Kyle Fletcher says he wants one more crack at Adam Copeland before the 53-year-old hangs up the boots next year, turning Full Gear into more than a title night. Fletcher, who challenges Will Ospreay for the AEW World Heavyweight Championship on Saturday, November 14, said he would like to get back in the ring with Copeland if he leaves the event as champion.
The timing is what gives the comment weight. AEW Full Gear is set for the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Arizona, and Copeland has his own championship bout lined up against Kazuchika Okada, so both men walk into the same card with something immediate on the line. Fletcher told TMZ Sports that Copeland was part of his childhood, that he watched him retire in 2010, and that he was watching live when Copeland returned seven years after a neck injury forced him out.
That history is why Fletcher's words land the way they do. Copeland is not just another opponent to him; he is a wrestler Fletcher grew up with, then saw exit the ring, then saw come back. Fletcher said he has already pinned Copeland, but that does not seem to have settled anything for him. He wants another match to prove he is far superior, which is a tougher statement to back up when the man across from him is closing in on the end of a Hall of Fame career.
There is also a practical catch. Copeland has announced that he will be retiring next year, but no specific retirement match has been set, which means the window for a rematch is narrowing even if Fletcher gets through Full Gear with the championship. For now, his path runs through Ospreay, while Copeland's runs through Okada. If Fletcher wins, the conversation changes fast. If he does not, the rematch he wants may never move beyond a public wish.
