WWE Hall of Famer lays out retirement timeline

Adam Copeland is a WWE Hall of Famer. He's won 31 championships with WWE, and that total rises to 33 if you count his two TNT championships since he joined AEW. 

There's no doubt that Copeland is one of the best wrestlers to ever grace the sport. 

However, after battling back from a medically dictated retirement and having another run with WWE before signing for AEW, Copeland is aware his career is ending. The 50-year-old recently discussed his current plans for retirement during an interview with Brandon Walker of Mostly Sports.

"I don't want to be that guy who sticks around to the point where a young guy looks at the sheet and goes, 'Ah, okay, I have to wrestle him tonight.' I don't want to be that guy," Copeland said, according to Fightful. "I want young guys to still be excited if they're going to hop in there with me. I figure maybe I have a year and a half left, give or take."

Copeland was a marquee addition to the AEW roster in 2023. He helped replace the void left by CM Punk, who returned to WWE after having his contract terminated. 

Since joining Tony Khan's company, Copeland has been involved in a bitter feud with his best friend, Christian Cage. He's also developed the "Cope Open," which is an open-invite challenge to help develop some of the younger talents within the company. 

With just 18 months left before he potentially retires, Copeland will likely look to enter one more major storyline. He is a significant draw for AEW in terms of TV ratings and ticket sales. The company owes it to him to put him in the limelight for his swan song in professional wrestling.

Copeland is scheduled to face the "House of Black" in a three-man tag-team at AEW's Dynasty pay-per-view. He will team up with Eddie Kingston and Mark Briscoe. 

If Khan wants to do by right his Hall of Fame talent, he will start booking him in bigger matches and bigger storylines. After all, you don't get the opportunity to work with such an illustrious talent too often, especially at the end of their careers.