Hulk Hogan is among the many questioning Adam Copeland’s decision to leap from the top of a cage at AEW’s Double or Nothing, which resulted in a broken leg for Hogan’s former tag team partner.
Appearing as a guest on The Outbound Life podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer covered many topics, including the art of professional wrestling. While doing so, Hogan mentioned Copeland, whom he won the WWE Tag Team Titles with in 2002. Referring to Copeland by his stage name in WWE, Hogan couldn’t make sense of The Rated-R Superstar’s mindset in attempting such a dangerous stunt.
“I haven’t talked to him yet, but trained professional — twilight of his career — jumps off the top. Please explain that to me. He’s over. Most guys who do that go up and do it because they are not over enough. Edge was over. To do that, I just don’t get it,” said Hogan.
In May, the 50-year-old Copeland broke his leg attempting an elbow drop from the top of a cage onto Malakai Black, who was on a table. Despite finishing the match, Copeland later confirmed that he fractured his tibia.
In explaining his thought process, Copeland said, “I’ve been feeling really good lately, been having so much fun in the ring, and I got cocky, I guess, is it what it really boils down to,” before adding, “I need to make better choices.”
During his conversation with The Outbound Life, Hogan defined what putting on a “work” means in professional wrestling, saying, “The goal is to make it look like you’re tearing someone’s head off without actually hurting them.” This logic likely also applies to avoiding self-injury, especially when a wrestler is as popular as Copeland, a fact that still befuddles Hogan.
“I just didn’t get it. It didn’t mean anything because Edge was so over. So over. He didn’t need that,” said Hogan.