Adam Copeland has said that not appearing on the John Cena retirement tour wasn’t due to him or AEW saying no.
The Hall of Famer is one of Cena’s greatest rivals, with the two regularly feuding over the World Championship when both were in WWE. During Cena’s year long farewell tour in 2025, the 17-time World Champion faced off against some notable opponents such as Randy Orton, CM Punk and Brock Lesnar. Given the history between Cena and the former Edge, some theorised that The Rated R Superstar could make a surprise appearance to face Cena one final time. However, with Copeland contracted to AEW, it looked like the chances of this happening being very slim. While there were rumours that Cope could be out of his AEW contract in the autumn of 2025, he is still a member of the AEW roster at the time of writing.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on the Ariel Helwani Show, Cope confirmed that he wanted a spot on the retirement tour, but “one place” didn’t want it:
“Here’s what I realised, [we] could run into each other, but one place doesn’t want it to. So, okay.”
Asked if Tony Khan would’ve been okay with it, Copeland replied that Khan would have been open to the idea:
“Absolutely. I truly believe that. He knows what it meant to a very large segment of wrestling fans.”
“Yeah, I do. I can see it from all sides, I really can. John knew I was there in spirit. He and I kind of made our bones on each other, and we’re both aware of that fact. Both of our careers would’ve been great, but I think that angle, that story, those two opponents propelled us to a different place.”
Copeland also admitted that he didn’t explore the idea, but assumed that it would have been a no-go if he did ask:
“No. I assumed, and a lot of these are assumptions, but having been there long enough and knowing how the mindset is there, I realised it ain’t going to happen. If it were up to me and John, sure.”
The John Cena And Adam Copeland Rivalry
Cena and Edge’s rivalry began in early 2006 when Edge cashed in the first-ever Money in the Bank contract on Cena. Cena had just competed in an Elimination Chamber match, which Edge took advantage of. The two continued to feud throughout the year, which included a TLC match at Unforgiven. Cena won the match despite interference from Edge’s then-partner, Lita.
Cena retired in December 2025 after losing to Gunther.
Featured image: WWE
