It’s pretty clear by now that Adam Copeland wasn’t willing to just ride off into the sunset as a part-time performer in WWE. Though he may be approaching the end of his career, he wants to go out as a full-timer in AEW, and has talked up the number of never-before-seen matchups he’d like to see come together.
Could some of those come against talent from New Japan Pro-Wrestling? It’s certainly on the table given the close working relationship between AEW and NJPW, and competing at the Tokyo Dome is something that is apparently on Copeland’s bucket list.
He spoke about that in a little more detail during a recent appearance on The Batleeground podcast (h/t Fightful for the transcription).
That’s pretty exciting and a by-product of coming here is, ‘oh wait, hold on a second, Tokyo Dome.’ That’s on the checklist.
Copeland said some of those dream scenarios simply weren’t possible after his initial retirement in 2011, but now that he’s in AEW, “I can get them done, and that’s pretty fun.”
Something else he thinks might be “pretty fun”? Entering the G1 Climax tournament. While grueling, with tough matches several times a week during July and August, it’s a prestigious event that would allow Copeland to step in the ring with the widest number of New Japan stars possible thanks to its round robin format and tendency to feature eliminated competitors in multi-man tag matches.
Eddie Kingston famously had the G1 on his personal wrestling bucket list until he got an opportunity to compete in the tournament this year. Copeland referenced Kingston’s stay in Japan to participate when asked about his own thoughts on entering the G1.
We’d have to carve out some time, I guess. Eddie [Eddie Kingston] did it this year, so it’s a possibility.
For now, Copeland has his hands full with the talent in AEW, particularly old friend Christian Cage. He said this week he wouldn’t fight Cage, but you know how that goes. Just know that if Copeland is truly considering a G1 run, he’s definitely not easing into retirement any time soon.