Adam Copeland and Christian Cage made their surprise return to AEW at Revolution on Sunday night, confronting FTR shortly after the champions successfully defended the AEW World Tag Team Championships against the Young Bucks.
The highly anticipated tag title bout saw FTR retain the championships, but the bigger story came moments later when Copeland and Cage appeared to confront the champions.
The duo — now referring to themselves as “Cope & Cage” — had not appeared on AEW programming since September. Their absence followed a storyline attack by FTR that targeted Copeland’s wife, Beth Phoenix, the former WWE star. Prior to stepping away, Copeland and Cage had actually scored a victory over FTR at AEW All Out that same month.
FTR vs. Young Bucks Delivers Another Classic
The match itself began with Matt Jackson and Dax Harwood exchanging heated words before the confrontation quickly turned physical. Both teams traded strikes and high-impact offense in a fast-paced battle that spilled both inside and outside the ring.
A turning point came when FTR delivered a spike piledriver to Matt Jackson on the apron, while Nick Jackson was left bloodied near the announce table during the chaos.
With Nick badly busted open, FTR seized control and focused their attack on the injured Jackson. Nick eventually fought back and managed to open up Harwood as well, leaving both competitors covered in blood during the closing stretch of the match.
The bout also featured some ringside drama involving members of the Jackson family seated in the front row, who attempted to rally the Young Bucks while being taunted by the champions.
After a dramatic sequence filled with near-falls and interference from Stokely Hathaway, FTR finally sealed the victory by hitting an Avalanche Shatter Machine on Nick Jackson to retain the titles.
Copeland & Cage Send a Message
Following the match, the arena lights went down and the crowd erupted when Adam Copeland returned to AEW, bringing Christian Cage with him.
The returning duo quickly targeted FTR, laying out the champions and making their intentions clear as they held up the AEW Tag Team Championships.
Their return signals that a major tag title showdown could be on the horizon, with Copeland and Cage seemingly setting their sights on FTR.
FTR’s Title Reign Continues
With the victory, FTR’s current tag team title reign reaches 114 days. The Revolution win marked their fourth successful defense during this run and the third time they’ve held the AEW World Tag Team Championships.
