Edge's Return Highlights Benefits of Hands-off Approach from WWE Creative Team

Creative freedom in WWE shouldn't be limited to those who have their name in the Hall of Fame.

During an appearance on the Busted Open podcast (h/t Wrestling Inc's Jason Ounpraseuth), Edge explained how he has enjoyed a lot of latitude in laying out his feud with Randy Orton.

"I have been given almost full carte blanche," he said. "There's a couple things that I tried to go against, but I realize that the lines were drawn, and that wasn't going to get changed. So that was fine, but the promos, I'm writing them. The storyline arc, I put it together."

The results speak for themselves: The storyline has been excellent and one of Orton's best in years.

The Viper explaining how he cared so much about Edge that he felt it appropriate to put him out of his misery was the kind of layered justification that heels in WWE generally don't provide.

Likewise, Orton punting Christian in Captain Charisma's first match back after six years was the perfect way to drive the story forward with Edge out indefinitely through injury.

Not surprisingly, the worst part of The Rated-R Superstar's return is something WWE threw into his lap without his input.

Billing Edge vs. Orton at Backlash as "The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever" was the kind of thing bound to turn some fans against the bout before it even started. The actual match itself was good but still couldn't completely erase the buildup.

Edge spoke for many fans when he addressed the tagline with ESPN's Arda Ocal:

"I just laughed because I didn't think it was serious. Then I realized fairly quickly it was. Then my reaction was, is this wise, because anytime you say something the greatest ever beforehand, you're setting yourself up for failure. And I don't ever want to think that way. I need to think the opposite of that. I can't control the court of public opinion. I need to do and be proud of the work that I put in.

"All I can do is take it as if this is all just a bonus and in a weird way, a compliment. Or it's a giant rib. I don't know."

Lobbying for Vince McMahon, who turns 75 in August, to change his approach is like screaming into the void to some extent. But that doesn't mean we can't keep hoping for something different.

If nothing else, Edge's comeback has shown how much better WWE could be if the wrestlers weren't micromanaged to the point of becoming almost completely interchangeable.

McMahon and the creative team will inevitably exert some level of influence over promos and backstage interviews. There's too much money on the line to risk potentially having another Abraham Washington situation happen again.

Having said that, Jon Moxley explained to All Elite Wrestling colleague Chris Jericho in May 2019 how McMahon's style can be be counterproductive on multiple levels. Beyond creating entertainment that isn't all that entertaining, the talent themselves can feel suffocated to the point of losing passion for their work entirely.

There's no question WWE throws some stars into the deep end before they're ready. Being featured on Raw or SmackDown is generally a sign, though, that somebody has the necessary charisma and/or mat ability to succeed in the business. They've put in the work at the WWE Performance Center or with another promotion.

Through the way he handles the bulk of the roster, McMahon either doesn't care to see that, or he has the mistaken belief he's single-handedly responsible for any success those under his employ enjoy.

Edge is a legend who has earned the right to largely dictate the terms of his on-screen character. However, it's a luxury that should be afforded to more within the promotion, or risk the next Edge slipping through the cracks.