the finals of the tournament at No Mercy on October 20; the match was voted Match of the Year by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter . After they failed in winning
1341-600: A Tag Team Turmoil match which was won by Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit. Days later on the May 24 SmackDown! , Edge and Christian competed in a Fatal 4-Way Tag Team TLC Match for the WWF Tag Team Championship where Benoit and Jericho retained the titles. Edge solidified himself as an emerging singles competitor by winning the 2001 King of the Ring tournament and slowly becoming a fan favourite by siding with
1490-527: A Tag team turmoil match where they eliminated three teams: The Hardy Boyz, Mideon and Viscera, and Droz and Prince Albert before getting eliminated from the match by The Acolytes. At Unforgiven on September 26, Edge and Christian faced The New Age Outlaws for the WWF Tag Team Championship but failed to win the titles. Later in the year, he was placed in a storyline angle with The Hardy Boyz . Gangrel soon betrayed both Edge and Christian and formed The New Brood with their enemies, The Hardy Boyz. They feuded with
1639-546: A chair and watching the match. After the conclusion of the match, Edge attacked Benoit, turning heel. Edge would then become cocky and brash, while also becoming more vicious and destructive than ever before. Edge would also gain a new entrance theme, Metalingus , performed by the then-newly established band, Alter Bridge . At Survivor Series on November 14, Edge was part of Team Triple H along with Triple H, Batista, and Gene Snitsky . They were defeated by Team Orton (Randy Orton, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, and Maven ). During
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#17327733954051788-745: 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
1937-450: A feud with Kurt Angle. At Backlash on April 21, Angle defeated Edge which later culminated in Edge shaving Angle's head following a hair vs. hair match at Judgment Day on May 19. On the May 30 episode of SmackDown! , Edge defeated Angle in a steel cage match to end the feud. During the match, Edge speared Angle from the top rope, injuring his own arm and forcing himself out of action for
2086-594: A few isolated championship matches. On rare occasions, a male wrestler will compete in championship matches for championships generally contested exclusively in the women's division. Such examples include Harvey Wippleman becoming the only male to capture the WWF Women's Championship in 2000, and Eric Young winning one half of the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship in 2012. Gimmick match classifications sometimes factor into
2235-624: A gender specification, though Chyna defeating Jeff Jarrett to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship in 1999 and Tessa Blanchard defeating Sami Callihan to win the Impact World Championship in 2020 are notable exceptions. In promotions featuring only a single gender (such as Women of Wrestling or Shimmer Women Athletes ), gender classifications are often unnecessary as well. Titles specifically designated for women may fall into any of
2384-787: A hardcore championship is the FTW Championship in All Elite Wrestling (AEW), which is primarily contested in FTW Rules matches . A past such title is WWE Hardcore Championship , which was active from 1998 to 2002. In recent years, style-based championships have centered around what is known as "scientific" or technical wrestling. Examples of this include the NXT Heritage Cup (which is specifically contested under "British Round Rules") in WWE 's NXT brand, and
2533-500: A knee infection. In All Elite Wrestling , when a champion gets injured, a match is held to determine an interim champion until the lineal champion is cleared to compete, after which a match is held between the two to crown an undisputed champion. For example, Jon Moxley became interim AEW World Champion in June 2022 after then-lineal champion, CM Punk, was sidelined with a foot injury. When Punk returned in August, Moxley defeated him in
2682-399: A leg drop, seemingly injuring both Edge and himself. The two were unable to continue the match and were removed from ringside on stretchers. After this Edge and Orton also became rivals in their goals of achieving the WWE Championship. Neither Edge nor Orton won the championship, and they lost their claims as number one contenders after a failed match with Cena at Backlash on April 29. On
2831-529: A legitimate groin injury in a non-televised match, Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff stripped Edge of the Intercontinental title on the September 6 episode of Raw . Upon his return, Edge began to pursue the World Heavyweight Championship. Edge, Chris Benoit, and Shawn Michaels received a title shot for Triple H 's World Heavyweight Championship at Taboo Tuesday on October 19. Michaels won
2980-489: A losing effort. At King of the Ring on June 27, The Hardy Boyz defeated Edge and Christian in a match to determine the number one contender to the WWF Tag Team Championship, after their first match on Sunday Night Heat ended in a no-contest. Edge captured his first singles championship, the WWF Intercontinental Championship , on July 24, 1999, defeating Jeff Jarrett at a house show in Toronto, Ontario. Interestingly,
3129-564: A match between reigning champions The Colóns and Legacy . The win made Edge a record-setting 12 time World Tag Team Champion. On July 3, Edge suffered a torn Achilles tendon while competing at a live event in San Diego in a match against Jeff Hardy, and later underwent surgery. It was reported that he could be out of action for up to a year. During Edge's absence, Jericho replaced him with Big Show (forming Jeri-Show ) and Jericho began to speak badly of Edge, mocking him for his injury. At
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#17327733954053278-579: A match for the World Tag Team Championship by disqualification but did not win the titles. The team disbanded when Edge won the Intercontinental Championship at Vengeance on July 11 defeating Randy Orton , thus becoming a five time Intercontinental Champion. At SummerSlam on August 15, Edge defeated Chris Jericho and Batista in a triple threat match to retain the Intercontinental Championship. Following
3427-466: A match to become the undisputed champion. These interim reigns are not recognized as official reigns. However, if the lineal champion's injury renders them indefinitely sidelined, they can forfeit the championship and the interim champion becomes the lineal champion. An example of this happened in November 2022, when it was announced that then-lineal AEW Women's World Champion , Thunder Rosa relinquished
3576-416: A measure of their performance ability and drawing power. The most accomplished or decorated wrestlers tend to be revered as legends. American wrestler Ric Flair has had multiple world heavyweight championship reigns spanning over three decades. Japanese wrestler Último Dragón once held and defended a record 10 titles simultaneously . Professional wrestling's championship belts are modeled similarly to
3725-546: A month. Two months later, he would end up winning the WWE Tag Team Championship alongside Hollywood Hulk Hogan on the July 4 episode of SmackDown! by defeating Billy and Chuck . Edge and Hogan lost the titles at Vengeance on July 21 to The Un-Americans ( Lance Storm and Christian), and at SummerSlam on August 25, Edge defeated Eddie Guerrero then lost to Guerrero at Unforgiven on September 22. They met one final time days later on SmackDown! in
3874-421: A ring of fire onto the elevated stage floor, with Gangrel holding a chalice of "blood". Gangrel would typically take a sip from the chalice and sometimes share it with Edge or Christian before spitting it towards the crowd. One of their signature moves was giving their opponents a "blood bath" either before or after a match, where the lights would go out, followed by Gangrel's red flashing entrance lights, and then
4023-503: A series of losses to Cena and Michaels in the following months. Edge competed in the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 23 on April 1 in a losing effort. During the match, Matt Hardy threw him onto a ladder and encouraged Jeff Hardy, who was close to the winning briefcase, to finish him off. Hardy then leaped off the 20-foot-high (6.1 m) ladder, and drove him through the ladder with
4172-412: A series of singles and tag team matches. Prior to No Way Out , Edge suffered a legitimate neck injury, rendering him unable to compete in his scheduled match. The injury stemmed from a bump he took on a closed ladder on the September 26, 2002 edition of SmackDown! while wrestling Eddie Guerrero, who then frog-splashed him while he was still laying on the ladder. His arms would then numb more and more in
4321-754: A severe injury and despite the championship being quite important. In 1998, Shane Douglas kept the ECW World Heavyweight Championship while sidelined. In 2005, Trish Stratus kept the WWE Women's Championship while sidelined with a herniated disk for four months. In 2012, CM Punk kept the WWE Championship while undergoing and recovering from knee surgery. In 2015, Ryback kept the WWE Intercontinental Championship while recovering from
4470-489: A short, TV-friendly time limit, usually 10 or 15 minutes. These titles were originally introduced during a time when weekly TV shows were seen as a vehicle to promote the money-making live shows, where major title defenses took place. Television titles provided a championship that would be defended on the weekly television shows. Examples of a television championship include the AEW TNT Championship (named after
4619-600: A stipulation that stated if The Undertaker were to lose, he would be kayfabe banished from the WWE. At One Night Stand on June 1, Edge would defeat The Undertaker after interference from La Familia, Chavo Guerrero and Bam Neely , winning the World Heavyweight Championship for the third time. Since he lost, The Undertaker was also forced to leave the company. On June 29, Edge retained his championship against Batista at Night of Champions , after interference from La Familia. The next night on Raw , Edge appeared to gloat that two of
IWA World Heavyweight Championship - Misplaced Pages Continue
4768-477: A surprise attack on Jericho, turning face for the first time since 2004. At WrestleMania on March 28, Edge failed to win the title. Edge defeated Jericho in a steel cage match at Extreme Rules on April 25, ending their feud. On April 26, as part of 2010 WWE draft , Edge was drafted to the Raw brand, also costing Randy Orton a title shot, by spearing him in a triple threat match against Batista and Sheamus . On
4917-425: A week earlier. On November 18, at Survivor Series , Edge made his return, interfering in a World Heavyweight Championship Hell in a Cell match between Batista and The Undertaker, helping Batista win the match. The following SmackDown! show saw Edge and General Manager Vickie Guerrero make their relationship public, making his official in-ring return in a World Heavyweight Championship match against Batista on
5066-411: A wrestler and defended in sanctioned matches, but are not recognized as legitimate titles by the promotion. Examples of unsanctioned championships include: Edge (wrestler) Adam Joseph Copeland (born October 30, 1973) is a Canadian professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he performs under his real name and is a former two-time AEW TNT Champion . He
5215-577: A year, leading Edge to call himself the "most watched champion ever". On the January 16 episode of Raw , Edge defeated Ric Flair in a TLC match to retain the WWE Championship. At the Royal Rumble on January 29, Edge lost the WWE Championship back to Cena. Edge then lost a rematch on the February 16 episode of Raw and blamed special guest referee Mick Foley for his loss. They feuded until WrestleMania 22 on April 2, where Edge defeated Foley in
5364-541: A young age; his favorite wrestlers included Mr. Perfect , Randy Savage , Hulk Hogan , Ricky Steamboat , Shawn Michaels , and Bret Hart . He met fellow future wrestler Jason Reso , known by his ring-name Christian Cage, in Orangeville when he was 10 years old, and they would make the trip to Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto to watch their favourite wrestlers; at the age of 16, Copeland attended WrestleMania VI at
5513-567: Is WWE's NXT Heritage Cup , which is represented with a trophy. The fate of a title depends on the champion's condition and the importance of the title to the promotion (e.g. Gregory Helms held the WWE Cruiserweight Championship , despite being sidelined with an injury, because the Cruiserweight Championship was not a major championship). The champion may be forced to vacate his or her title if
5662-564: Is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations . Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches , in which competitors are involved in predetermined rivalries. These narratives create feuds between the various competitors, which cast them as villains and heroes (heels and faces respectively). The bookers in a company will place the title on the most accomplished performer, or whom they believe will generate fan interest in terms of event attendance and television viewership. Professional wrestling portrays
5811-545: Is also heard describing who Edge's persona is and his characteristics, the same voice that would be used to say, "You think you know me?" in the opening of Edge's entrance themes throughout his career in WWE. Upon his debut, Edge would enter the arena through the crowd for his matches and would continue to do so until becoming a tag team with Christian. In a 2019 interview, Copeland described how "as much as it didn't make sense, I still knew that they [WWE] were trying to set me up as much as they could." Edge's first televised match
5960-427: Is becoming increasingly rare as champions are needed to be present in regular tours even when titles are not defended. Professional wrestling championships are often split up into various different classifications, each of which designate varying levels of importance to the belts. The world heavyweight championship (also just world championship) is the name given to the championship that is typically presented as being
6109-461: Is currently on hiatus due to injury. Copeland is best known for his 25-year tenure in WWE from 1998 to 2023, where he performed under the ring name Edge . Often regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Copeland made his professional wrestling debut in 1992, wrestling in various independent promotions and competing in singles and tag team competition, the latter with long-time friend Christian Cage . In 1997, he signed
IWA World Heavyweight Championship - Misplaced Pages Continue
6258-472: Is often implicitly understood. Other tag team championships include 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 formats, which are often explicitly stated within the championship name to distinguish them from the 2-on-2 championships. Some teams may invoke what is called the Freebird Rule , in which a stable of three or more wrestlers are all officially recognized as champion, allowing any pairing of the stable's members to defend
6407-556: Is scripted, there is no promotion or group of people that recognize one official world title of the industry (the closest was the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship during the territory days during the mid to late 20th century). Instead, each promotion can promote their top title as a world title, with some of them promoting title matches around the world to claim the designation. Some promotions may even recognize multiple world championships, such as
6556-497: Is the case with WWE, as due to the large size of its roster, the promotion splits its roster into what they call brands where talent exclusively perform and their two main brands ( Raw and SmackDown) each have their own world championship. The first widely recognized world heavyweight championship was the World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship , created in 1905, and the inaugural champion
6705-500: Is very common for these variations to be the second most prestigious championship in a promotion, but exceptions have existed, like the now defunct WWE European Championship , which served as the company's tertiary singles championship, and the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship , which many NWA territories created versions of and promoted as their most prestigious championship whenever
6854-505: The 600th episode of SmackDown on February 18, acting General Manager Guerrero fired Edge in storyline, and awarded the World Heavyweight Championship to her on-screen boyfriend Ziggler. SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long returned later that night, and rehired Edge. Edge then defeated Ziggler to become the World Heavyweight Champion for the record seventh and final time, his 11th world championship overall. At
7003-571: The Crippler Crossface on Edge, who shifted his weight putting Benoit's shoulders on the mat for a pin . This match also ended in a draw for Benoit and Edge, as Benoit made Edge submit at the same time the referee counted a pinfall for Edge. As a result, the World Heavyweight title was vacated the following week on Raw . On January 9, 2005, Edge competed in his first Elimination Chamber match at New Year's Revolution for
7152-593: The Dudley Boyz to win the WWF Tag Team Championship in a Triangle Ladder match , which ultimately led to the creation of the Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match . Following this victory, Edge & Christian began redefining themselves as a villainous duo of comedic, arrogant, surfer -styled teen idols . The two wrestlers no longer entered the arena through the crowd, instead engaging in various antics such as mocking their opponents and
7301-618: The Elimination Chamber pay-per-view on February 20, Edge successfully defended his World Heavyweight Championship in an Elimination Chamber match by finally pinning Rey Mysterio. After he won the match, he was attacked by Royal Rumble winner Alberto Del Rio, but was saved by the returning Christian. Edge and Christian briefly reunited to defeat Del Rio and his bodyguard Brodus Clay on the March 11 episode of SmackDown . At WrestleMania XXVII on April 3, Edge successfully defended
7450-535: The King of the Ring event in Boston . At Backlash on April 30, Edge and Christian defeated D-Generation X to retain the titles. At Judgment Day on May 21, Edge, Christian and Kurt Angle lost a six-man tag team match to Rikishi and Too Cool. Soon after, they lost the tag titles to Too Cool but won them back in a Four corners elimination match at King of the Ring on June 25. At Fully Loaded on July 23, they defended
7599-555: The Long Island Sound and he unveiled the new "Rated-R" version of the belt. Edge lost the title to Cena in a TLC match at Unforgiven , a PPV that took place in Edge's hometown of Toronto. On the October 2 episode of Raw , interference from the newly reformed D-Generation X (DX) (Triple H and Shawn Michaels) cost Edge his " final chance " at John Cena's WWE Championship in a Steel cage match , though their interference
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#17327733954057748-557: The ROH Pure Championship in Ring of Honor (which is contested under "Pure Wrestling Rules"). A variation that was prominent in the 1980s and 1990s and made a return in the 2020s is a "television championship" or "iron man championship", which involves more frequent title defenses as well as the stipulations that the belt can only change hands on television (as opposed to non-televised house shows ) with title matches having
7897-511: The Royal Rumble on January 21, 2001, Edge and Christian were defeated by the Dudley Boyz and lost the tag team titles. They unsuccessfully attempted to regain the tag team title at No Way Out on February 25 against the Dudley Boyz and The Brothers of Destruction , but they succeeded at WrestleMania X-Seven on April 1 against the Dudley Boyz and The Hardyz in the second TLC match. At Judgment Day on May 20, Edge and Christian competed in
8046-604: The Royal Rumble pay-per-view event on January 31, 2010, Edge returned from injury by entering the Royal Rumble match as the twenty-ninth surprise entrant, where he won the Royal Rumble match for the first time in his career, after last eliminating John Cena. At Elimination Chamber on February 21, after Chris Jericho won the World Heavyweight Championship , Edge challenged Jericho for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XXVI after
8195-733: 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). Adam Joseph Copeland was born in Orangeville, Ontario , on October 30, 1973, the son of Judy Lynn Copeland, a single mother who worked two jobs to support him. He has said he never met his father, or even saw a picture of him. He became interested in professional wrestling at
8344-560: The TNA Digital Media Championship , which was created in 2021 to reflect TNA 's online platforms or WWE's Speed Championship which is named after the X (Twitter) exclusive streaming show WWE Speed . In 2021, AEW introduced the first TV title specifically for female wrestlers, the AEW TBS Championship , named for the network that is the home of Dynamite as of January 5, 2022, serving as
8493-536: The Toronto SkyDome in 1990, sitting in the 11th row at ringside. He was cheering on WWF Champion Hulk Hogan against The Ultimate Warrior , and he credits this match with making him realize he wanted to be a wrestler. When he was 17, he won an essay writing contest hosted by his local gym, the prize for which was free wrestling training with Sweet Daddy Siki and Ron Hutchison in Toronto. However, he put his wrestling aspirations aside to help his mother pay
8642-522: The home network of AEW's Rampage and Collision broadcasts plus other AEW programming) and the ROH World Television Championship . A modern take on the traditional TV title are internet championships. As professional wrestling began having events on streaming and online platforms, some promotions modified their television championships to be promoted as internet championships to reflect this. Examples of this include
8791-517: The ring name Sexton Hardcastle. He became a part of the tag team Sex and Violence with Joe E. Legend. In the mid-1990s, he wrestled as Adam Impact for Tony Condello 's Winnipeg promotion. In 1997, Sex and Violence became part of a larger stable called Thug Life, joining Christian Cage , Zakk Wyld, Bill Skullion, and Rhino Richards . During his independent career, he won the MWCW Tag Team Championship twice with Legend and
8940-538: The "Comisión de Box y Lucha Libre Mexico D.F." (the Mexico City Boxing and Wrestling Commission), the main regulatory body in Mexico: Gender occasionally plays a role in the classifications of championship belts. Due to professional wrestling being a male dominated sport, only women's titles are given official gender classifications. Generally, only men are allowed to win the championships without
9089-526: The "future is now". During this period, Edge would have seen significant popularity and stronger rivalries. Edge lost the Intercontinental Championship to Test on the November 5 episode of Raw and shortly afterwards won the WCW United States Championship from Kurt Angle on the November 12 episode of Raw . Edge defeated Test at Survivor Series on November 18 to regain the Intercontinental Championship which he unified with
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#17327733954059238-542: The "legitimacy" of their own titles, although cross-promotion does happen. When one promotion absorbs or purchases another, the titles from the defunct promotion may continue to be defended in the new promotion or be decommissioned, usually through championship unification . Behind the scenes , the bookers in a company will place the title on the most accomplished performer, or those the bookers believe will generate fan interest in terms of event attendance and television viewership. Lower ranked titles may also be used on
9387-581: The April 30 episode of SmackDown , Edge said goodbye to the SmackDown fans. However, Edge turned on the fans by calling them "puppets" for chanting for him and later tried a sneak attack on his former tag team partner Christian, thus turning heel once again. Edge began a feud with Randy Orton, with both Edge and Orton gaining the upper hand over one another. Much of the antagonism stemmed of Orton's refusal to re-form Rated-RKO with Edge, as Edge wanted to pursue
9536-447: The August 29 episode of Raw , Edge and Hardy fought in a Street Fight , which resulted in a no contest when Hardy performed a side effect on Edge off the entrance ramp into the sound speakers and other electrical equipment. They also fought in a Steel cage match at Unforgiven on September 18 in which Hardy defeated Edge. The feud culminated in a Loser Leaves Raw ladder match on Raw Homecoming on October 3, which Edge won. After
9685-427: The Bank contract on The Undertaker. After one spear, Edge pinned The Undertaker for the victory and his first World Heavyweight Championship. As a result, Edge became a member of the SmackDown! roster. Edge then began a feud with Batista and successfully defended his championship title against him at Judgment Day on May 20, in a Steel Cage match at One Night Stand on June 3, and a third and final time by countout in
9834-466: The Bank ladder match at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view on July 18, but failed to win the briefcase, as it was won by The Miz . Edge then went on to participate in the main event of SummerSlam on August 15 in a seven-on-seven elimination tag team match against The Nexus . Although he was eliminated by Heath Slater , his team was victorious. On the 900th episode of Raw , Edge disqualified himself in
9983-485: The Gold Rush tournament finals match to determine the number-one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship on the May 16 episode of Raw . The next week, Edge received his World Heavyweight Championship match against Batista, which he lost. Edge started a feud with Kane leading to several matches between them including one at Vengeance on June 26, when Edge lost to Kane. After trading several victories on Raw ,
10132-598: The Hardy Boyz, as they went on to compete in a ladder match at No Mercy on October 17 for the " managerial services " of Terri Runnels and $ 100,000, which the Hardy Boyz won. The match was widely praised and described as the match of the year by various reviewers. At Survivor Series on November 14, Edge and Christian and The Hardy Boyz faced Too Cool and The Hollys in a four-on-four Survivor Series elimination match where they lost. At Armageddon on December 12, Edge and Christian competed in an 8-team battle royal which
10281-483: The Hell's Gate, which she previously banned. After winning a tournament to determine who would face The Undertaker for the vacant championship, the two met at Judgment Day , which ended in Edge losing via countout. However, since championships cannot change hands via countout, no champion was crowned. A rematch was scheduled for One Night Stand , in a TLC match . On the May 23 episode of SmackDown , Vickie Guerrero added
10430-553: The ICW Street Fight Tag Team Championship twice. The duo of Hardcastle and Cage were known as Hard Impact before changing their name to The Suicide Blondes. They also worked in Japan under the name The Canadian Rockers. Copeland also wrestled as Damon Striker against Meng on an episode of WCW Pro in February 1996. (Copeland stated in 2021 the name was intended to be "Damien Striker", but
10579-501: The June 22, 1998 episode of Raw as Edge. Copeland took the name Edge from an Albany radio station . Weeks before his WWE debut in 1998, vignettes were aired depicting Edge as a loner , mysteriously roaming across New York City in various locations such as on rooftops and the subway. The vignettes also depicted him, as Jim Ross described it on his debut as "some sort of a tortured soul", by showing an excessive amount of rage and beating up on innocent pedestrians. A female voice
10728-434: The May 7 episode of Raw , Edge interrupted an in-ring promo by the winner of the 2007 Money in the Bank contract, Mr. Kennedy . Kennedy had said for weeks that he would not cash in the contract until the following WrestleMania, but Edge decided to goad him into a match for his briefcase. Edge attacked Kennedy before the match even started, severely injuring his shoulder, and took advantage of the injury to beat Kennedy and take
10877-526: The Ministry after Christian was attacked by Ken Shamrock and forced to reveal the location of the captive Stephanie McMahon . The Undertaker chose to have Christian punished for his trespass, but Edge and Gangrel stood by him and betrayed The Undertaker, leading to a brief feud with the Ministry. At Backlash: In Your House on April 25, the Brood faced Ministry members Bradshaw , Faarooq , and Mideon in
11026-682: The NWA World Heavyweight Champion was not around. Another common classification of championships are by weight classes . Given the scripted nature of professional wrestling matches, weight classes are not always strictly adhered to. Typically, promotions prefer to have a heavyweight title as their top prize, with other designations, such as cruiserweight , middleweight , or light-heavyweight titles. Promotions often have one sub-heavyweight classification, while others sometimes may have more. Mountevans' committee (a governing body that instilled rules for professional wrestling in
11175-418: The November 30 episode of SmackDown! , a match that ended after The Undertaker interfered. At Armageddon , Edge won his second World Heavyweight Championship, after giving The Undertaker two chair shots and pinning the defending champion Batista (who had been Tombstoned by The Undertaker prior) in a Triple Threat match. During the match, Edge used two look-a-likes to distract Batista and The Undertaker. It
11324-540: The October 29 episode of SmackDown , Edge defeated Rey Mysterio and Alberto Del Rio to become the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship at Survivor Series . On the November 12 episode of SmackDown , Edge lost his match with David Otunga , thanks to Paul Bearer 's interference. Edge then kidnapped Bearer and used him to cost Kane his match with Big Show . The following week, Edge tortured Paul Bearer, forcing him to play dodgeball and force-feeding him, planning to wear down Kane. He then ambushed Kane in
11473-485: The UK) created seven formal weight divisions: Classifying championships into weight classes is also common practice in the lucha libre promotions of Mexico . Lucha libre has a detailed weight class system patterned after boxing. Each weight class has an official upper limit, but examples of wrestlers who are technically too heavy to hold their title can be found. The following weight classes exist in lucha libre, as defined by
11622-499: The United States Championship. From there, Edge was placed in a feud with William Regal for the Intercontinental Championship. Edge first defeated Regal at Vengeance on December 9 to retain the championship: however, he would come up short in the new year, losing the title to Regal at the Royal Rumble on January 20, 2002, and then coming up short in his rematch against Regal at No Way Out on February 17 in
11771-532: The WWF during the Invasion storyline . Christian betrayed Edge shortly afterward, and the two feuded over Edge's Intercontinental Championship (which he won at SummerSlam on August 19) that he later lost to Christian at Unforgiven on September 23, though Edge later captured the title in a ladder match at No Mercy on October 21. Following this, Edge evolved as a determined and hungry competitor who claimed that
11920-522: The WWF without an official contract. The company also paid for his outstanding college debt, which was around $ 40,000. After a Grand Prix Wrestling tour in the summer of 1997, De Marco urged Copeland to go to Calgary , where Hart was informally training wrestlers while recovering from knee surgery. He spent his tour earnings on a plane ticket and landed with no money or place to stay. He called Johnny Smith , whom he met twice, and Smith agreed to give him food and shelter. Smith also drove Copeland to and from
12069-418: The World Heavyweight Championship for a record sixth time and making him a ten time World Champion. Edge then defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Kane in a winning effort in a Last Man Standing match on the January 7 episode of SmackDown , thus ending their feud. At the Royal Rumble on January 30, 2011, Edge successfully defended his World Heavyweight Championship against Dolph Ziggler . On
12218-496: The World Heavyweight Championship in a triple threat match against both Hardy and Punk, but was pinned by Punk. Edge won the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship (the unified version of the World Tag Team Championship from the Raw brand and the WWE Tag Team Championship from the SmackDown brand) with Chris Jericho at The Bash on June 28 after he and Jericho were inserted into what was originally
12367-454: The World Heavyweight Championship over Rey Mysterio at the Royal Rumble and again at No Way Out in February. Also that month, he proposed to Vickie, which she accepted. At WrestleMania XXIV in March, Edge lost the World Heavyweight Championship to The Undertaker when he tapped out to the Hell's Gate . The match was booked for Edge to retain and break the streak, but Edge refused to break
12516-443: 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. Copeland first retired in 2011 due to several neck injuries and
12665-501: The World Tag Team Championship, making Edge a record eleven-time tag team champion. At Survivor Series on November 26, Rated-RKO teamed with Johnny Nitro , Mike Knox and Gregory Helms to face Team DX (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, CM Punk, Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy) in a Survivor Series match, but lost when all members of Team Rated-RKO were eliminated in a clean sweep. Also that month, Lita retired, and her on-screen relationship with Edge abruptly ended, with no explanation. As part of
12814-523: The WrestleMania 21 card altogether. However, he was talked into competing by the other participants like Jericho and Glenn Jacobs who said the match had the potential to be a big success. At Backlash on May 1, Edge defeated Chris Benoit in a Last Man Standing match to end the feud. Several weeks after, Edge was then paired with Lita , his real-life girlfriend at the time, in an angle in which she betrayed her storyline husband Kane, by costing him
12963-478: The arena lights coming back on to reveal their target covered in "blood". All three members of the group had long blond hair, with Gangrel and Christian wearing white shirts and dark pants, while Edge stuck to his long leather coat from his previous persona before joining The Brood. Copeland has mentioned feeling insecure about his previous character and welcomed the opportunity to join The Brood, feeling it gave him
13112-442: The attack by Batista, was easily pinned by Punk after a Go To Sleep , losing the World Heavyweight Championship. Due to this win, the championship became exclusive to the Raw brand. On the July 4 episode of SmackDown , Edge took his frustrations out on Vickie because he lost the title and told her the wedding was off. The following week, however, after Guerrero saved Edge from a con-chair-to by The Big Show , Edge re-proposed, and
13261-451: The audience vote to receive the title shot, giving Edge and Benoit a tag team title shot against La Résistance. They regained the titles. During the match, an angry Edge abandoned Benoit and instead interfered in the World Heavyweight Championship match, costing Michaels the championship. On the November 1 episode of Raw , Edge and Benoit lost the World Tag Team Championship back to La Résistance with Edge abandoning Benoit again and sitting in
13410-583: The bills, taking numerous jobs and then receiving a diploma in radio broadcasting from Humber College before resuming his wrestling training. Copeland made his professional wrestling debut on Canada Day 1992, in an event at Monarch Park Stadium in Toronto. Throughout the 1990s, Copeland wrestled on the independent circuit in Ontario and the Great Lakes region of the United States under
13559-491: The briefcase. Edge thus became the first person to gain the Money in the Bank contract twice and the first not to do so in the ladder match. On the May 11 episode of SmackDown! in Pittsburgh , World Heavyweight Champion The Undertaker retained his title against Batista in a steel cage match. Then, Mark Henry attacked The Undertaker. Despite being part of the Raw roster, Edge would appear and cash in his Money in
13708-458: The championship belts in boxing , and other combat sports such as mixed martial arts . They are made of elaborately designed plates of gold or other precious metals , usually bearing the name of the title and the wrestling promotion, and is on a leather strap. The color and designs vary with each title and promotion. A wrestler may win a sanctioned championship and redesign the belt itself. Some (such as John Cena 's Spinner Belt) later became
13857-412: The championship to John Cena in a Triple Threat match, which also included Big Show, but regained the championship for a fifth time at Backlash on April 26, when he defeated Cena in a Last Man Standing match , after interference by Big Show. After a successful defense against Jeff Hardy at Judgment Day on May 17, he lost the title to Hardy at Extreme Rules on June 7 in a ladder match. While Hardy
14006-411: The championship. This rule is most commonly applied to the standard 2-on-2 tag team championship, though it has also been applied to the other variants. Tag team championships are also often combined with regional modifiers, gimmick modifiers, gender modifiers, and weight class modifiers to further distinguish them. In such cases, the primary title is usually called the world tag team championship , with
14155-478: The city they were in. They used unique phrases like "reek of awesomeness" and wore outrageous costumes. One of their trademark moves was the "five-second pose" where they would strike odd poses in the ring for fans to take photos, often ridiculing their opponents or aspects of the local pride to rile up the crowd. This included mocking Elvis Presley in Memphis or imitating Bill Buckner's 1986 World Series error at
14304-756: The company's most prolific PPV performers. After his WWE contract expired in September 2023, he joined rival promotion AEW the following month, debuting at the WrestleDream PPV. He went on to win the AEW TNT Championship twice. Aside from professional wrestling, Copeland has acted in the films Highlander: Endgame (2000), Bending the Rules (2012) and Money Plane (2020). 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
14453-410: The confidence he needed at the time. At Rock Bottom: In Your House on December 13, The Brood defeated The J.O.B. Squad in a six-man tag team match. At the Royal Rumble on January 24, 1999, Edge competed in the 30-man Royal Rumble match and was eliminated by Road Dogg . The Brood was later abducted and converted into The Undertaker 's Ministry of Darkness . In May 1999, the Brood broke away from
14602-487: The counterpart to the male TNT Championship. Sister promotion ROH introduced a similar title for their women's division, ROH Women's World Television Championship . Tag team championships are yet another different form of wrestling title. Some consider it to be a style championship, but tag team championships are unique in their ability to include multiple wrestlers on teams competing for multiple belts. The most common form of tag team championships are in 2-on-2 format, which
14751-520: The creation of title belts. In these classifications, special skills in a certain type of match or a certain style of wrestling is the signature of the division, and the champion is considered to be the most skilled wrestler at that specific style. Gimmick championships often take very differing forms. A common variation is the "hardcore championship", a title often defended in weapons-filled and bloody competitions with fewer rules (count outs and disqualifications are not usually allowed). An active example of
14900-499: The event, Edge interfered in the WWE Championship match between John Cena and challenger Rob Van Dam , helping Van Dam win the title after he speared Cena through a table. While Edge lost a match for the WWE title at Vengeance , he won the championship on the July 3 episode of Raw during a triple threat match. This angle re-ignited Edge's feud with Cena, retaining the title against him at SummerSlam . The night after SummerSlam, Lita disposed of Cena's customized "spinner" belt into
15049-416: The event. At Backlash on April 18, Edge defeated Kane, and on the April 19 episode of Raw , he and World Heavyweight Champion Chris Benoit won the World Tag Team Championship from Batista and Ric Flair . They continued a close partnership even after losing the title; at Bad Blood on June 13, Edge and Benoit defeated La Résistance (who defeated them for the titles on the May 31 episode of Raw ) in
15198-399: The feud ended in a stretcher match on the July 25 episode of Raw that Edge won, but shortly after, Kane performed a tombstone piledriver on Lita and later abducted her in an ambulance. On the July 11 episode of Raw , Edge's match with Kane was interrupted when Matt Hardy made a surprise appearance. Hardy referred to Edge by his real name and issued a threat to Lita as well. When Hardy
15347-435: The feud, Gangrel introduced Christian, Edge's storyline brother, as his ally. Eventually, Gangrel and Christian convinced Edge to join them, and the three of them formed an alliance known as The Brood . The group's gimmick was that of a clan of vampires , although they were often merely described by announcers as living a " gothic lifestyle ". The trio would often make a dramatic entrance into arenas by emerging through
15496-570: The following months before deciding to have the surgery, as he was gradually in more pain and did not want to risk dropping an opponent dangerously because of his numb arms. At No Way Out on February 23, Edge was written off television through a backstage attack. He then underwent surgery with Dr. Lloyd Youngblood and was sidelined for over a year. Edge was drafted to the Raw brand in the 2004 WWE draft lottery on March 22, 2004, where he speared Eric Bischoff and returned to in-ring action shortly after
15645-417: The garage when he was a few feet from Paul Bearer and drove away with his hostage. At Survivor Series on November 21, Edge failed to win the title after the referee determined the match a draw, due to both men pinning each other at the same time. On December 19, 2010, Edge defeated Kane , Rey Mysterio , and Alberto Del Rio in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs to win
15794-463: The gym and Hart's house, where he trained alongside Ken Shamrock , Test , Mark Henry and Kurrgan . Copeland returned to the Maritimes for another Grand Prix tour before going back to Hart's house, bringing Christian with him. After this camp, Hart was impressed enough to put in a good word for both men at the WWF. Copeland received a developmental contract with the WWF in 1997. His first match
15943-510: The injury becomes too severe and the championship is too important. In May 2015, Daniel Bryan vacated the WWE Intercontinental Championship due to a major concussion and a year before, he had to vacate the world title due to neck surgery. In November 2015, Seth Rollins vacated the WWE World Heavyweight Championship due to a knee injury that required surgery. However, a champion may keep their title despite
16092-402: The longest in the match with a time of 44 minutes, eliminating 5 men and making it to the final 4 in the match before getting eliminated by Shawn Michaels. With Triple H out of action, the team continued their on-screen rivalry with remaining DX member Shawn Michaels. Michaels teamed with John Cena to defeat Rated-RKO for the World Tag Team Championship on January 29, 2007. Edge and Orton suffered
16241-475: The main event in a five-on-five elimination match against The Nexus. This saw him enter into a feud with the anonymous Raw General Manager , during which the general manager cost him several matches. At Night of Champions on September 19, Edge participated in a six-pack elimination challenge for the WWE Championship, but once again failed to win the title. At the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view on October 3, Edge defeated Jack Swagger . The next night on Raw , he
16390-502: The main event saw John Cena , the reigning WWE Champion, defend his title in an Elimination Chamber match . After a bloody Cena won the match, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon revealed that Edge was cashing in his Money in the Bank contract to face Cena for the championship immediately. After two spears, Edge quickly defeated Cena to win the WWE Championship , marking his first world title win. The following night on Raw , Edge decided to celebrate his victory by having "hot, unbridled sex" in
16539-538: The major teams that revived tag team wrestling during the Attitude Era . 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,
16688-506: The match wasn't booked this way. Edge explained in an interview in 2021 with Loudwire: "During the match we did this thing where I pinned [Jeff Jarrett] and the crowd thought I won and then they were gonna reverse it, but then Jack Lanza, who was the road agent at the time, walked out and said, ‘Go get your belt.’ I went, ‘Whaaaa?’ We're calling an audible here!” He lost the title the next night to Jarrett at Fully Loaded on July 25. At SummerSlam on August 22, Edge and Christian competed in
16837-409: The match, Edge eliminated both Benoit and Jericho before getting eliminated by Orton. On the November 29 episode of Raw , both Edge and Benoit competed in a number one contender's battle royal , but they eliminated each other simultaneously at the conclusion of the match, resulting in a draw. As a result, Triple H was forced to defend the title in a triple threat match . In the match, Benoit locked
16986-432: The match, Hardy left the Raw brand to go to the SmackDown! brand, while Edge suffered a legit torn pectoralis major muscle that kept him shelved for a couple of months. During his time off, he starred in his own talk show segment on Raw entitled The Cutting Edge , dubbing himself the " Rated-R Superstar". Edge used his talk show to start a feud with Ric Flair following Flair's well-publicized arrest in connection with
17135-417: The middle of the ring. He and Lita engaged in foreplay until they were interrupted by Flair, who called Edge a disgrace and "that he was horrible in the sack". Flair, however, ended up on the receiving end of a con-chair-to on the announcers' table until Cena came out to Flair's aid and performed an FU on Lita. The "Live Sex Celebration" segment earned Raw a 5.2 rating, the highest Raw rating in over
17284-576: The most prestigious of those contested within a promotion. The wrestler holding a championship with this name is most commonly referred to as the "world heavyweight champion" or "world champion" (though some promotions may use synonymous/alternate terms, such as the AAA Mega Championship of Lucha Libre AAA World Wide or the Undisputed WWE Championship , the premier title of WWE ). Since professional wrestling
17433-432: The official belt design. Others (such as Stone Cold Steve Austin 's Smoking Skull Belt, Edge 's Rated-R Spinner, Daniel Bryan 's eco-friendly belt, and The Fiend Bray Wyatt 's Universal title with his face on it) were not used after their respective title reign. While rare, there are cases of championships being represented with items other than belts, such as championship trophies, medals, crowns, etc. An example of this
17582-701: The on-screen caption of the name was incorrectly written. ) In the summer of 1995, he worked a show in Ajax, Ontario , where Bret Hart 's business manager, Carl De Marco , was watching. Impressed, he suggested Copeland send an audition tape to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). On May 10, 1996, Copeland replaced Bob Holly 's opponent on short notice in the opening match of a WWF house show as Sexton Hardcastle in Hamilton, Ontario . In 1996, Copeland initially made $ 210 per week while working for
17731-552: The other categories listed here (e.g. women's world titles or women's tag team titles). Andy Kaufman once used gender classifications to his advantage, turning inter-gender competitions into a unique wrestling side-show. Kaufman declared himself the "Inter-Gender Champion of the World", and offered $ 1,000 to any woman who could pin him. None were successful during the run of the gimmick; though in other promotions such as WCW and WWE , women have successfully pinned men, most notably in
17880-413: The other championships seen as secondary titles. Examples of 2-on-2 tag team championships: Examples of 3-on-3 tag team championships: Examples of 4-on-4 tag team championships: Examples of 5-on-5 tag team championships: The concept of championships, and their central role in wrestling, allows for the potential for angles . One such angle is an unsanctioned championship title. These are claimed by
18029-465: The performers who show potential, thus allowing them greater exposure to the audience. However, other circumstances may also determine the use of a championship. A combination of a championship's lineage, the caliber of performers as champion, and the frequency and manner of title changes, dictates the audience's perception of the title's quality, significance, and reputation. A wrestler's championship accomplishments can be central to their career, becoming
18178-803: The promotion is based, an example being WWE's United States Championship . Sometimes it may specify a specific state or territory, such as the NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship . It is also common to be a smaller division of the world, an example being the WWE Intercontinental Championship , the AEW International Championship (previously known as the All-Atlantic Championship), or the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship . It
18327-544: The ring canvas, with flames rising from the hole. On November 23, at Survivor Series , Edge returned to WWE after an introduction by SmackDown General Manager and his on-screen wife Vickie Guerrero, replacing Jeff Hardy in the Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship involving champion Triple H and Vladimir Kozlov . He pinned Triple H to become the WWE Champion for the third time in his career. Edge lost
18476-430: The storyline angle, Rated-RKO attacked Ric Flair with steel chairs to enrage DX on the November 27 episode of Raw . At New Year's Revolution on January 7, 2007, Rated-RKO defended the World Tag Team Championship against DX, but the match was declared a no-contest when Triple H suffered a legitimate injury during the match. At the Royal Rumble on January 28, Edge competed in the 30-man Royal Rumble match where he lasted
18625-424: The streak, stating in an interview that it made zero sense, he was already a made man, and that he was already in the main event of WrestleMania and that was good enough for him. In a WrestleMania rematch, The Undertaker defeated Edge once again at Backlash to retain the World Heavyweight Championship. Following Backlash, The Undertaker was stripped of the World Heavyweight Championship by Vickie Guerrero for using
18774-555: The structure of title match combat sports . Participants compete for a championship, and must defend it after winning it. These titles are represented physically by a championship belt that is worn or carried by the champion(s). In the case of team wrestling, there is a belt for each member of the team. Almost all professional wrestling promotions have one major title, and some have more. Championships are designated by divisions of weight, height, gender, wrestling style, and other qualifications. Typically, each promotion only recognizes
18923-559: The tag team titles he had been stripped of. Edge and Orton met in a match at the Over the Limit pay-per-view on May 23, with the match resulting in a double countout. At Fatal 4-Way on June 20, Edge participated in a fatal four-way match that also included Orton, John Cena, and Sheamus for the WWE Championship, though Edge failed to win the title. Edge then participated in the Raw Money in
19072-475: The tag titles at Armageddon on December 10 in a fatal four-way match, but lost them eight days later to The Rock and The Undertaker. They won them back three days later on SmackDown! thanks to special guest referee Kurt Angle. During Edge and Christian's run as a tag team, they also competed as a team in the first three TLC matches, winning the first two over The Dudley Boyz and The Hardy Boyz, at SummerSlam in 2000 and then again at WrestleMania X-Seven . At
19221-510: The title due to a back injury she suffered in August. As a result, then-interim champion, Jamie Hayter , became the official champion. Before the 1980s when title matches were rare, some champions could keep their titles even when injured; Bruno Sammartino kept his WWWF World Heavyweight Championship from April to June 1976 despite being injured by a botched body slam from Stan Hansen . In Mexico , this situation still occurs, but in Japan , it
19370-527: The title eventually being won by Triple H. Later that night, Edge inserted himself into the World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber match after attacking Kofi Kingston and barricading himself inside one of the chamber's pods, proceeding to win his fourth World Heavyweight Championship, last eliminating Rey Mysterio and taking the title over to SmackDown. At WrestleMania 25 on April 5, Edge lost
19519-422: The title to Hardy at Armageddon on December 14 in a triple threat match, which also featured Triple H. At the Royal Rumble on January 25, 2009, however, Edge regained the title in a no disqualification match, following Matt Hardy 's interference. At No Way Out on February 15, Edge lost the WWE Championship in an Elimination Chamber match after being pinned by Jeff Hardy, being the first to be eliminated, with
19668-447: The titles against The Acolytes Protection Agency where they got disqualified but retained the titles. After retaining the titles at SummerSlam on August 27, at Unforgiven on September 24, Edge and Christian defended the titles against The Hardy Boyz in a steel cage match where they lost the titles and were not allowed another title shot. At No Mercy on October 22, Edge and Christian, masked as Los Conquistadores, defeated The Hardys for
19817-476: The titles, Mysterio and Edge defeated Los Guerreros in a number one contender's match on the October 24 episode of SmackDown! to earn a title shot. At the Rebellion pay-per-view on October 26, Edge faced Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman in a Handicap match for the WWE Championship where Lesnar retained the title after Lesnar pinned Edge. On the November 7 episode of SmackDown! , they defeated Angle and Benoit in
19966-518: The titles. The next night on Raw , the Hardy Boyz dressed as the Los Conquistadores and defeated Edge in a handicap match after Christian was taken out backstage to regain the WWF Tag Team Championship. At Survivor Series on November 19, Edge and Christian teamed with Right to Censor 's Bull Buchanan and The Goodfather in a four-on-four Survivor Series elimination match, where they lost to The Dudley Boyz and The Hardy Boyz, They regained
20115-461: The top championships were on SmackDown, as WWE Champion Triple H was drafted to SmackDown in the WWE draft earlier that week. A vengeful Batista then appeared and incapacitated Edge with the Batista Bomb . Just as Batista was leaving, CM Punk ran to the ring carrying his Money in the Bank briefcase, with referee in tow, who then cashed in the briefcase. Edge, who was still knocked down from
20264-399: The vacant World Heavyweight Championship. Special guest referee Shawn Michaels performed a superkick on Edge, in retaliation for an accidental spear by Edge, causing Edge to be the first eliminated. This led to a match at the Royal Rumble on January 30, in which Edge defeated Michaels. Edge also competed in the Royal Rumble match later that night, where he lasted until the final three but
20413-451: The wedding was back on. On the July 18 episode of SmackDown , at the wedding reception, Triple H came out and showed a video of Edge cheating on Guerrero the day before with the wedding planner, Alicia Fox . At The Great American Bash on July 20, Edge faced Triple H for the WWE Championship in a losing effort. Edge attempted to apologize to Guerrero, but she revealed to him that she had rehired The Undertaker and that Edge would face him in
20562-475: The win. At Breakdown: In Your House on September 27, Edge faced Owen Hart in a losing effort making it his first loss on WWF TV. On the October 11 edition of Sunday Night Heat , Edge defeated Vader in Vader's final televised WWF match and at WWF Capital Carnage on December 6, Edge faced Tiger Ali Singh in a losing effort. Edge was then placed in a feud against the vampire wrestler Gangrel . During
20711-646: Was George Hackenschmidt . The lineage of many prominent contemporary world championships can be traced back to the World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship, with the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship considered its direct successor , with many world championships having been spun of from the NWA's title. A very common championship variation. The championship usually specifies the location on where
20860-452: Was a response to the interference of Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch . It led to Edge approaching Randy Orton and asking him to join forces to defeat DX, which Orton accepted and joined an alliance with Edge. The two formed the tag team Rated-RKO . At Cyber Sunday on November 5, Rated-RKO defeated DX with Eric Bischoff as the special guest referee. On the November 13 episode of Raw , Rated-RKO defeated Ric Flair and Roddy Piper to win
21009-592: Was celebrating, CM Punk cashed in his Money in the Bank and defeated Hardy to win the World Heavyweight Championship. The following night on Raw , Guerrero resigned as the Raw General Manager due to being humiliated, and Edge came out to apologize. Instead, however, he confessed he married Guerrero only because she had authoritative powers as the General Manager, and sought a divorce . On the June 15 episode of Raw , Edge received his rematch for
21158-410: Was eliminated by Batista and John Cena . At WrestleMania 21 on April 3, Edge won the first ever Money in the Bank ladder match , gaining a contract that gave him a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship within one year. According to a podcast interview with Chris Jericho, Copeland said that he did not initially like the idea of the ladder match and even told WWE management not to include him on
21307-612: 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
21456-577: Was later revealed that these look-a-likes were the Major Brothers , who were then repackaged as Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder . Edge also formed an alliance with Chavo Guerrero , nephew of Vickie Guerrero, and on the January 22, 2008 broadcast of ECW , he assisted Chavo in winning the ECW Championship from CM Punk . This group eventually came under the name of La Familia (Spanish for "The Family"). Edge then successfully defended
21605-421: Was officially brought back to Raw, he and Edge continued their feud, including a match at SummerSlam on August 21 where Edge defeated Hardy, causing Hardy to have excessive blood loss. A week later on Raw , after a match Hardy had with Rob Conway , Edge then appeared and overpowered Hardy. He then wedged Hardy's head between the steel steps and the ringpost, and then kicked the steel steps into Hardy's head. On
21754-422: Was on June 16 (aired June 22) against Jose Estrada Jr. , which ended prematurely by countout when Edge performed a somersault senton from the ring to the outside, legitimately injuring Estrada's neck. In his first pay-per-view match at SummerSlam on August 30, he served as Sable 's mystery tag team partner defeating Jacqueline and Marc Mero , and slammed Sable onto Mero in a pinning position to pick up
21903-560: Was on November 10, 1997, in Ottawa, Ontario losing to CFL football star Glen Kulka . The next day in Cornwall, Ontario , he faced and defeated Christian Cage at Shotgun taping in a dark match, this match is included on WWE Home Video 's 2008 retrospective, Edge: A Decade of Decadence . From March to June 1998, Copeland appeared in many house shows and dark matches. Upon completing his training, Copeland made his WWF television debut on
22052-498: Was traded back to SmackDown for CM Punk, due to him destroying the Anonymous Raw General Manager's computer, turning face once again . On the October 15 episode of SmackDown , he defeated Dolph Ziggler to become part of Team SmackDown at Bragging Rights . At Bragging Rights on October 24, Edge won the match for Team SmackDown alongside Rey Mysterio , eliminating R-Truth, John Morrison and The Miz. On
22201-407: Was won by The Acolytes. At the Royal Rumble on January 23, 2000, Edge competed in the Royal Rumble match where he was eliminated by Al Snow and Val Venis. At No Way Out on February 27, Edge and Christian defeated The Hardy Boyz in a tag team match to determine the number one contenders to the WWF Tag Team Championship. At WrestleMania 2000 on April 2, Edge and Christian defeated the Hardy Boyz and
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