When Will Edge Get 1 Final Run as WWE Champion?

Edge's post-retirement run in WWE these past two years has been nothing short of spectacular.

For him to come back from his career-ending neck injury at all was a miracle, but the fact that he's been able to have so many memorable matches and storylines in addition to delivering at an elite level can't be overstated.

Since stepping back inside the squared circle at the 2020 Royal Rumble, The Rated-R Superstar has enjoyed WrestleMania moments, riveting rivalries and incredible character work. The one thing that has alluded him, though, is a world title.

The 48-year-old is an 11-time WWE world champion, having retired as the world heavyweight titleholder in April 2011. He had his fair share of shots throughout 2021 but came up short on every occasion.

Although the company should be focusing primarily on the future and building up new names, an argument can be made for Edge winning one more world championship before he hangs up his boots for good. The WWE Hall of Famer's legacy has already been cemented, but it would surely close out his career on a high note.

With the veteran pushing 50, time is running out. So, if the trigger is going to be pulled on a final title run, it would need to be sooner rather than later.

Unfinished Business in the Universal Championship Picture

The Rated-R Superstar spent much of 2021 chasing the Universal Championship but was never able to take the title home.

Eleven years removed from his first Royal Rumble win, he emerged victorious in the men's Rumble match last year and punched his ticket to the main event of WrestleMania 37. Unfortunately, he was unsuccessful in capturing the championship both that night and again at Money in the Bank later that summer.

However, the latter match wasn't without controversy. He was closing in on the win before Seth Rollins interfered out of jealousy that Edge was automatically granted a title shot and cost him the belt.

Thus, Reigns' one-on-one victory over The Rated-R Superstar that evening will forever have an asterisk next to it. The Tribal Chief is running out of challengers, and it wouldn't be far-fetched for that rivalry to be revisited sometime soon.

Even if WWE has no intentions of putting the belt on Edge, the least it can do is tie up the loose ends with his character and have him get beaten decisively in a high-profile championship clash.

Tease of World Championship Aspirations Following Feud with Seth Rollins

The strangest part about Edge being left out of the world title scene recently is that he outright announced his intentions to re-enter the Universal Championship picture on the August 27, 2021 edition of SmackDown following his win over Seth Rollins at SummerSlam.

One week later, he resumed his rivalry with The Visionary, and the idea of him gunning for the gold was never brought up again.

From a storyline standpoint, he should have shifted his focus back on the belt once he and Rollins finally finished their feud at Crown Jewel in October and Edge reigned supreme inside Hell in a Cell.

The Rated-R Superstar started anew on Raw thanks to the 2021 WWE draft, but before he could challenge the champ, he transitioned into a program with The Miz and Maryse instead.

Again, that wrapped up at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view but there was no sign of him on Monday's Raw. Following his two wins over The A-Lister, he should have been entered into the Elimination Chamber for the WWE Championship on Feb. 19, but his name wasn't mentioned once.

It wouldn't be imperative for Edge to win the title at Elimination Chamber, but for him to not even be considered for a spot is illogical and delays any chance of him returning to title contention.

No Set WWE Championship Match for WrestleMania 38

WWE's announcement Monday morning that Bobby Lashley would be defending the WWE Championship inside the Elimination Chamber at the titular PPV seemed to come out of nowhere.

Not only is there zero reason for the title to be defended so close to WrestleMania 38, but there was also no explanation as to why certain Superstars were included in qualifiers and others weren't. Edge fell into the latter category and didn't appear on the episode at all.

The Rated-R Superstar is on a three-match win streak and hasn't lost since September, which should automatically put him in the running for Raw's top title.

Worse yet, WrestleVotes indicated following the Royal Rumble that nothing is set in stone for what the WWE title match will be at The Show of Shows come April 2-3. In other words, the company is booking on the fly and nothing suggests Edge will be a part of those plans.

Unless he's involved in a marquee 'Mania match of his own, WWE not putting its biggest star in the title picture on Raw heading into the marquee PPV is a questionable call. With so much uncertainty surrounding the championship, now would be as good a time as any for him to pursue that one last run and tell the story that essentially writes itself.

Bobby Lashley and AJ Styles would both be exciting opponents for Edge at WrestleMania if either of them manages to escape the Elimination Chamber as champ.

He'd Be More Active Than Any Part-Time Champion

Unlike Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, John Cena, Triple H, The Undertaker or any other part-time wrestler WWE has used recently, Edge has very much been an active member of the roster and wrestled on Raw and SmackDown in the last year more than all of them combined.

That's a testament to how dedicated he is to making the most out of this run that no one was expecting due to the nature of his neck injury. Wrestling once or twice per year would severely limit the many match possibilities for him, and it's not as if his recurring appearances on television make him feel any less special.

WWE hasn't hesitated in the past to put a top title on part-timers. Goldberg has held the Universal Championship twice since returning to the company, Triple H was WWE champion for a brief period in 2016, and Lesnar has been a titleholder more often than not in the past eight years.

Whenever Edge is embroiled in an angle, regardless of who it's with, he puts in the effort to appear every week leading up to that PPV with the occasional TV match sprinkled in. He remains one of the best talkers in the company and is still capable of contesting classics with the right opponent.

The Ultimate Opportunist has put over his fair share of stars in his time back with WWE and him being a top titleholder would be no different, especially if it wasn't a particularly long reign.

Edge has excelled in the role of champion throughout his career, making it all the more puzzling why it hasn't happened yet.

The Window Is Beginning to Close

Immediately following Edge's miraculous return to the ring at the 2020 Royal Rumble, it was reported he had signed a lucrative three-year deal with WWE.

From what we know right now, this run for The Rated-R Superstar is slated to end around WrestleMania 39. That would mean he has one year's worth of matches left on his current deal and the chances of winning a world title again dwindle with each day that passes.

Chris Jericho proved with his reign as AEW world champion in 2019 that it's possible to have success at a main event level even in the twilight of one's career. He was nearing 50 at the time and was doing some of his best work of the last decade.

Edge would be no exception if he was placed in a similar position in WWE and given the ball—and championship—to run with.

If not this year's Road to WrestleMania, SummerSlam season would be a fine time for the veteran to get back into chase mode for the WWE title.

If the company passes on giving him the final run he's owed for the exceptional work he's done since returning, it will be depriving fans of a fantastic feel-good moment and a stellar story worth telling.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.