Why Adam Copeland Belongs In AEW & Has Every Right To Move On From Edge & WWE

It might not have been the best-kept secret ever, but Adam Copeland, formerly Edge in WWE, made his AEW debut at AEW WrestleDream 2023 and is All Elite, whether you like it or not. This opinion piece goes out to those of you firmly in the "not" category, because Adam Copeland belongs in AEW for one simple reason: that's where he chooses to be.

Before we flesh out the rationale behind this argument, though, a bit of housekeeping. The folks at Wrestling Inc. are keenly, painfully aware of the vocal contingent among its readership that insists the site is pro-AEW and/or owned by the company's president, Tony Khan. For the record, it's not; Static Media acquired the site in May 2022 and operates it, independent of any affiliation with AEW, WWE, PDQ, A&W, Circle K, or any other combination of letters. The staff is not pro-AEW or anti-AEW (the same obviously goes for WWE), we're just pro-pro wrestling, probably for the same reason all of our readers like it: it's cool, ridiculous and just plain fun.

So this missive is not an argument for AEW or against WWE; it's an argument for Adam Copeland, the man who elected to see how green the grass is elsewhere, because that's his choice to make. He is his own man and enjoys the exclusive right to decide where he wants to work and play, not you.

You think you know him?

So why do we, as the people behind an independent media outlet, support his decision to move on from one wrestling company and join another?

Why wouldn't we? Copeland being passionate about his next venture is good for wrestling, and he's earned the right to retire on his own terms.

Adam "Edge" Copeland has given us decades of entertainment. He's sacrificed his blood, his sweat, and his wellbeing in WWE. Heck, he predates WWE being WWE, having debuted when the company still shared the same initials as the World Wildlife Fund. He's arguably one of the best — if not the outright best — wrestlers of his generation.

But what about WWE? Doesn't he owe the company? We're not sure we're qualified to say yes or no to that one, but the man himself certainly thinks so. As we reported earlier, Copeland shared his gratitude for WWE on X, formerly Twitter, in explaining his decision to go elsewhere (he also dismissed wrestling tribalism; just sayin').

"I love WWE and appreciate everything the company did for me. Always have, always will. They put me on the map, gave me amazing opportunities and through hard work on both ends, I've been supplied with a wonderful life. Hell, WWE helped me meet the woman I'd start my family with. Sometimes relationships just grow apart and I feel the WWE and I have just outgrown each other. I wanted to do more. They didn't have much more for me to do. Simple as that. And that's ok. I'll still be watching and still be supporting all of my friends there."

Also, given the erstwhile career-ending injury he suffered in service to WWE, we're pretty sure he's earned every cent he's ever been paid and that it can simply be chalked up to mutual benefit. What's more, he gave WWE the first option to sign him after he recovered from the career-threatening setback, rejecting Tony Khan's offer to bring him to AEW in the process. He felt he owed another run before he even considered moving elsewhere. Copeland fulfilled that obligation and he's now a member of a company that shares his goals.

If Adam Copeland has been consistent about one thing, it's his desire to have as many dream matches as possible before he hangs up his boots for good. Upon returning to WWE in 2023, the former Edge listed his dream opponents and proceeded to face many of them, including Roman Reigns and AJ Styles. He returned to help the current generation of WWE talent and give fans (and himself) matches they never thought he'd get to see. 

This mentality still drives him. By joining AEW, Copeland gets to tick off his remaining career goals by facing a number of performers he's yet to tangle with while mixing it up again with some of his friends and foes from yesteryear. He's given Tony Khan a list of names he wants to face, and his requests will be obliged as the AEW President is all about booking the dream bouts. This makes him an ideal fit for AEW, and the fact he's feeling reinvigorated and passionate means that he's going to produce great work.

Copeland is in the phase of his career where he wants to give back to the business. AEW is still a young company, all things considered, and his contributions both on-screen and behind the scenes will be good for the business; not to mention the fact that competition drives innovation. How can anyone be mad at someone who wants to see the entire industry succeed while he still has the opportunity to do his part? The fact he's still ambitious after all these years is a testament to Copeland's love of professional wrestling, and it's going to be a sad day when he does eventually retire.