By FirstSportz,Kshitiz Kumar Singh

Copyright yardbarker

Fans of WWE’s Ruthless Aggression Era will always remember the legendary rivalry between John Cena and Adam Copeland. The erstwhile Edge was the ultimate villain to Cena’s heroic character, and their clashes defined an era.

In fact, Copeland made history at New Year’s Revolution 2006 by becoming the first man to cash in the Money in the Bank contract, doing so against Cena right after he survived a brutal Elimination Chamber match to win the WWE Title.

Their battles didn’t stop there. Later that year, Cena handed Copeland his first-ever loss in a TLC match at Unforgiven, and the two went on to collide in countless classics, including a WrestleMania 25 triple threat with The Big Show. Their careers were intertwined for years, making Copeland one of Cena’s greatest rivals.

So when Cena stepped into the ring for his final SmackDown appearance on 5th September, it was only fitting that he paid tribute. In his United States Title match against Sami Zayn, a 25-minute barnburner inspired by Cena’s old US Open Challenge, the 17-time World Champion honored several of his contemporaries by borrowing their signature moves.

From the Angle Slam to the GTS, Cena tipped his cap to rivals he would never face again. But perhaps the most special moment came when he clutched his head, mimicked Copeland’s trademark taunt, and delivered a spear. Recently, Copeland himself acknowledged the tribute in an interview with The Score, showing that even years later, their rivalry still carries weight.

I saw a clip, you know, a couple of days ago, where he did the whole setup and everything. Super fun. Yeah, it’s just fun. And I think for John and I, we’re two guys that met each other at the right time. You know, he needed a bad guy and I needed a good guy, and it just clicked.
Adam Copeland via The Score