Adam Copeland Credits Matt Hardy Feud For Helping Him As a Performer

Adam Copeland says that his feud with Matt Hardy in WWE helped him realize the value of moments beyond just moves. Copeland and Hardy famously engaged in a heated feud in 2005 that was built-off by their real-life situation where Copeland had an affair with Lita when she was dating Hardy.

Copeland appeared on The Sheet with Jeff Marek and during the conversation, he was asked about when he realized the value in his performance skills as a character as opposed to the in-ring action. He noted it was the feud with Hardy and talked about how it’s important to make a connection with fans. You can see the highlights below:

On When He Found His Stride As a Performer:

“I think honestly it was probably the program with Matt Hardy, is when I started to put together what exactly was going to move me beyond where I was at. And that was taking my time and making sure that that camera can get that shot. And giving the camera that extra time and giving the producer in the truck that extra time to be able to cut to it.

“And I know, ‘Okay ahh, we’re live. Okay, now I can hit them with the look. They saw where I’m at, they changed the camera angle. Here we go, Let’s get the shot.’ That, to me, is super fun. Now I start thinking more like a director as opposed to a wrestler. And now I’m thinking of shots, because shots become moments.”

On the Importance Of Moments Over Moves:

“And moments are what actually stay and resonate with an audience. They don’t remember, ‘Oh, there was that poisonrana.’ No. They may remember a spear off of a ladder, just because of the spectacle of it and the flash bulbs in the background when there’s still cameras and disposable cameras.

“But to me it’s — moves are great, but it’s all about making a connection. I would rather the people be chanting ‘Copeland’ than ‘ECW,’ or whatever company you’re in. To me, that means you’ve made the connection now. Or ‘This is awesome.’ Those are all great and everything, but I want to make that connection now. It’s like Pavlov’s dog, everybody’s just trained to do that. ‘Oh, this is awesome.’ You know, that kind of thing, right? But when you truly start to make strides and when you truly start to get over is when they connect to you.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit The Sheet with Jeff Marek with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.