Adam Copeland. Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Recent AEW signing already planning retirement

By Adam Taylor | Last updated 1/3/24

Adam Copeland joined AEW in October 2023 after his contract with WWE expired. The "Rated R Superstar" was a major addition to the promotion following the acrimonious exit of CM Punk earlier in the year. Copeland has already begun making a big impact for AEW, earning praise for his in-ring work and how he handles cutting promo to push storylines forward.

Of course, AEW knew what they were getting. Copeland is a WWE Hall of Famer for a reason. They also knew that his run with the company wouldn't be a long one. He returned to wrestling at the 2020 Royal Rumble following a nine-year retirement due to neck injuries. Since then, Copeland has been on a mission to go out on his own terms.

When speaking to Sam Roberts of "Notsam Wrestling," Copeland noted that the timer on his career is ticking down. He sees himself calling it quits within the next two years.

"Even though it's been four or five years back now, it's not like I got another four or five in front of me, I know I don't," Copeland said. "We're looking at like a two-year window here to be able to get as much done as I can get done, tell as many stories as I can, try and help talent along the way with that."

Two years in wrestling is a long time. There's no offseason. There are major pay-per-view events at every turn. And with AEW's programming schedule, Copeland has his pick of 208 live shows if we exclude Ramage, which is usually recorded after Dynamite.

Copeland will have ideas on how he wants his career to go over the remaining years in his career. AEW will also have their own plans for him, too. However, for AEW to maximize their partnership, they need to use the veteran's status as a star in the industry to help get some of their younger talent "over."

AEW can't continue waiting for stars to drop out of WWE so they can pick them up for the twilight of their careers. They need more success stories like MJF, and they have enough young talent to make that happen. Copeland joined the company at the perfect time. They needed a big name to help steady the ship after CM Punk's exit. They also needed somebody who could help nurture and elevate talent.

Copeland's next two years will be huge. Both for how he chooses to end his career and the impact he has on AEW as a whole. He's talented enough to do it all; he just needs to be given the freedom and opportunity.

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