Adam Copeland does not want to outstay his welcome in professional wrestling.
Returning to the ring at the 2020 Royal Rumble after retiring 9 years earlier, the Hall of Famer was given another opportunity to retire on his own terms. Having accomplished all of his goals in WWE, Copeland made the shock debut for AEW at WrestleDream in October 2023, leaving the company he was a part of for over 25 years.
Making it clear that his AEW run will be his last, fans know that Copeland’s last match is not too far away. While appearing on Mostly Sports with Mark Titus and Brandon Walker, the TNT Champion discussed how his time away from the ring has benefited his final run:
I’ve lived a lot more life. And as strange as that sounds, it actually does add to your utility belt out there. As a performer, any kind of performer, whether it’s a musician writing music, whether it’s an actor and they gotta dip into some place of their actual self to pull the character off – it’s the same with wrestling. I think that, more than anything, is what I’ve noticed in coming back. And some of the skillsets that I got in the acting that I did in those nine years off. I did, I think, over 100 episodes of television in that time that I was retired. So you kind of try and pull those things back with you.
Continuing, Copeland admitted that there needs to be a balance between still feeling great in his 50s and not being someone who is a burden to the up-and-coming talent. In regards to the timeframe, The Rated R Superstar believes his final match will happen in the next 18 months:
And I feel like that’s the biggest difference. I might not be as fast as I used to be, but I feel like mentally I’m better than I’ve ever been. And I think that is why a guy like Tom Brady keeps going, ‘Yeah, well, mentally I’m better than I’ve ever been. And I see the game better than I’ve ever seen it.’ I think that’s the struggle. And that’s kind of how I feel.
But I’m also a realist, and I don’t want to be that guy who sticks around to the point where a young guy looks at the sheet and goes, ‘Ah, ok, I gotta wrestle him tonight.’ I don’t want to be that guy, right? I want young guys to still be excited if they’re going to hop in there with me. So I figure maybe I got a year and a half left, you know, give or take.
Adam Copeland Discusses Recent AEW Dynamite Promo
On the April 3rd episode of Dynamite, the TNT Champion opened the show and gave a passionate promo about how now is a great time to be a professional wrestling fan and that they should dismiss any “negative BS.” When asked about the promo, Adam Copeland explained the motivation behind his recent AEW segment.
In another interview, Adam Copeland teased more surprise opponents.
H/t to F4WOnline.