Over the past six years, AEW has managed to showcase not only some of the best and the brightest current and up-and-coming performers of this generation, but has also platformed multiple established veterans and legends of the industry, allowing them the chance to rejuvenate and even properly close out their careers on the company's programming. The promotion did an exemplary job in this regard with Sting and then with Bryan Danielson last year.Several other icons of the industry are wrapping up their tenures inside the squared circle, with John Cena set to wrestle his final match at the end of 2025, and others like AJ Styles and Samoa Joe teasing that they will likely hang up their boots as well soon. With this in mind, let us consider the cases of three AEW names for whom the Tony Khan-led company could plot out memorable retirement runs this coming year.#1. Former TNT Champion Adam CopelandAdam Copeland began his professional wrestling career in the 1990s. He established himself on a global level as Edge in WWE, where he initially debuted as a singles performer before eventually forming a tag team with Christian. The duo is known for revolutionizing tag team wrestling not only in the Stamford-based company but across the industry through their unforgettable series of matches with The Hardy Boyz and The Dudley Boyz.Over time, however, The Rated-R Superstar broke out in the promotion as a solo main event level player, feuding with top names like John Cena, The Undertaker, Triple H, Chris Jericho, Mick Foley, Randy Orton, and more, and winning multiple World Championships along the way. Unfortunately, the accumulated damage sustained by his neck forced Copeland to retire in 2011, and he stayed gone from the ring for years until his stunning return during the 2020 Men's Royal Rumble.The Ultimate Opportunist wrestled the likes of Orton, Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan, Finn Balor, AJ Styles, and Sheamus during his comeback run in WWE. In 2023, however, Cope shocked the world yet again when he debuted for AEW at that year's WrestleDream. His stint in the company has pitted him against his former tag partner Christian Cage, Luchasaurus, Penta, The House of Black, Big Bill, Claudio Castagnoli, Pac, and even Jon Moxley (when the latter was AEW World Champion earlier this year).More recently, Cope reunited with Christian and reconciled their differences, and the duo successfully teamed together to defeat Kip Sabian and Nick Wayne at Forbidden Door, and later FTR at AEW All Out: Toronto. After Copeland's wife Beth helped him and Cage beat The Top Guts at the latter PPV, Dax and Cash brutally ambushed The Glamazon, prompting the former TNT Champion to go on hiatus to take care of his family.Former TNT Champion Adam Copeland [Source: @AEW on X]Copeland has said he will likely retire after his current contract, and as such, 2026 could be his last year as an active wrestler. Tony Khan could thus plan a retirement tour for the legend next year, with highlights like an AEW tag team title reign alongside The Patriarch or a noteworthy final feud against a "generational talent" like MJF.#2. The Hurt Syndicate's MVPMontel Vontavious Porter was signed by WWE to a developmental contract in 2005 and made his main roster debut on SmackDown the following year. The Franchise Playa impressed viewers with his performances against such names as Kane, Matt Hardy, Ric Flair, The Great Khali, and The Miz, and mainly was booked in mid-card programs until the company released him for the first time in 2010.MVP then plied his trade on the independent scene for the next few years, and even worked in major promotions like NJPW and TNA before returning to WWE, first in 2018, and then again during the 2020 Men's Royal Rumble match. It was during this run that The Ballin' Superstar formed The Hurt Business alongside Shelton Benjamin, Bobby Lashley, and, eventually, Cedric Alexander, a group whose long-term booking left fans dissatisfied despite its popularity.After their respective WWE departures, MVP, followed by Benjamin and Lashley, jumped ship to AEW last year. They reunited their team as The Hurt Syndicate, with Porter serving again as the group's mouthpiece. Under his management, The All-Mighty and The Standard of Excellence have already enjoyed a reign as AEW World Tag Team Champions. Porter has even stepped inside the ring alongside his stable-mates on multiple occasions.The hurt Syndicate's manager, MVP [Source: @AEW on X]Earlier this June, MVP claimed that he may have no longer than one or two years left in the squared circle. Porter might elect to wrap up his in-ring career in 2026, and in that case, Tony Khan could plan out a retirement program for the veteran, with a top star like Ricochet or MJF ultimately sending MVP out on his shield.#. Former AEW World Champion Chris JerichoChris Jericho had already been an established name before he joined WWE in the late 1990s, having built his name in CMLL, ECW, and WCW earlier in the decade. His time in the sports entertainment juggernaut, across his multiple stints with the company, truly enabled him to become one of the widely acknowledged greats of the sport.From his rivalries with The Rock, Stone Cold, Kurt Angle and Triple H during the Attitude Era, to his feuds with Shawn Michaels, John Cena, The Undertaker and Edge (Adam Copeland) during the mid-to-late 2000s and afterwards, all the way to his programs with CM Punk, AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose and Kevin Owens during his final WWE run, Jericho has been responsible for many of the promotion's most iconic stories and moments. It came as a shock to everyone, therefore, when he left WWE and joined up with AEW at the start of 2019.Y2J became one of the Jacksonville-based promotion's early lynchpins, as he participated in feuds with the likes of Jon Moxley, Orange Cassidy, MJF, Eddie Kingston, Claudio Castagnoli, Will Ospreay, and more. He showed off his ability to constantly evolve his gimmick. He even led multiple factions, including The Inner Circle and The Jericho Appreciation Society, most recently serving as Big Bill and Bryan Keith's mentor, "The Learning Tree".Since arguing with and abandoning his students in April, however, Jericho has been absent from AEW programming. Recent reports furthermore indicate that The Ayatollah of Rock N' Rolla could leave the promotion to return to WWE next year. In the meantime, however, AEW CEO Tony Khan has not only expressed his appreciation for Jericho's contributions but also his desire to see the legend finish his career in All Elite Wrestling.Considering how WWE is currently being savaged by a vast section of its fanbase over its handling of John Cena's last run, and keeping in mind AEW's track record along the same lines, Chris Jericho could ultimately take up on TK's offer and have his retirement tour in All Elite Wrestling, like Sting and Bryan Danielson before him.