WWE: With Edge Retiring, the 10 Most Likely Candidates To Win the World Title

I am in unbelievable shock after hearing the announcement.

As soon as they showed Edge on the monitor backstage, I knew he was going to retire, and it sucks to say the least.

Not only was Edge one of the most innovative Superstars to ever grace the WWE ring, but he has also held the most championships in WWE history.

With Edge riding off into the sunset, hanging up his spandex tights and off to eat a lot of ice cream, there remains a gap left open for the next World Heavyweight Championship.

These are the 10 most likely candidates I see vying for the vacant gold.

10: Sin Cara

Although he is recently new to the WWE, we could see Sin Cara beginning to blossom into the SmackDown or Raw Championship scene. Since there is a vacancy and possibly a tournament, who better than Sin Cara to get a shot at the gold?

Actually, there are a lot of more deserving guys then Sin Cara, but don't be shocked if you see this talented individual in the title chase over the next weeks.

9: Ted Dibiase Jr.

Hey, never say never in the WWE, right?

He has not been getting over well on RAW, so why not a new brand and a new occupation as World Heavyweight Champion?

OK, let's get the "he's not ready for the title" arguments out of the way now.  We all said the same thing when Orton got it for the first time.

He is young and with some new marketing, Dibiase could be a force to be reckoned with.

8: Jack Swagger

Look, he lost to Jerry Lawler by a roll up on RAW and got the taste slapped out of his mouth by Michael Cole, but he was the All American-American World Heavyweight Champion.

He has the mean streak to be a great champion and has excelled with the progression of his mic skills.  I hardly notice the lisp anymore.

It is highly unlikely that he will be the man who gets the title, but he will be in contention for it.

7: Rey Mysrerio

He has not been in World Heavyweight contention for a while now, and it is due time to see Rey Rey get a chance to lead the company again.

His body is not what it used to be, but his feud with Rhodes has shown that you can teach an old dog new tricks.

He is definitely more viable for the title than any of the previous three names, but we won't be getting to our most likely of candidates just yet.

6: Cody Rhodes

Rhodes has a whole new persona, a whole new repertoire of moves and a vengeance to take down anyone standing in the way of what he wants.

His feud with Mysterio has proven that Cody Rhodes can put on great matches against good competitors and that he can be the mean-streak heel champion that we long for.

It will be tough to see him break through the Christian and Del Rio ceiling, but I am pulling for him all the way.

5: The Big Show

Who else could be on this list at number five if not The Big Show?

He feuded with Swagger for the title a while back and could spice up the whole division by being the man on top of a very large, grueling hill.

The Big Show as champion, as the past has proven, can be a hard man to beat.  Just look back at his days in WCW as World Heavyweight Champion.

Ok, add more weight and a deteriorating body and he's not as good, but look at him. He's still doing good and can be a tough road block towards the title.

4: Kane

Why not the man that Edge beat for the World Heavyweight Championship?  Kane had a good run as the champion, beating The Undertaker on numerous occasions.

He even retained against Edge!

He might have been licking his lips for a chance to return to the top of the mountain and put that strap back around his waist, or in Kane's case, over his shoulder.

3: Ezekiel Jackson

There is only one member of the Corre who does not have a title, and Big Zeke looks like he is ready to take the biggest and baddest one of them all.

Ezekiel Jackson could make mince meat out of any of the competitors I have mentioned in this list.

I know some people feel as if the WWE won't push a black man into the title position on the main stage, so to speak, but watch what happens with Ezekiel Jackson very closely.

He will be the answer to all of your questions.

2: Alberto Del Rio

Has his destiny finally arrived?  Alberto Del Rio has been chomping at the bit for the World Heavyweight Championship ever since he entered the WWE.

Now he was one step away again from that goal, but it looks like fate has declared a new star to rise.

With Edge having to vacate the championship, Del Rio will no longer have his largest road block keeping him from fulfilling his destiny.

Well, maybe just one man stands in his way...

1: Christian

Edge's best friend for over 27 years, his tag team partner and fake brother.  Christian was given the ball in the revamped ECW and has come very close on numerous occasions of reaching that final step on his ladder to grandeur.

Maybe Edge stepping down really opens the door that Christian has been waiting for.

There is now a top spot open for Christian to fill and title or not, he will grow and become an even better singles competitor.

I feel as if the WWE will just make the match at Extreme Rules, Del Rio vs. Christian, for the title.

They could also do a tournament over the next two weeks of SmackDown to fill in the missing opponents to have them battle it out in a ladder match to crown the new champion.

Whoever wins the title will be the NEW face of SmackDown for some time, so look for Christian or Del Rio to finally get hold of the gold.

Edge will be missed dearly and hopefully, this is not the last we see of him, even if it means he won't be wrestling.