Adam Copeland Explains Why His Final WWE SmackDown Beats WrestleMania

Adam Copeland may have started a new chapter of his career with AEW, but he still has fond memories of his previous life in WWE as Edge. One moment, in particular, is still fresh in his mind — when he wrestled his final match in WWE to date, defeating Sheamus in his hometown of Toronto, Canada, on an August episode of "WWE SmackDown."

In an interview with "Adrian Hernandez," Copeland discussed the bout with Sheamus and how much it meant for him to have that match, particularly in his hometown. It was so meaningful, in fact, that Copeland prefers his WWE career to end that way, and not at a show the size of a WrestleMania.

"I've said from day one, I want to retire in Toronto," Copeland said. "It didn't matter to me if it's WrestleMania. I've been on 15 of them, you know what I mean? And to be honest, a WrestleMania crowd is usually a lot of corporate business...If you want that wrestling crowd, if you want that emotion, [the Toronto show] that's what I wanted. That's what Toronto always brings for me. 

"So I get to get in there with Sheamus, whom I never shared a ring with in all that time, in a one-on-one match, knowing what him and I could do at this stage of our careers? Come on, all day. That to me...I couldn't ask for a better way to end there. I really couldn't...And to have the kind of match we did, I'm really proud of that one. So yeah, to me, the place was always most important."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Adrian Hernandez" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription