Edge Discusses Doing Promos, Working with No Crowds Amid Coronavirus

The WWE is holding shows at its Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, sans fans in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, creating a unique atmosphere and viewing experience for fans watching at home.

It's also been a transition for wrestlers, and Edge gave some insight on delivering promos when there's no one in the stands to react in a conversation with Renee Young and Christian on WWE Backstage.

"I've really enjoyed the promo aspect a lot. Because I think it's given more attention to detail, and you can hear the attention to detail, which can get lost in a crowd reacting, which is what you want them to do. But when they're not there, you really get to kind of hone your chops or show what kind of chops you have, and that to me was really cool."

Edge was out of WWE for nine years after being forced to retire because of a neck injury. He returned at the Royal Rumble in January and soon began a feud with Randy Orton, his eventual WrestleMania 36 opponent.

"Before the first promo I did, it was an in-ring promo. And I looked at our camera guy and I said, 'OK, I'm coming right down the barrel' [first-person shot].

"And he went, 'What?' And I said, 'Yeah. I gotta come down the barrel.' And that was when that decision was made in my mind that I have to go straight to camera, straight to Randy and in essence to the audience.

"And that was fun, you know. I really just treated it like it was a monologue in theater or maybe an audition. And that was a lot of fun. That I think to me has been the most rewarding part of it so far.

"You know you always want your audience. I miss the audience, I miss that interaction and that instant gratification. But we're getting to delve into some different areas that we normally don't get to go to, and that to me is finding a different area of the craft, and that's fun."

Edge's promos have certainly been unique and captivating, with one such example occurring on the March 16 Monday Night Raw:

The promos, by nature, also create a far more personal feel between the wrestler on-screen and fans at home.

Edge also noted that not looking at the camera sans fans in the stand felt strange and "inorganic." He issued the following response when Young asked about adjustments he's had to make.

"I think just the change in mind-set promo-wise. There's no audience to talk to and feed off of, there's no reaction to feed off of, so it becomes much more personal. And to me, if you didn't look at the camera, then it's just weird. It's just a very weird inorganic thing, and it just feels natural to go straight to the camera, and I think that's how they have to be within these confines."

Edge also noted that the promos can be "more conversational."

Edge defeated Orton at WrestleMania 36 by pinfall in his first singles match since WrestleMania 27, when he defeated Alberto Del Rio. He retired eight days later following an announcement on Raw.