Adam Copeland Explains Why AEW was the Solution for his WWE Creative Issues

Adam Copeland became a WWE Hall of Famer during his time as Edge, but he revealed on Tuesday that his current AEW run is among the most creatively fulfilling times in his career.

Copeland wrestled for WWE from 1998 through 2011 before retiring for nearly a decade due to neck injuries. He would make a dramatic return in 2020 at the Royal Rumble and spent three more years with the company before jumping to AEW in 2023.

He won the AEW World Tag Team Championship alongside lifelong friend Christian Cage at AEW Double or Nothing in May and is poised for a major match at All In against The Young Bucks.

Copeland compares AEW creative vs WWE's attitude era

Speaking with Ariel Helwani on Tuesday, Copeland noted that over the last year, everyone is locked in together in AEW as far as his creative is concerned, even comparing it to one of WWE's hottest periods.

"What's amazing about AEW too is just the freedom to explore, and try things," Copeland said. "And it's much more like the Attitude Era in that regard. Because a lot of times when we were out there during the Attitude Era, it's like, there might be a plan, but there might not be too. Or you might be figuring that out as you go."

Adam Copeland and Christian Cage | Lee South - All Elite Wrestling

Copeland's WWE experience after returning from retirement

While Copeland would return to WWE in 2020 and go on to main event WrestleMania 37, he didn't necessarily enjoy the process of getting through each show.

The 52-year-old told Helwani that his final few years with the company saw many pieces of production micromanaged, which kept him creatively confined. He does not feel AEW currently operates the same way.

"My experience by the end with WWE was overproduced, overrehearsed, over-everything, and they kept handcuffs on you to where you couldn't really explore too much," he said. "That's not the case with AEW, and that, again, is fun."

Though he did not win a world title in WWE during his second run, he still was featured in several major spots, winning the 2021 Men's Royal Rumble match, headlining the aforementioned WrestleMania with Roman Reigns and Bryan Danielson, and even having a Hell in a Cell match at WrestleMania 39, his last WrestleMania with the company.

Copeland jumped to AEW in the fall of 2023, debuting at WrestleDream and immediately confronting Cage. They didn't officially reunite until 2025.

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