Adam Copeland Reveals Why He Left WWE for AEW

Adam Copeland didn’t mince words when explaining what really pushed him to walk away from WWE and sign with AEW. For the WWE Hall of Famer, it came down to confusion, timing—and some straight-up wisdom from his daughter.

During an interview with Inside the Ropes, Copeland opened up about how the creative shift in WWE from Vince McMahon to Triple H created uncertainty at the worst possible moment—right when his contract was up.

“For a while there, I didn’t know who was in charge. I just didn’t know, and it was a little confusing. It was right as my contract was coming up. So, you know, my contract was up. I had negotiated with Vince. Then Vince was gone. So I was like, ‘Uh, what’s this mean?’”

Even though WWE told him the offer was still good, the shift in management made things feel unfamiliar and harder to trust.

“It was like, ‘Okay, well, your contract offer is still there.’ I was like, ‘Okay, I just got to think about this now.’ Because, you know, I’ve always dealt with him. And that’s just always the way since my second contract on—it’s always been, ‘Okay, what do you think? What do you think?’ Shake hands. That’s it.”

That uncertainty sparked deeper conversations. Copeland started reaching out to his friends in AEW—guys like Christian Cage, FTR, and Chris Jericho. Their message? You’ll have fun here.

“In talking to Jay, talking to FTR, talking to Jericho, talking to some of the guys there, they’re like, ‘Man, you’d have a blast over here.’”

Copeland made it clear the decision was a risk either way, but at this stage in his life, choosing fun felt like the only real option. And then his daughter sealed the deal with one line that changed everything.

“My daughter, my oldest daughter, put it as succinctly as you can. She goes, ‘Go have fun with Uncle Jay.’”

That moment hit hard for Copeland, who realized how rare the opportunity was.

“Well, yeah. I mean, we’re too old at this stage not to have fun.”

He made sure to clarify that this wasn’t a jab at WWE—it was just the right move for where he was mentally, emotionally, and creatively.

“Not to say it wouldn’t be, or this or that or the other—so nobody can jump on that and turn it into anything—but I just think going there, working with Jay and now working with FTR, I just thought it’d be a lot of fun. And it has been.”

In the end, Adam Copeland chose happiness, creative freedom, and brotherhood over uncertainty—and he doesn’t regret it for a second.

What do you think about Copeland’s decision to leave WWE behind for AEW? Was it the right move for his final run? Drop your thoughts in the comments and let us know where you stand.

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