Former WWE champion 'having a blast' in AEW

After spending a quarter of a century in WWE as Edge, the Rated R Superstar Adam Copeland is now competing outside the company for the first time, enjoying great success thus far in his AEW career.
Debuting at WrestleDream 2023 in October, Copeland has since gone on to feud with former tag team partner Christian Cage – capturing the AEW TNT Championship from The Patriarch at Worlds End 2023, before losing it immediately back to him not long afterwards.

Speaking to Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso, Copeland revealed what he has been enjoying about his time in AEW thus far as well as the importance of the company’s existence in the current wrestling landscape:
“Any time there is more than one place to ply your trade, that’s good for everyone who is part of that trade.
“A monopoly is never a good idea. That goes for me as a consumer, too.

“As a consumer, I want more choices. That doesn’t mean you have to choose one over the other. You can choose them all.
“I remember growing up and dying to be able to get my hands on NWA tapes. It didn’t air where I lived, where there was WWF. I found International Wrestling from Montreal.
“I found All-Star Wrestling from Vancouver. I found all these other shows, and I loved that. I’d get little snippets of guys I’d only seen in magazines.

“Then the show Pro Wrestling Plus with Ed Whalen, who was the announcer for Stampede, started, and I finally got to see wrestlers from the NWA and Continental. I just thought, give it all to me.
“That’s why AEW is great. It’s so cool to see different wrestling. This is really special, and I’m having a blast being here.”

Copeland’s stint in AEW has seen him mix it up with many first-ever opponents such as his recent bout with Japanese wrestling legend Minoru Suzuki.
The Hall of Famer has also shone a spotlight on younger talents through his open challenges on AEW Collision against stars such as Lee Moriarty and Griff Garrison.