During his feud with Finn Balor heading into WrestleMania 39, it appeared to be a forgone conclusion that Edge, aka AEW’s Adam Copeland, would secure the services of Gangrel to help him in his Hell in a Cell match against Balor. But an appearance never came together, and Gangrel believes one person is responsible. In an appearance on “Insight with Chris Van Vliet,” Gangrel pointed the finger at Triple H, despite the fact that others had suggested former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was involved.
“I’m not sure, but I think it might’ve been Hunter,” Gangrel said. “Some people said Vince, but I think it might’ve been Hunter. Somebody kiboshed it, you know what I mean?”
Gangrel noted that Copeland tried hard to persuade WWE to change their minds, but ultimately feels that WWE never truly considered him for the show. When asked about Copeland stating that WWE’s explanation for not using Gangrel was due to fans not recognizing him, the former Brood leader expressed serious skepticism.
“That’s what they said, that’s what he said,” Gangrel said. “But I think it’s a little bit more to it. I don’t know what it is, but I think it was a little bit more.”
In the end, things worked out for Gangrel, as he would go on to assist Copeland defeat Malakai Black in AEW at Double or Nothing 2024. That appearance was Gangrel’s third in the promotion following appearances in 2020 and 2022, and much like Matt Hardy and the Young Bucks helped make those appearances possible, Gangrel believes Copeland was the catalyst in convincing Tony Khan, Black, and House of Black members Brody King and Buddy Matthews that they could use him.
“That’s just Adam,” Gangrel said. “He wanted it…I think he talked to House of Black, and they thought it would be cool too. He had a lot of creative control there. So he orchestrated all of that, putting all of that together.”
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Insight with Chris Van Vliet” and provide an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription
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