Adam Copeland reflects on six-year anniversary of WWE Royal Rumble return
Taking to Instagram today, Adam Copeland reflected on the six-year anniversary of his return to the ring at WWE Royal Rumble 2020.
Copeland (formerly known as Edge) had been retired for nearly a decade before coming back in that Rumble match. Because of neck issues, he was forced out of action from 2011-2020. He’s now been back for six years for a run that started in WWE and now has him with AEW. Copeland said he views all of this as a bonus — and everything that’s happened since his music hit during that Rumble match has been icing on the cake.
“I didn’t realize that today is six years to the day since I came back at the Royal Rumble. You know, for me, every second after that first ‘You think you know me’ at the Rumble in Houston has been a success, man. You know the story: I wasn’t supposed to do this, yet here we are six years later,” Copeland said
“If you had told me six years ago that I’d still be doing this after six years, I would have thought you were a little crazy. But, man, I’ve been so lucky. I feel like I got my dream career twice. I got to do it the first time, had to retire for nine years, and then get it back again. That’s good stuff. But I’m also a realist, and I know I’m coming close to the end here. So hopefully you’ve enjoyed this ride. If you haven’t, whatever. And if you have, great, little bit more to go.
“Thank you. Thanks for reminding me. Just reflecting — it’s been a four-decade career now. With everything that I did in WWE and then to move to AEW with a whole fresh slate of new opponents, and for six years now just been wrestling a lot of the talent that I never thought I’d get to but have been able to get in there with. So that’s been a blast, and I’m at a stage of life where I don’t do it unless it is a blast. So, yeah, anyway, thanks.”
Copeland last wrestled for WWE in August 2023. He’s now been signed to AEW for two-plus years, though he is currently off television amid an angle where his wife Beth (Beth Phoenix) was taken out by a piledriver from FTR.
Outside of the ring, Copeland continues to pursue acting and is working on writing a new memoir.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.