2027 To Be Adam Copeland's Final Year In Pro Wrestling

Adam Copeland's career is set to come to an end next year, with the 52-year-old announcing on AEW Dynamite that 2027 will be his final year as a professional wrestler.

Copeland made the announcement after winning his Clockwork Carnage qualifier against Josh Alexander to advance to the namesake match at WrestleDream for the AEW World Championship. First, Copeland revealed that Christian Cage was out of action after sustaining a collapsed lung and three broken ribs at AEW All Out, before he transitioned to his retirement announcement.

"My face isn't on the posters on a teenager's wall anymore. I'm ageing out, and that's okay. It happens to everybody. But because of that, I just want to let you all know that 2027 will be my last year in professional wrestling," Copeland said.

The retirement reveal was met with "no" chants from the fans at AEW Dynamite, but Copeland soon received huge cheers after noting that he plans to pursue the AEW World Championship.

"Hey, listen. I get it, I get it, but it's time. All of that being said, that is why I have to go for the AEW Championship," he added.

At this point, Copeland was immediately interrupted by the Don Callis Family, with Konosuke Takeshita and The Conglomeration making the save. Copeland then appeared on the Collision portion of the Wednesday night show to brawl with Kazuchika Okada, with Okada laying out Cope with a Rainmaker.

When Adam Copeland does retire in 2027, it will end his career after 35 years, having made his pro wrestling debut in 1992. Copeland initially performed on the indies as Sexton Hardcastle before he signed with WWE in 1997 and was repackaged as Edge. Copeland would continue to wrestle for WWE, becoming a multi-time world champion, before his retirement in 2011 due to a neck injury.

Copeland would be able to return to the ring in 2020, however, and he performed for WWE from January 2020 until August of 2023. In October 2023, he debuted in All Elite Wrestling and he has been a part of the promotion ever since.

Copeland has seen his second run in pro wrestling as bonus years to his career but he revealed remaining bucket list items in August 2026 of performing at Arena Mexico, Maple Leaf Gardens, Wembley Stadium, and the Tokyo Dome. Copeland has since wrestled at three of those venues, but he still needs to tick off the Tokyo Dome.