Jim Ross, on the latest edition of ‘Grilling JR,’ discussed signing Adam Copeland to WWE back in the 1990s, where he’d then go on to have an illustrious career as Edge, becoming an 11-time World Champion, a WWE Hall of Famer, and an all-time great.
Highlighting the pivotal role Bret Hart played in his signing. Ross recounted how Hart’s endorsement was all it took to secure Copeland’s place in WWE, emphasizing that Bret Hart’s reputation in the wrestling industry made his recommendation highly influential. JR said
“We were aware of Adam’s abilities. He had a great personality, he was a total team guy — ‘Yes, sir. No, sir.’ He was very polite. His momma raised him well. God bless her. But Bret calling me to speak up in a positive way for Adam was really the cherry on the sundae. I mean, nobody in the business of wrestling was more respected than Bret Hart, so he was very effusive about Adam’s potential… Bret definitely did a great job of recruiting and selling him, and I’m sure glad he made that phone call.”
When it came to persuading Vince McMahon about Copeland’s potential, Ross disclosed that it was a straightforward task because the WWE chief also had faith in Edge. This trust went to the extent that WWE decided to alleviate Copeland’s substantial student loan burden. JR said,
“I looked at my [WWE] budget and the right thing to do was paying off Edge’s student loans. So you start your career debt-free, and that’s what we did. I’m glad Vince thought it was a great idea. At that time, Vince was sold — this kid had something.”