Published: 11 minutes ago by Sanchez Taylor | Last Updated: 6 hours ago by Sanchez Taylor
Sanchez has over six years of pro-wrestling news writing experience, covering the biggest news stories in WWE, NXT, AEW, TNA Wrestling and more. He has personally interviewed a number of top stars, producing exclusive content with the likes of AEW's Swerve Strickland and WWE's Nick Aldis.
AEW
On October 14, AEW’s Adam Copeland announced that 2027 will be his final year as an active wrestler, 35 years on from his pro-wrestling debut.
With Copeland preparing for retirement, the WWE Hall of Famer has just over a year at most to tie up his career loose ends and complete all of his goals.
A well-documented goal of Copeland’s was to check off every venue on his arena “white whale” list, which he has almost completed.
Following recent matches at Wembley Stadium, Arena Mexico and Maple Leaf Gardens, the former “Edge” has just one venue left on his list; the Tokyo Dome.
With NJPW visiting the Tokyo Dome for Wrestle Kingdom every January 4, Wrestle Kingdom 21 could potentially be Copeland’s last opportunity to wrestle in this world-famous stadium.
With Christian Cage currently recovering from an injury, we could see Copeland test himself in a singles match at the show taking place in just over two months.
Here are three potential opponents for Adam Copeland at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 21, ahead of January 4, 2027.
Zack Sabre Jr
Zack Sabre Jr has already competed in several crossover matches representing NJPW against AEW, having previously faced the likes of Bryan Danielson, Kenny Omega, Claudio Castagnoli, Orange Cassidy and Nigel McGuinness in one-on-one matches.
If Adam Copeland is looking to test his technical wrestling skills, there perhaps is no more fitting opponent than Zack Sabre Jr.
Sabre Jr’s most recent crossover appearance saw him come up short against Kenny Omega at Forbidden Door in June.
With Copeland wanting to step onto the cerulean mat, we could see Zack Sabre Jr step up to the WWE Hall of Famer during his retirement tour.
Shingo Takagi
Shingo Takagi actually has an ongoing storyline involving AEW, with the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion defeating Claudio Castagnoli at NJPW Destruction in Kobe.
Takagi called out Jon Moxley following this bout, fuelling speculation about the Japanese star facing off against more AEW names.
While Takagi may currently be occupied with the Death Riders, we could see him stand across from Adam Copeland on January 4 for an intriguing clash of styles.
Shingo Takagi has wrestled on AEW TV several times, most recently in a losing effort on the July 7 Collision episode, teaming with Drilla Moloney against Claudio Castagnoli & PAC.
Kazuchika Okada
While both Adam Copeland and Kazuchika Okada are currently signed to AEW, it’s still make a lot of sense for the two to face off in a showcase match at Wrestle Kingdom 21.
Copeland has considered Okada a dream opponent for a number of years, with the Rated-R Superstar pitching for a match against the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion at Wrestle Kingdom back in 2023, while Okada was still with NJPW.
Okada has since returned to NJPW as an AEW representative, notably defeating Hiroshi Tanahashi in Tanahashi’s retirement match at Wrestle Kingdom 20.
With Copeland and Okada set to meet in the Clockwork Carnage match at WrestleDream, it’d be a full-circle moment to see them set up a singles match for Wrestle Kingdom 21, allowing Copeland to tick off two of his remaining in-ring goals simultaneously.
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