Adam Copeland nearly missed AEW Full Gear 2026 because of the nationwide flight shutdown, but Tony Khan made sure that didn’t happen. The AEW President sent a private plane to pick up Copeland after his commercial flights kept getting canceled, getting him to Phoenix in time for his match against Kazuchika Okada.
Copeland revealed the travel nightmare in a video posted on Twitter on Saturday, November 14. He explained that his plane was already heading down the runway when the pilot announced that flights across the country had been grounded.
“It’s been challenging to say the least. I think that’s the word everyone keeps saying. But I was going down the Runway, about to take off for Denver and then the pilot came on and said, there’s a ground stoppage nationwide.”
With his flight canceled, Copeland called his wife Beth Phoenix to pick him up from the airport. He went home and watched as one flight after another got canceled, leaving him unsure whether he would make it to Full Gear.
“I called Beth and she came and got me. I went home, no idea if I was going to be able to make it today. All of my flights started getting canceled, canceled one after the other after the other.”
That’s when Khan stepped in and sent a plane to get Copeland. Tony Schiavone also joined the trip, but he arrived early and ended up hanging out at Copeland’s house while they waited to leave.
“So Tony Khan sent a plane to come get us and poor Schiavone got there early. So he was sitting there at 9 o’clock, I think. We weren’t taking off to 11. I was like, come on, have a coffee. Come and pet my dogs. He’s a dog guy.”
Copeland said Schiavone spent time with his daughters, hung out with his dogs, and had coffee with Beth. What started as a travel nightmare turned into an unexpected family visit before they finally headed to Phoenix.
The situation came after Friday’s nationwide FAA flight shutdown, which caused major travel problems for wrestlers trying to reach Full Gear. Despite the mess, Khan managed to get everyone needed for the main pay-per-view card to Phoenix. Copeland is scheduled to challenge Kazuchika Okada for the AEW International Championship at Full Gear on November 14 at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
In the end, Khan’s plane got Copeland to Phoenix, and he even managed to squeeze in some family time with Schiavone along the way. What could have been a missed pay-per-view turned into a pretty memorable travel story, and now Copeland can focus on getting in the ring with Okada.
What do you think about Tony Khan sending a plane to make sure Adam Copeland made it to AEW Full Gear? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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