WWE Reportedly Declines Contract Request By Edge, Who Is Likely AEW-Bound

WWE reportedly couldn’t agree to terms on a contract with Edge, and the internal belief is that he will be signing with AEW.

According to a report from Wade Keller of PWTorch, Edge presented WWE with the terms he wanted included in a new deal, but the company rejected the offer: “PWTorch has learned that Copeland presented to WWE what it would take to retain his services, but WWE declined to meet his request. This has sparked a belief within WWE that he is probably headed to AEW.”

On last week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown, WWE celebrated Edge’s 25th anniversary with the company, and “The Rated R Superstar” closed the show with a victory over real-life friend Sheamus. The match took place amid retirement rumors for the 11-time world champion, who would later reveal that his WWE contract expires at the end of September even though he has no matches left under the terms of his deal.

That bout didn’t feel like a full-blown retirement. It sure felt like a farewell, though—at least to WWE.

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Edge, who reportedly wants to reunite with AEW star and former tag team partner Christian Cage one last time, has accomplished everything he could in WWE. Even since his return in 2020 following a nine-year hiatus, he’s had a ton of success, including a WrestleMania main event and a Royal Rumble win.

He did all that under a massive contract with limited dates, and now, he can do that in AEW.

PWTorch added that Edge “knew at that time what AEW could offer him (based, perhaps, on conversations with other wrestlers of his star power about AEW pay). Tony Khan is a big fan of Edge and certainly would value adding him to the roster, either as a wrestler or in some other role.”

AEW has had varying amounts of success with ex-WWE stars, but most top-level talents have carried AEW to the incredible heights it’s reached in just a few years. That list includes Jon Moxley, Chris Jericho and CM Punk, who have all become cornerstones of AEW programming.

Edge is a star in that same category. He’s already a WWE Hall of Famer, and though he doesn’t often get mentioned in the “GOAT” conversation, his resume is as impressive as virtually anyone in pro wrestling history. If Edge can land a similarly lucrative deal with AEW and team with his buddy Christian Cage one last time? It would be difficult for even the most passionate WWE fan to blame him for doing so.

Edge has given a lot to WWE—even his whole career at one point—and with WWE expected to make significant cost-cutting moves once its UFC merger under the Endeavor banner is complete, the company may scale back on its big money part-time deals.

By the looks of things, Edge could be the first casualty of that, and WWE’s loss appears to be AEW’s gain.