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Adam Copeland & Christian Cage Reunion Kicks Off With Win At AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door

It was a successful reunion for Cope and Christian at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door.
Rick Ucchino|
Christian Cage and Adam Copeland
Christian Cage and Adam Copeland | Ricky Havlik - All Elite Wrestling

It was a reunion well over a decade in the making and there was truly no other way it could have gone.

Adam Copeland and Christian Cage competed in their first tag team match together since 2011 Sunday afternoon, and despite some reluctance on the part of Cage at times, the pair defeated Kip Sabian and Killswitch to open up AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door.

Cope and Christian were a united front in their mission to win the match, but Cage very clearly wanted no part of the 6' 5" monster formerly known as Luchasaurus, and that led to Cope having to do much of the heavy lifting early on.

Sabian and Killswitch were unable to capitalize on the lack of early cohesion between the multi-time World Tag Team Champions, largely because they themselves could not get on the same page.

At several points throughout the match-up Sabian attempted to assert his dominance over his tag partner, but after suffering through months of abuse at the hands of Christian Cage, Killswitch was not about to take orders from one of his former sons.

Some rather intentional friendly fire would bust Sabian open around the midpoint of the match, and he would be streaming blood from just above his left eye until the finish.

With Killswitch neutralized on the outside of the ring, Sabian attempted secure the win by dropping his former father figure with his own signature move. Christian would shove him off into the ropes, and when Sabian bounced back, Cage was there to lift him in the air and right into position for a spear from Cope.

Christian would then cover Sabian and score the three count off of the damage inflicted by Copeland.

Cope and Christian would exchange a handshake after their victory, but Cage drew the line at sharing a hug. He squirmed his way out of an embrace attempt, despite the audience's insistence that they truly bury the hatchet.

What's next for Cope and Christian?

Christian Cage and Adam Copeland
Christian Cage and Adam Copeland | Ricky Havlik - All Elite Wrestling

Forbidden Door was just the first stop along the Cope and Christian reunion tour. The pair still have unfinished business with the currently injured Nick Wayne, and then there's FTR and Big Stoke.

Adam Copeland is desperate to get his receipts on Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler for their brutal assault on him back at AEW Dynasty in April, and it's possible that quest for revenge leads to Cope and Christian capturing tag team gold once again.

FTR will challenge for the AEW World Tag Team Championship at Forbidden Door in a 3-Way Elimination Match against The Hurt Syndicate and Brodido. Should they emerge victorious, watch out for a showdown with Cope and Christian at All Out next month in Toronto.

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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