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Adam Copeland presented another edition of the "Cope Open" on AEW Collision, which was answered by former WWE United States Champion Matt Cardona (fka Zack Ryder). In a phenomenal post-match promo, The Indy God challenged The Rated-R Superstar for another match, this time in his hometown.
After making just one appearance for AEW nearly 1300 days ago, Matt Cardona returned to the company and answered Adam Copeland's open challenge for the TNT Championship. Cardona and Copeland put on a solid match for the televised audience, with The Rated-R Superstar retaining his belt.
After the clash, the cameras caught up with Cardona, and he passionately revealed what Adam Copeland meant to him. The former Intercontinental Champion never imagined he'd get to wrestle his former mentor and was grateful to have finally gotten the chance.
Cardona might not be done with Copeland, however. He wants another match, this time in Long Island, New York.
"Always ready, right? It's not a nickname. Not a catchphrase. It's the way I live my life, my career, and everything that he's taught me, even things he doesn't know he has taught me," said Cardona. "Just the things before I knew him, even now, he is The Rated-R Superstar, But because of what he taught me, I am a self-made superstar. I didn't win tonight, but Adam, if you're watching this, maybe we should go to Long Island, New York, and put that title on the line because I'm always ready!" [From 00:41 to 01:19]
Matt Cardona on how important Adam Copeland is to his career
Every pro wrestler has a dream match they want before retiring, and for Matt Cardona, it was always against Adam Copeland. Cardona idolized Copeland, not just in wrestling but also in real life, as the former WWE World Champion inspired him by reaching the pinnacle of WWE.
In the same interview, Matt Cardona even named Copeland's long-time friend and on-screen rival, Christian Cage, while mentioning how their success gave him hope about making it big in wrestling.
Cardona added:
"'Who is your dream match?' This is literally my dream match, and I'm not even talking about our history, the Edge Heads, and all that. He taught me everything that I know in this business. He saved my career, even before I became a pro wrestler. Just looking up to Adam, looking up to Jey, those were the guys. When they made it to the top of thisubusiness, maybe someone like me can." [From 00:06 to 00:32]
As his catchphrase suggests, Matt Cardona is always ready and could pop up again on AEW TV. However, a rematch against Copeland, possibly outside AEW, sounds mouth-watering.
