Should Adam Copeland Win The AEW World Championship Before Retirement?

In 2027, Adam Copeland (formerly known as Edge) will retire from professional wrestling. The WWE Hall Of Famer announced on AEW Dynamite that next year will be his final one competing between the ropes, closing a multi-decade career which has seen world title glory, early retirements, major comebacks, and more. In his promo, Copeland declared that the clock ticking on his career was the reason why he was now focused on claiming the AEW World Championship, seeking one more world title reign before he hangs up the boots. This provides a very divisive conversation of whether or not the 52 year-old should win the AEW World Title, or whether booking the aging star with the gold is a bad decision.

WWE Missed Out On Adam Copeland’s World Title Redemption Arc

• Copeland retired in 2011 as World Heavyweight Champion.
• His return in 2020 saw him lose when challenging for WWE’s World Titles.
• WWE chose against crowning him with the new World Heavyweight Championship.

One of the biggest reasons why some fans are open to an Adam Copeland title reign is just to the “what if” of his WWE return run. Back in 2011, Copeland (then wrestling as Edge) relinquished the World Heavyweight Champion and entered retirement. Upon his return in 2020, one thing was on both his mind and those of his supporters – reclaiming the world championship that he never lost and having one final, complete reign with a top prize. Unfortunately, Roman Reigns’ dominance over WWE’s main event scene saw Copeland lose in title matches at WrestleMania 37 and at Money In The Bank 2021, before falling down into the upper midcard and remaining there for the remainder of his run.

When WWE introduced a brand new World Heavyweight Championship in 2023, fans were hopeful that a redemption arc was in store… only for Copeland to lose in the tournament to crown the inaugural champion, before exiting the company just a couple months later. It has been fifteen years since Copeland held a world championship, and he now has the opportunity to in AEW, where Tony Khan can run the redemption storyline that WWE failed to pull the trigger on. However, this may not be the correct decision.

AEW Booking Adam Copeland As World Champion Is Too Problematic

• Winning the AEW World Championship is a special achievement.
• Copeland is too old to win AEW’s top prize.
• AEW would receive negative attention for crowning Copeland with the gold.

As nice as it would be to see Copeland rewarded with a world championship before retirement, there are far too many negatives that would come out of it. Copeland’s time in AEW has actually been pretty good, but some resentment towards older stars getting the spotlight has led to him receiving more criticism that he has likely deserved (though his match at Revolution with Jon Moxley was worthy of being called AEW’s worst PPV main event ever), meaning that Copeland beating a defined younger star for the top prize would be viewed under a negative lens.

With how many names that AEW has who are younger than Copeland and worthy of either being a world champion or in the main event, such as former and current champions in Will Ospreay, MJF, Darby Allin, Jon Moxley, Adam Page, Swerve Strickland and rising stars or those who haven’t yet held the top gold in Kevin Knight, Kyle Fletcher, Konosuke Takeshita, Kazuchika Okada, Andrade El Idolo, Bandido, Brody King, and others, Copeland is way, way down the list. One short reign to say thank you before he bows out would also run the risk of feeling forced and undeserved, and it would raise questions over the integrity of booking regarding AEW’s main event scene. It simply isn’t worth the hassle.

Adam Copeland Can Win Other AEW Championships

• Copeland is a former two-time TNT Champion.
• He could win the AEW International Championship.
• Copeland winning the Continental Title would be fun.

At this point in his career, Adam Copeland doesn’t need the AEW World Championship, and the title also doesn’t need the name value of Copeland. However, there are other prizes across AEW’s men’s division that he could go after and win. For instance, the TNT Championship could return around his waist, continuing where he left off in 2023 and 2024 when he had a fun reign with the belt. Additionally, he could get his hands on the AEW International Championship, which has been held by established names in Moxley, Okada, Ospreay, MJF, Omega, Takeshita, Fletcher, Cassidy, PAC, and more, and it would feel far less forced.

Copeland could also enter the Continental Classic, earning the Continental Championship at Worlds End by competing through a tough field, stealing the show across AEW’s weekly events, and facing a range of new opponents. AEW has multiple options for Copeland to win another championship before retirement, adding to his growing collection of prizes in the company, which includes the TNT Title and the AEW World Tag Team Championships.