Adam Copeland said he likely would have retired if AEW did not exist, and that WWE kept him out of John Cena’s farewell tour.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Copeland said his WWE run had reached its natural end before his 2023 move.
“I had kind of run the gamut with WWE… To me, that writing was pretty clearly on the wall. It was more along the lines of, ‘Am I going to go to AEW or am I going to retire?’ And during the match with Sheamus, I still didn’t even really know. Because I was having so much fun out there with him and loving that experience that I truly wasn’t sure. But then in looking at the roster in AEW and talking to Tony. And after the Toronto show and looking at the landscape, it became a no brainer the more I looked at it.”
Copeland debuted at WrestleDream in October 2023. He said the goal since has been fun rather than championships, calling title belts props, and pointed to teaming with Christian Cage and facing FTR and The Young Bucks as the draws.
He also addressed why he was not part of Cena’s farewell tour.
“Those stories could run into each other, but one place doesn’t want it to… But John knew I was there in spirit. Him and I, we kind of made our bones on each other, and we’re both aware of that fact… If it were up to me and John, sure.”
Copeland and Cage defend the AEW World Tag Team Championships against The Young Bucks at All In: London on August 30.