Adam Copeland has revealed that he and AEW President Tony Khan were both willing to explore the possibility of a final WWE match against John Cena during Cena’s retirement tour.
The prospect of Cena facing Copeland again carried obvious emotional and historical weight. Their rivalry was one of the defining programs of Cena’s rise into WWE’s top position, and it remains closely associated with the era in which Copeland performed as Edge. While Cena’s farewell run brought him back into the ring with several major names from his career, a final singles encounter with Copeland was not among the matches that came together.
Speaking with Mick Foley on The Mick and Kenny Show, Copeland said there was no lack of openness on his side, or from AEW leadership, regarding a potential appearance.
“I know I was open to it,” Copeland said. “I know Tony [Khan] was open to it.”
For more background on this topic, read WWE Sets Royal Rumble 2027 for February 6 at State Farm Stadium.
The comments reinforce what Copeland had previously indicated about the situation: that a one-off WWE appearance was not something he and Khan had ruled out. Instead, Copeland suggested that any movement would have needed to come from WWE, and he was not confident that the company would ultimately pursue the bout.
A rivalry central to both men’s careers
Cena and Copeland’s on-screen history is substantial enough that a retirement-tour meeting would have been more than a nostalgia attraction. Their rivalry included title stakes, personal animosity and some of the most prominent WWE television programs of the mid-2000s. It also helped establish the contrast between Cena’s increasingly central role as WWE’s leading hero and Edge’s willingness to use every advantage available to remain at the top.
For Copeland, the Cena program represented a major chapter of his WWE run. For Cena, it was equally significant. Earlier in the year, Cena identified Copeland and Randy Orton as his two greatest rivals, explaining the importance both men held in the development of his career.
That makes the absence of a Copeland match notable in the context of Cena’s farewell schedule. Cena did share the ring with a number of names tied to different periods of his WWE career. The tour included encounters with CM Punk, Brock Lesnar and Orton, while Cena also teamed with Rey Mysterio and Sheamus. He additionally had one last match with AJ Styles.
Those appearances gave the tour connections to many of Cena’s biggest opponents and allies, but they did not cover every major relationship from his career. Fans also discussed the possibility of Cena working with Batista, another rival whose history with Cena stretches back to a pivotal WWE period. Neither Batista nor Copeland ultimately appeared as a Cena opponent on the tour.
AEW’s willingness did not mean a match was imminent
Copeland’s remarks do not establish that a Cena match was formally planned, negotiated or close to being announced. They do, however, clarify that Copeland and Khan were not categorically opposed to the concept.
That distinction is important given Copeland’s current position in AEW and the rarity of talent appearing for another major promotion while under an active agreement. A match involving Cena and Copeland would have required cooperation between companies, clear agreement from all parties and a shared belief that the event served both promotions. Copeland’s statement suggests that AEW’s side was at least receptive to having that conversation.
It also adds context to the expectations surrounding Cena’s retirement tour. Farewell runs often generate interest not only because of the matches that are announced, but because of the opponents fans hope might return for one final chapter. Cena’s history with Copeland made that possibility especially appealing, particularly because their rivalry has not been reduced to a single isolated match or brief program in the minds of longtime viewers.
Copeland acknowledged the importance of his connection with Cena, while also making clear that he did not expect WWE to bring the idea across the finish line after his own years with the company. In practical terms, openness from Copeland and Khan could only have been one part of the equation. Without WWE deciding to pursue the appearance, there was no path for the match to become a reality.
Copeland still found a way to salute Cena
Although Copeland did not get the opportunity to meet Cena during the retirement run, he still paid tribute to his former rival inside an AEW ring. During the opening match at AEW All Out 2025, Copeland used two of Cena’s signature moves against Cash Wheeler: the Five-Knuckle Shuffle and the Attitude Adjustment.
The moment served as a clear acknowledgment of the history between the two veterans. It was not a substitute for a full match between Cena and Copeland, but it showed that the connection remained meaningful to Copeland and recognizable to the audience.
In wrestling, signature-move tributes can carry a particular kind of significance. They often function as a direct salute to a peer, a rival or an era that helped define a performer’s career. Copeland using the Five-Knuckle Shuffle and Attitude Adjustment placed Cena’s influence and their shared WWE history into an AEW setting without changing the reality that the long-discussed final confrontation never happened.
Why a final Cena-Copeland match mattered
A Cena-Copeland match would have been compelling because it offered multiple layers beyond the obvious appeal of two established stars revisiting a celebrated rivalry. There was the history of Edge and Cena as opposing forces in WWE, the evolution of both men since that period, and the emotional context of Cena stepping away from regular competition.
There was also the simple question of closure. Retirement tours invite fans to look back across an entire career, and Cena’s career was shaped by rivalries that challenged him at different moments. Punk represented one kind of rivalry, Lesnar another, and Orton a long-running parallel built through years of shared history. Copeland belonged firmly in that conversation as well.
At the same time, not every important opponent can be part of a farewell schedule. Wrestling careers span decades, and the availability of talent, contractual realities, promotional priorities and creative decisions all affect which reunions can happen. Cena’s tour still featured several major encounters, but Copeland’s comments explain why fans should not interpret his absence as a refusal from either Copeland himself or Khan.
For now, the potential match remains one of the notable what-ifs from Cena’s retirement run. Copeland has stated that he was open to it. Khan was open to it as well. But the necessary alignment with WWE never arrived, leaving their longstanding rivalry without the final in-ring chapter many fans had hoped to see.
Even without that match, Cena’s comments about Copeland’s importance and Copeland’s own All Out tribute ensure that the relationship remains part of the broader conversation around Cena’s farewell. Their paths did not cross one last time in WWE, but the legacy of Cena versus Edge remains firmly intact.
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Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.