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WWE Never Even Tried To Get Edge For John Cena's Retirement Match

Originally posted on The Sportster | By Josh Coulson | Last updated Nov 19, 2025 10:34 AM ET

There have been moments over the last few months where it seemed like there might be a slight chance Edge, who now goes by Adam Copeland in AEW, might return to WWE to face John Cena in his retirement match. It turns out that reality was never on the cards, and WWE seemingly didn't even try to make it happen.

WWE Didn't Ask AEW For Permission To Borrow Edge

That confirmation comes from Tony Khan himself. The AEW boss was a guest on The Ariel Helwani Show this week. Helwani brought up the speculation surrounding Copeland and asked Khan if he and AEW were approached by WWE about potentially using him for one night. Khan replied with a straightforward "No".

Helwani continued on and asked whether Copeland's AEW deal is set to expire soon, asking if there are plans to continue using him when he returns from filming. Khan was a little more cagey with that answer, nothing that you can "never say never" in wrestling and, while hinting Copeland might extend his stay in AEW, he is only contracted to the company through the end of 2025.

Helwani continued to push for more answers, bringing up Dolph Ziggler and Zack Ryder. The two wrestlers both appeared in John Cena's Last Time Is Now tournament even though they aren't currently signed to WWE. The key difference between Copeland, and Ryder and Ziggler is the working relationship WWE has with TNA.

AEW Probably Wouldn't Have Let WWE Have Edge Anyway

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Khan's answer suggests that had WWE asked to use Copeland for one match, it probably wouldn't have happened. "Adam Copeland is a huge part of AEW, and I have so much respect for him, and I really, really like Adam a lot, and I’m glad to have him here. He’s away filming, but he’s with us, and he’s going to stay with us," Khan replied. That also suggests the AEW boss is very keen to keep Copeland around for longer than another month.

Rumblings that Copeland might return as Edge in WWE one last time to face off against Cena, one of the biggest rivals of his career, began when the Hall of Famer told Christian he needed to take time away from AEW to be with his family. Turns out Copeland really was just absent to play a role in The Beekeeper 2.

That means we won't be getting the ultimate dream match in Cena's final match, and the slot will be reserved for one of the ten wrestlers left in The Last Time Is Now tournament. Gunther is still the favorite to win, and you can keep track of who is still in the running via our article covering the evolving tournament bracket.

This article first appeared on The Sportster and was syndicated with permission.

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