About

Aw, Dude is a catchphrase referencing a moment during an AEW Collision promo battle between Ricky Starks and Adam "Edge" Copeland, where Edge is seemingly offended by an insult hurled at him by Starks and then says, "Aw, dude," fumbling to insult him back, which some have interpreted as Edge "losing" the back-and-forth.

The moment took place on October 14th, 2023. It went viral over the following years as a funny moment of defeat for Edge, inspiring memes and edits between 2023 and 2026 on sites including TikTok, Reddit and X / Twitter. The meme had a significant resurgence in September 2026 on X, as users made edits of the clip.

Origin

On October 14th, 2023, an AEW Collision promo battle was aired between Edge and Ricky Starks. At one point, Starks makes fun of Edge for having bug eyes. Edge seems unsure how to retort. The two continue to insult one another, but Edge fumbles. He is heard saying, "Aw, dude," which has been interpreted by some wrestling fans as being due to Edge's inability to think of another insult.

Spread

The clip was reposted on social media numerous times over the following years as a memorable wrestling moment.

For example, on October 14th, 2024, X^[1] user @TheDrainmaker posted it, gaining over 2,400 likes in two years. On February 27th, 2026, X^[2] user @notwhydeegee2 posted it, writing, "'aw dude' he was fucking STEAMING LGMFMDNDNFNFNF," garnering over 2,400 likes in seven months.

On September 6th, 2026, X^[3] user @TripleFraud posted, "'aw dude' might be cope’s greatest contribution to the business man i be saying that shit at least five times a day," garnering over 6,400 likes in three days.

On September 7th, X^[4] user @BigBeann61 posted an edit of the "aw, dude" moment that makes it look like an old silent film, garnering over 4,000 likes in two days.

On September 8th, 2026, X^[5] user @embestar posted an Animal Crossing edit of the scene in response to a The Sims edit of the scene, garnering over 5,000 likes in a day.

That day, TikToker^[6] @turboowrestlin posted a "case that doesn't sit right with me" edit based on the clip that gained over 142,000 views in a day.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References