Summary

Stokely Hathaway said it has been a wild and surreal experience sharing the screen with Adam Copeland and Christian Cage as the rivalry between FTR and Cope and Cage continues in AEW.

With Cope and Cage set to challenge FTR for the AEW World Tag Team Championship at AEW Dynasty 2026, Hathaway said the full weight of the moment tends to hit him only after the television tapings are over.

Quote from Stokely Hathaway

Speaking during a recent interview, Hathaway said:

"It is unbelievable I would say, I don’t really think about it when I’m there at TV, Dynamite, Collision or whatever. But once I come home, or once I get on a plane, reality kind of hits. Even though I hate Cope and Christian, they are legends in their own right. So to be able to really stand toe-to-toe with them and to quote unquote work with them. It means a lot and it’s just such a wild, surreal experience. It’s going to mean even more when we destroy them on pay-per-view. I can have that as a part of my legacy and the history book of Stokely and FTR."

What AEW Dynasty means for Stokely, FTR, Cope and Cage

Hathaway's comments put extra focus on the AEW Dynasty tag title match, because he is framing this feud as more than another pay-per-view assignment. He is talking about Copeland and Christian as all-time names while also tying the match directly to his own legacy alongside FTR.

That also fits with Hathaway's recent praise for FTR, as he said in another recent AEW interview that this run has brought back his enjoyment of wrestling. If FTR vs. Cope and Cage is being presented internally and on-screen as this meaningful to Hathaway, it gives the Dynasty match a little more weight than a standard championship defense.

Sources

As reported by Fightful.