Pretty soon, legendary professional wrestler and AEW star Adam Copeland will retire, and this time, the former WWE star known as Edge will really hang it up.
During the Oct. 14, 2026, edition of AEW Dynamite, Copeland, who turns 53 on Oct. 30, revealed his plans to retire next year. He said that 2027 would be his final year of in-ring competition. The announcement came after he defeated Josh Alexander in a Clockwork Carnage-qualifying match.
That said, he will not go down without a fight. During his announcement, he said that he would be going after the AEW World Championship.
Taking stock following injuries to Christian Cage, Adam Copeland has announced 2027 will be his final year as a Professional Wrestler and looks to claim the AEW World Title before all is said and done#AEWDynamite is LIVE on TBS and HBO Max pic.twitter.com/raEinvwpYB
— AEW on TV (@AEWonTV) October 15, 2026
Since joining AEW three years ago, Copeland has won the TNT Championship twice. However, he has never won the company's top prize.
We'll see if he's successful, though. During his final WWE run, he chased the Universal Championship, which was held by Roman Reigns, for a while. He never won it, though.
Why is AEW star/WWE legend Adam Copeland retiring?
Father Time is undefeated, and Copeland, who is in his fifties, has been wrestling for the better part of over 30 years. He is a legend, but nothing lasts forever.
So, fans will have to take it in while they can. He has given fans a second run that seemed impossible years ago. In 2011, he retired from professional wrestling after WrestleMania 27 after being diagnosed with cervical spinal stenosis.
He would stay retired for almost nine years until the 2020 Royal Rumble, making his surprise return in the battle royal. This kickstarted the second part of his career.
Copeland, then going by Edge, remained in WWE until 2023. During that stretch, he had matches against old foes like Randy Orton as well as new faces like Reigns, Finn Bálor, and Seth Rollins. His last WWE match was against Sheamus during the Aug. 18, 2023, edition of Friday Night SmackDown.