Adam Copeland on 1/6/24 episode of Collision Lee South - All Elite Wrestling

Tony Khan Reveals Whether WWE Asked To Include Adam Copeland In John Cena's Retirement Tour

Originally posted on Wrestling on SI
By Ethan Schlabaugh | Last updated Nov 18, 2025 9:02 PM ET

John Cena's legendary career in the WWE saw him feud with numerous stars, including Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, and more. But many consider his work with Edge (aka Adam Copeland) to be his best.

Cena's retirement tour has seen him face off against several of his previous rivals, and even bring back a few names that left the company such as Dolph Ziggler and Zack Ryder, but Copeland was a name that was sorely missing from this run.

Appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show , AEW President Tony Khan gave a plain and simple answer to whether or not WWE reached out to bring Adam Copeland back for Cena's retirement. That being a flat-out no.

Helwani further asked if Copeland's deal would be over in time for something to potentially happen between him and Cena before December 13th.

"I mean, never say never in wrestling, cause I could imagine they could always extend that date past the end of the year, but no, Adam's going to be here with us through the year and he is a huge part of AEW."Tony Khan

WWE and AEW have never been on great terms, so it didn't seem likely that anything would have been worked out, but it appears nothing was even attempted, according to Khan.

John Cena's Final Opponent In Professional Wrestling

WWE

The 'Last Time Is Now' tournament is underway, and a few names have already advanced to the quarterfinals. Rusev, Sheamus, Jey Uso, LA Knight, Solo Sikoa, and Gunther have all moved on, with fans waiting to see the results of Finn Balor vs. Penta and Carmelo Hayes vs. Bronson Reed.

The rumor from before this tournament was fully announced was that Gunther would come out as the victor, earning the match against Cena at Saturday Night's Main Event on Dec 13 in Washington, D.C.

Cena just wrapped up his last-ever match on Monday Night Raw when he teamed with Rey Mysterio and Sheamus to face Dominik Mysterio, Finn Balor, and JD McDonagh of The Judgment Day. He also has a scheduled rematch against Dominik Mysterio for the Intercontinental Championship at Survivor Series: WarGames.

Whether or not Cena walks into his final match as a champion is yet to be seen, but it would be more interesting if the planned match with Gunther had the title on the line.

This article first appeared on Wrestling on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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