Adam Copeland might be heading down a darker path in AEW, and the company could have quietly planted the seeds for a heel turn during the November 4 episode of Dynamite. The ending of Blood & Guts has already raised questions about where Copeland’s character goes next, especially after Will Ospreay’s reaction to his decision.
The men’s Blood & Guts match ended in chaos after Kyle Fletcher and the Don Callis Family gained control of the situation. With several members of Copeland’s team in danger, Fletcher gave him an ultimatum: surrender or watch his teammates suffer even more punishment.
Copeland eventually surrendered, handing the victory to the Don Callis Family. That didn’t stop the punishment, as Fletcher immediately ordered Wardlow to throw Darby Allin off the top of the cage. Allin crashed through a stack of tables below, leaving Copeland’s sacrifice looking completely pointless.
During the November 5 edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer pointed out that Will Ospreay wasn’t happy with Copeland’s decision to surrender. That reaction could become important if AEW decides to build tension between the two.
“So one of the things in. When Copeland submitted, Osprey was pissed at him.”
Bryan Alvarez went even further, suggesting that AEW may have used the finish to begin setting up a heel turn for Copeland. He believes the match accomplished several things at once, including giving Kyle Fletcher a major victory heading into his championship match against Ospreay.
“Well, yeah, because I think there were a lot of things that happened here. Like you’ve set up the Osprey Kyle match. Kyle got the big win going to the match with the champion. Copeland is for sure turning heel, and this was, I’m sure, the impetus for that.”
That’s where things get interesting. Copeland surrendered because he wanted to protect his teammates, but Ospreay clearly didn’t appreciate the decision. If AEW continues playing up that disagreement, it could eventually give Copeland a reason to turn against the people he was trying to save.
There’s also the fact that Copeland has every reason to feel frustrated. He gave up the match to prevent further punishment, only for Fletcher to have Wardlow throw Allin off the cage anyway. If his teammates start blaming him for the loss, that frustration could easily turn into resentment.
Of course, AEW hasn’t confirmed any plans to turn Copeland heel, and this could simply be a way to create some temporary tension between teammates. Still, Copeland has a long history of playing a villain, and the company now has a situation that could justify bringing that side of him back.
The real test will be how Copeland responds when he returns to address what happened at Blood & Guts. He could stand by his decision and continue fighting alongside his teammates, or AEW could slowly turn his frustration into something much bigger. Either way, the company has an opportunity to take his character in a completely different direction without forcing the change out of nowhere.
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