In what could only be described as a spiritual moment of sports entertainment sabotage, it turns out that Adam “Cope” Copeland’s victory over Finn Bálor’s face-painted alter ego at WrestleMania 39: Exorcist Boogaloo was not part of the original script — until ol’ Vinnie Mac rose from the creative crypt and pulled a finish switcheroo more abrupt than a church organ solo at a Satanic panic rally.
According to Fightful Select (who probably now have a McMahon-detection radar), Copeland was originally set to lose to Bálor — yes, lose — in the Hell in a Cell match. A match, mind you, that was spiritually supervised by The Pope’s Exorcist, because nothing says “divine warfare” like a mid-card sponsorship deal. Cope himself reportedly advocated for the loss, being the classy Canadian viking that he is, thinking it was time to pass the torch before galloping off to AEW’s fields of flippy kicks and unlicensed pyrotechnics.
But on the afternoon of the show, Vince McMahon — then freshly returned to the gorilla position with a mustache that screamed “just trust me” — said, “Actually… what if the guy who’s leaving wins instead?” A bold choice, and by bold, we mean a complete inversion of basic wrestling logic.
Apparently, this was the only match McMahon flipped that night. Unlike the main event, which stayed untouched by the Hand of Chaos — a rare occurrence, because Vince has changed more main events than a reality show with low ratings.
Balor, who once booted Copeland from Judgment Day like a dad kicking his freeloading son off the Xbox, got his demonically painted keister handed to him by the soon-to-be-AEW-bound Cope. Tough night for demon fans, great night for people who enjoy entrance music echoing through steel structures while sponsored by mid-tier horror cinema.
Of course, this was during McMahon’s final lap in WWE — a tenure interrupted by yet another scandal, as predictable as a Raw segment starting with “What’s up, [insert city]?” He was out again by early 2024, courtesy of a lawsuit from former employee Janel Grant. That suit? Still tighter than Finn’s abs.
Meanwhile, Cope is now spearing people in AEW and holding Tony Khan’s creative attention like a toddler with a flamethrower. Bálor remains the face of Judgment Day, which has grown into a full-blown goth brunch club featuring Liv Morgan, Carlito, and JD McDonagh. Yes, Carlito. Apparently, biting apples is timeless.