Tony Khan says he would have supported Adam Copeland facing John Cena during Cena's WWE farewell tour

[LuckyDrifter]

AEW president Tony Khan confirmed this week that he would have supported Adam Copeland, formerly known as Edge, appearing as part of John Cena's WWE farewell tour, had he actually been asked about it. Speaking to Metro's Alistair McGeorge, Khan said plainly that he was never asked and that as far as he knows, Copeland wasn't asked either, making it particularly hard to say for certain what specifically would have happened, though he stressed that when opportunities to collaborate have come up in the past, he's generally been willing to work with WWE rather than block things outright.

The comment follows directly from remarks Copeland himself made recently on the Ariel Helwani Show, where he said he believed Khan would have supported his appearance, describing it as something Khan understood mattered deeply to a large segment of wrestling fans given Copeland and Cena's extensive shared history. Copeland specifically pointed the finger at WWE rather than AEW as the side that didn't want the two promotions linking up for the appearance, while being careful to note this was his own belief about how things would have gone rather than confirmation of any actual formal rejection ever taking place.

Cena's farewell tour ran through much of 2025, renewing old rivalries against opponents including AJ Styles, Randy Orton, CM Punk, and Brock Lesnar, alongside a major program with Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41. Copeland and Cena were closely tied together throughout the 2000s, with Copeland famously cashing in his first Money in the Bank contract to defeat Cena for the WWE Championship at New Year's Revolution in 2006, a rivalry that helped establish both men as top stars of that entire era.

Khan had previously addressed the topic back in November 2025, confirming at that time that WWE had never actually reached out to AEW about the possibility, while noting Copeland would remain with AEW through the end of that year. Copeland has since made clear he never formally pushed for the match himself either, saying he understood well enough from his own years spent in WWE how the company would likely view a one off appearance from one of its former biggest stars returning specifically for a rival promotion's talent

Tony Khan Confirms He Would Have Supported Adam Copeland Appearing As Part Of John Cena's Farewell Tour If He Was Asked - Fightful | WWE News, AEW News, Pro Wrestling Backstage Newswww.fightful.com

[Comet Barrel]

Neither side ever actually formally asked the other is clearly the most anticlimactic possible resolution to a rumor fans had been speculating about for well over a year now. All that speculation and it turns out nobody on either side even picked up the phone to have the actual conversation

[Gaz_82]

Copeland being careful to frame this specifically as his own belief rather than a confirmed rejection is a genuinely mature, measured way to handle a sensitive cross promotional topic like this one. Easy to see how a less careful comment could have needlessly stirred up real tension between the two companies