Edge and Christian's Most Memorable Matches, Moments in WrestleMania History

When reflecting on the history of WrestleMania, Edge and Christian aren't among the first names that come to mind. However, the pair is responsible for some of the best moments of the past two decades at WWE's biggest pay-per-view.

Edge, in particular, is an example of how a wrestler can use WrestleMania as a springboard to bigger and better things. He and Christian were involved in a pair of excellent tag team matches, which undoubtedly helped lay the groundwork for their successful singles careers.

For example, Edge and Christian won the tag team titles at WrestleMania 2000. Four years later, Christian beat Chris Jericho at WrestleMania. One year after that, Edge won the inaugural Money in the Bank ladder match.

Were it not for injuries to both wrestlers at various points in their careers, they would have created even more memories at The Showcase of the Immortals.

WrestleMania 2000: Tag Team Division Steals the Show

Throughout most of the Attitude Era, the tag team division was mostly an afterthought in WWE. Beyond The New Age Outlaws and The Acolytes, the division focused mostly on pairing together singles stars—The Rock 'n' Sock Connection being the biggest example.

WrestleMania 2000 helped usher in a new boom period for tag team wrestling in WWE. Edge and Christian, The Dudley Boyz and The Hardy Boyz put their bodies on the line in a three-team ladder match that was unlike anything WWE fans had seen before. The contest was by far the best of the event.

Even if Edge and Christian hadn't walked out of WrestleMania 2000 with the WWE Tag Team Championships, their involvement in this match would have still represented a major highlight in their careers.

WrestleMania X-Seven: TLC II

As good as the ladder match at WrestleMania 2000 was, the follow-up at WrestleMania X-Seven might have been even better, which is saying a lot.

Edge showed off the willful disregard for his body that would inevitably shorten his career and help make him a legend. He speared Jeff Hardy after climbing up one of the ladders in the ring.

WrestleMania X-Seven was the culmination of an extreme trilogy between Edge and Christian, The Dudley Boyz and The Hardy Boyz. After WrestleMania 2000, they had the first-ever Tables, Ladders & Chairs match at SummerSlam 2000. Then came the conclusion at WrestleMania X-Seven.

On all three occasions, Edge and Christian came out on top, making them one of the tag teams who helped define the division during the Attitude Era.

WrestleMania XX: Christian Defeats Chris Jericho with Help from Trish Stratus

A number of factors prevented Christian from having the kind of singles run Edge enjoyed, and their respective records at WrestleMania highlight how much their careers diverged.

Christian's signature singles win at WrestleMania is largely remembered for something he didn't even do. Trish Stratus turned on Chris Jericho at WrestleMania XX, slapping him in the middle of the ring before Christian delivered an Unprettier to add an exclamation point to his victory.

While Stratus' heel turn overshadowed everything that preceded it between Christian and Jericho, beating Y2J at the biggest PPV of the year is a pretty nice addition to anybody's resume.

WrestleMania 21: Edge Becomes Mr. Money in the Bank

This was the inaugural Money in the Bank Ladder match, and it arguably remains the greatest. Not only was the bout itself good, but the fact nobody had seen this concept before also added to the allure.

The same goes for when Edge cashed in the MitB briefcase at New Year's Revolution 2006. Nobody knew exactly how the process would work, so nobody knew when to expect it.

The storytelling at New Year's Revolution was also excellent. A bloodied John Cena had given everything he had to retain the WWE title in an Elimination Chamber match, and Edge showed the cunning, win-at-all-costs attitude that earned him the title of The Ultimate Opportunist.

Edge's stock was on the rise leading up to WrestleMania 21, but his win in the MitB match was his star-making moment.

WrestleMania 22: Edge and Mick Foley Get Extreme

Edge held the WWE title for less than a month before losing to John Cena at the 2006 Royal Rumble, which was a sign the company wasn't ready to elevate him into that next tier of stars.

WWE's plan may have been to make Edge the champion again a few months later, but the Rated R Superstar erased any doubt as to his potential when he put on a classic with Mick Foley at WrestleMania 22.

This match showed Edge was ready for prime time.

The timing of Edge vs. Mick Foley makes it a little more unforgettable as well. A few years after WrestleMania 22, WWE started shifting to a more family-friendly product. It's going to be a long time before fans can witness one wrestler spearing another through a flaming table.

WrestleMania XXIV: Edge Earns His 1st WrestleMania Main Event

Edge may have lost the World Heavyweight Championship to The Undertaker, but his match at WrestleMania XXIV was historic nonetheless, as he main-evented WrestleMania for the first time.

In an interview with Sports Illustrated's Justin Barrasso in October 2016, Edge said wrestling The Deadman in Orlando, Florida, represented the pinnacle of his in-ring career.

The Undertaker vs. Edge gets overshadowed somewhat by Ric Flair's retirement match and Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s victory over The Big Show, but it's arguably one of the top 10 main events in WrestleMania history.

And in a rivalry that included a number of entertaining encounters, this may have been Edge and The Undertaker's best work together.

WrestleMania XXVII: Edge Retires on Top

Wrestling fans didn't know it at the time, but Edge's victory over Alberto Del Rio at WrestleMania XXVII was his final singles match. 

That retrospectively adds a lot of significance to what was a solid but unspectacular bout. Edge retained the World Heavyweight Championship after hitting a spear on Del Rio.

A little over a week later, on the April 12, 2011, edition of Raw, Edge announced doctors had advised him to retire from professional wrestling. Edge's health issues dated back to a neck injury he suffered in 2003 that kept him out for over a year.

It was an abrupt end to a career that culminated in Edge's Hall of Fame induction in 2012.

There aren't many better ways to go out than successfully defending a world title in the opening match of WrestleMania.