Beth Phoenix, referred to as Beth Copeland on commentary, made a stunning arrival at AEW All Out 2025 in Toronto. Her ringside appearance proved pivotal during the tag team match pitting Adam Copeland and Christian Cage against FTR, as she took out Stokely Hathaway with a spear and paved the way for her husband’s team to secure the victory.
But the celebration was brutally cut short.
While the moment felt like a shocking, spontaneous debut, a report from Fightful Select indicates this was far from a last-minute decision. The WWE Hall of Famer’s appearance had apparently been in discussion for some time.
“The Beth Phoenix return is something that has been thrown around and discussed for quite some time.”
The brutal post-match assault was set in motion by a timely distraction from Kip Sabian, Nick Wayne, and Mother Wayne on the entrance ramp. This diversion allowed FTR’s Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler to ambush the victors, handcuffing a helpless Adam Copeland to the ropes to force him to watch the ensuing chaos.
Despite throwing punches and fighting back, Phoenix was ultimately overwhelmed by FTR’s numbers advantage. The duo laid her out with a vicious spike piledriver in the center of the ring, capping off a match that had earlier seen Copeland pay tribute to John Cena by hitting both a Five Knuckle Shuffle and an Attitude Adjustment.
During the post-show media scrum, AEW President Tony Khan acknowledged the debut, calling Beth’s appearance “awesome” but lamenting the brutal way her night ended, suggesting the animosity is far from over.