In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Adam “Edge” Copeland discussed his future in professional wrestling after making the decision not to hang up his boots after his final match against Sheamus in WWE.
Copeland debuted for AEW this past Sunday at WrestleDream 2023. He will appear on Dynamite and Collision this week.
You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On his last match in WWE, almost retiring: “Halfway through the match with Sheamus in Toronto, I was thinking, ‘This is probably my last WWE match’. I also started thinking, right then, ‘There is a great chance I retire after this.’ The WWE gave me that night, and I’ll hold it with me until I die. I was having so much fun. That was the perfect ending.”
On why he didn’t retire: “I’m driven by challenges. If you’re not, you’re not going to stick around as long as the guys who are do. There is a reason The Undertaker lasted as long as he did. He thrived on challenges, and challenged himself to recreate his character and to see if he could hang with those new talents. For me, it’s really significant to have a blank canvas at this point in my career.”
On being excited by AEW: “The realization fully hit when I was staring at Sting in the ring. I know WWE like the back of my hand. I know Edge. I don’t know AEW. It’s new to me. That is very exciting for me. It’s like starting from scratch, but with a lot more experience.”
