WWE Hall of Famer Adam Copeland looks back on infamous match: “It felt like a no-win situation"

AEW's Adam Copeland (fka Edge) has been to the top of the mountain in the wrestling industry, but he's also suffered some low points. Fans still look back on his bout against Randy Orton at WWE Backlash 2020—advertised as "The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever"—with regret, and Copeland has now shared his thoughts on it.

Edge vs. Orton at Backlash 2020 lasted almost 45 minutes, and many fans thought it was a plodding affair, far from the greatest match ever. It didn't help that it took place during the Covid-19 pandemic with no fans in attendance.

In a recent conversation with Kenny McIntosh for Inside the Ropes Magazine, Adam Copeland said the match felt like a "no-win situation" due to the events surrounding it. The WWE Hall of Famer claims to be proud of the bout but wishes they'd had an audience in the building:

"It felt like a no-win situation. I definitely wish that Backlash match could have been in front of more than just 20 students at the PC, because I’m still really proud of it, and the circumstances that Randy and I were put in to pull something off were pretty ridiculous. You tell me, ‘We’re going to build the greatest wrestling match ever, only there’s no audience.’ Well, what does that even mean? There’s no such thing as the greatest anything, unless you’re in an actual athletic contest. We know who the best hockey team is, they win the Stanley Cup. There’s no such thing as a greatest match, because it’s different for everybody. But okay, here we go, let’s give something a shot here. And it was super fun. It was a great challenge, but I wish that one had an audience, for sure."

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Adam Copeland had to be talked into competing in the first Money in the Bank match

By 2005, Adam Copeland (fka Edge) was ready to climb into the main event scene. However, before that happened, WWE wanted him to climb an actual ladder.

The first-ever Money in the Bank Ladder Match was set to take place at WrestleMania 21. Edge was booked for the bout (and ultimately won it), but he had reservations about the whole thing. In his view, ladder matches were put together for talents the company had nothing else for.

In the same interview with Kenny McIntosh for Inside the Ropes Magazine, Adam Copeland revealed that he didn't want to be in the inaugural MITB Ladder Match:

“I said, 'I don’t want to be in it.' That the ladder thing felt like a crutch, and it definitely for me, like, you don’t have anything for me, so just chuck me in a ladder match. I feel like Christian was put in that. I feel like after the Money in the Bank, Shelton got put into that role, and it’s not a bad role. But at a certain point, you go, okay, I gotta move past this. I got to get past these to get to where I want to get to, which is the main event."

Adam Copeland further claimed that he didn't realize at the time that the match would be his launching pad into WWE's main event scene. He went on to cash in the briefcase in January 2006 to become WWE Champion.