Edge's WWE Retirement: A Complete Career Retrospective (Part II)

For those of you looking for this earlier, I apologize. A line of strong storms passed through my area and made getting this up earlier impossible. Hopefully it was worth the wait, for those of you who actually waiting for it. For those of you who missed part one, you can find it here: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/663671-edges-retirement-a-complete-career-retrospective-part-i

The one-year absence taken to recover from extensive neck surgery failed to derail the fan support Edge had garnered during his explosive 2002 run on the Smackdown brand. Making his return on the March 22, 2004 edition of Raw, the annual Draft show, the Canadian superstar made a major and immediate impact just moments after being officially drafted to the Raw brand, spearing then-General Manager Eric Bischoff and cementing himself as a force to be reckoned with on the Monday night program.

At the April pay-per-view event Backlash, Bischoff looked to gain a measure of revenge, punishing the freshly-returned Edge with a match against the "Big Red Machine" Kane. Coming off a crushing defeat at the hands of the Undertaker at WrestleMania XX, Kane proved to be no match for Edge, who steam-rolled his way past the former WWE Champion on his way to bigger and better things.

Edge would spend the majority of April and May as an acquaintance of World Heavyweight Champion Chris Benoit in his battles against the Triple H-lead Evolution faction, which was made up of "The Game," "Nature Boy" Ric Flair, and young stars Dave Batista and Randy Orton. Typically joined by the likes of Tajiri and Chris Jericho, Edge and Benoit did battle in numerous singles and tag team contests against their new-found rivals. For a period of mid-2004, Raw was guaranteed a high-quality contest featuring any combination of the eight Superstars. Edge, once again, found himself in the middle of a rivalry that spurned some of the better free-television contests of all-time.

Heading into the Vengeance pay-per-view in July of that year, Edge and Randy Orton had engaged in a rivalry over the Intercontinental Championship. For weeks leading to the match, Edge promised to destroy Evolution one member at a time, starting with Orton. The contest was a major part of the event, lasting nearly one-half hour and reminding the fan base of an earlier time when the Intercontinental Championship was as coveted, if not more so, than the world title. The end saw Edge overcome the challenge of the more youthful Orton to capture the Intercontinental title for a fifth time.

At SummerSlam, from inside the Air Canada Center in his hometown of Toronto, a strange thing happened. The fans, some of who Edge had grown up with or around, turned on their local hero and cheered on Chris Jericho and Batista, the challengers to Edge’s Intercontinental Championship in a triple threat match. Edge successfully retained his title but it was becoming apparent that the fans had grown bored by the mega-push Edge was on the receiving end of upon his return. It would be the booing and jeering of the Toronto fans, and various other crowds across the country, that would send Edge’s career spiraling down a new path, one that would ultimately net him success he could previously only dream of.

In September of 2004, Edge suffered another small career setback when he suffered a groin injury. Serious enough for him to miss several weeks, Edge was stripped of the Intercontinental Championship and left in limbo for part of the fall.

In October, Edge made his return and he was immediately thrust into the World Heavyweight Championship picture. For the Taboo Tuesday pay-per-view, for which the WWE fans would choose the Superstar to challenge Triple H for the world’s title, Edge joined Shawn Michaels and Chris Benoit as the top three candidates for the contender’s spot. And while he received a significant amount of the fan vote, Edge came in second to the always-popular, now-Hall of Famer Michaels. Bitter and jealous, Edge completed a heel turn, costing Michaels the match, roughly an hour after walking out on Benoit in a consolation tag team title match against La Resistance. A few weeks later, at the Survivor Series, Edge teamed with Triple H, Batista, and Gene Snitsky in a losing effort against Randy Orton, Chris Benoit, Maven and Chris Jericho.

In December of 2004 and January of the following year, Edge was preoccupied with Shawn Michaels, the man he accused of stealing his championship opportunity at Taboo Tuesday. At Royal Rumble, Edge stole a victory from Michaels and a few weeks later, on Raw, Michaels returned the favor in a hellish, bloody Street Fight.

Heading into Wrestlemania 21, Edge continued working in upper-mid-card matches with the likes of Benoit, Jericho, Kane, Shelton Benjamin and Christian. Behind the scenes, Jericho lobbied head writer of Raw Jason Gewirtz for a match featuring some of the company’s top upper-mid-cars stars. It would be a ladder match and would feature a prestigious prize for the victor. The match was titled "Money in the Bank" and would go on to become a staple of the company for year’s to come.

The debut of the Money in the Bank match was a wild success, with Edge outlasting an injured-yet-defiant Chris Benoit to hoist his first briefcase. For the remainder of 2005, he would carry the briefcase with him to the ring, always a threat to attack a fatigued WWE Champion and take the title. Before he could cash in his opportunity to accomplish his life-long dream, however, Edge’s personal life would be taken from the real world and placed in the always-evolving world of sports-entertainment.

By the time 2005 rolled around, Matt Hardy and Amy Dumas, better known to wrestling fans as Lita, had been in a relationship for the better part of a half-decade. They were extremely popular with both the die hard and casual fan bases and their on-air characters were so believable because they were extensions of their real-life selves. While Matt was at home with an injury, however, the fairytale romance between WWE’s sweethearts was dealt a major, critical blow.

In mid-2005, Edge was on a role, a surefire main event star in-the-making. In light of Triple H’s absence from WWE television, Edge arguably became the most hated villain in the entire company. Quickly, however, he also became the most hated villain off-screen. Rumors hit the Internet, alleging a relationship between Edge and Lita while Hardy was at home recovering from surgery. In quick succession, Hardy was fired from WWE upon allegations of death threats directed towards the Toronto native. A loud, vocal portion of the WWE fans chanted "we want Matt" and "you screwed Matt" in the direction of both Edge and Lita, who was, at the time, positioned as a face, during television tapings and pay-per-view events.

With no other choice, WWE moved Lita away from her on-screen "husband" Kane and teamed her with Edge, undoubtedly looking to take advantage of the real-life situation. The pairing with Lita was one more piece of the puzzle needed for Edge to craft his character into that of a major, marketable star. They fit well together and played off one another spectacularly. They welcomed the venom spewed at them by the fans and prospered because of it. Edge and Lita became the hottest act in the business.

Then Vince McMahon hired Matt Hardy back. Never one to miss out on a potential cash-cow, McMahon and his writers crafted an on-air program between Hardy and Edge that played off the personal animosity between the two. What seemed like every week, the two exchanged stiff rights and lefts and beat the living hell out of one another. At SummerSlam 2005, a quick, heated, stiff brawl led to a KO victory for Edge over his bloodied opponent. At Unforgiven, they did battle in vastly-underrated steel cage match that stole the show, a match won by Hardy.

As quickly as the program was thrown together, it was equally as quick to be blown off. On the October 3 "Homecoming" edition of Raw, Edge was victorious in a ladder match that allowed him to retain his Money in the Bank briefcase and, at the same time, drive Hardy from Raw and over to the Smackdown brand. What was considered the hottest, easily most sustainable angle in all of wrestling was quickly extinguished. While Hardy proved to be an intensely-popular mid-card star who Vince resigned to avoid losing him to the competition, Edge proved to be ready for bigger and better things.

Another injury slowed Edge’s momentum as 2005 concluded, but by January he would resume his career growth. A rivalry with Ric Flair over the Intercontinental Championship led to a match at the New Year’s Revolution pay-per-view. Frustrated with the veteran Flair’s apparent inability to quit, Edge got himself disqualified, bloodying the "Nature Boy" and soaking in the jeers of the Albany crowd. By the end of the evening, however, those angry jeers would be replaced with jubilant cheers.

John Cena had reigned as WWE Champion for the majority of 2005 following his title win at WrestleMania 21. In the course of 10 months, he had become the undeniable face of the WWE but somewhere along the line, the intense popularity he once enjoyed had faded and in its place was a new movement geared towards hating everything he did. He was greeted with loud, ultra-intense boos that overwhelmed the cheers of the children and females in the audience.

At New Year’s Revolution, Cena defeated five of Raw’s top stars to retain his WWE Championship. Throughout the course of the match, however, he was the subject of many boos and jeers. Some even chose to cheer Chris Masters rather than support the champion. Just when it appeared as though Cena would triumphantly reign atop the WWE mountain once more, Mr. McMahon took his place atop the entrance ramp and announced that there was another match to be had. Edge shot through the entrance, handed McMahon the Money in the Bank briefcase, and hit the ring.

One minute, forty-six seconds. After eight years of falling off of ladders, international and domestic road trips spanning hundreds of miles, and personal attacks from fans he did not even know, one minute, forty-six seconds is all it took for Adam Copeland to realize his childhood dream. The same kid who sat in the audience and watched the epic showdown between Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VI in Toronto now etched his name into the record books, right beside those two legendary competitors.

The fans in Albany erupted as the new champion celebrated his victory. Like a child on Christmas morning, who just received the one gift for which he begged and pleaded for the better part of a year, Edge cuddled the title and consistently looked down at it in disbelief. Despite his stature as the most hated heel in the sport, fans could not help but cheer the man who worked his way through the ranks and finally accomplished his goal.

The following night on Raw, Edge staged a "Live Sex Celebration" with Lita, a stunt that not only revitalized the ratings but also added a bit more, pun intended, "edge" to the Monday night program that had been missing (As someone who was at this episode of Raw in Hershey, Pennsylvania, I can attest that the officials at the Giant Center were less than happy with WWE for this segment of the show and as a result, television tapings would not return to Hershey for two years, replaced with several house show events instead).

At the Royal Rumble, three weeks after winning the contest, Edge lost the gold back to Cena. While a shortened reign, Edge immediately became a go-to guy in the main event picture. In the weeks leading to WrestleMania 22, he feuded with Mick Foley. At the event, the two in-ring vets stole the show in a brutal, barbaric hardcore match. Thumbtacks, barbed wire, and fire were used in an exhibition of sadistic torture between the two, a display unlikely to be seen in WWE again, as long as the PG direction of the company persists.

Coming out of WrestleMania, no one could deny the fact that, after nearly a decade of trying, Edge had officially reached Superstardom in WWE. He was the focal point of many an episode of Raw and stole nearly every pay-per-view event he was featured on. At Backlash, he came up short in a spectacular triple threat match for the WWE Championship also featuring Cena and Triple H. At ECW’s One Night Stand, he formed an unlikely duo with Mick Foley to defeat Tommy Dreamer and the "Hardcore Legend" Terry Funk in a match rivaling the WrestleMania hardcore match in its sheer brutality.

On the July 3, 2006 edition of Raw, Edge realized his dream for the second time, defeating Rob Van Dam and John Cena in a three-way main event. In what would become a pattern in his career, Edge proved to be the go-to star when Rob Van Dam was arrested for marijuana possession and found himself suspended. This reign would last significantly longer than the first and would be the igniting point for one of the company’s legendary, modern-day rivalries.

John Cena and Edge had a chemistry together that was undeniable. Every time they faced one another in a pressure situation, a big-match situation, they excelled and gave fans an experience they would remember. The SummerSlam match in 2006, in Cena’s hometown of Boston, was a solid one-on-one, no-frills-attached wrestling match and the Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match at Unforgiven, in Edge’s hometown of Toronto, stands as one of the great performances of either man’s career. In the years that followed, they would have more matches against one another than, perhaps, any two other stars on the roster and truly became the faces of their era in the sport. Their performances earned the trust of McMahon and his writing staff and as a result, neither man would be taken from the main event picture again.

After the Cena feud wrapped up in Toronto, and Lita made her exit from the company in the fall, Edge turned his attention towards Triple H and Shawn Michaels, the recently-reformed D-Generation X. Enlisting the help of Randy Orton, Edge vowed to rid the company of the degenerates. He claimed it was his and Orton’s time to shine and Michaels and "The Game" were merely providing a roadblock in their path to the top. Dubbed "Rated RKO," the two-man super-team wreaked havoc on Raw for the remainder of 2006, gaining the upper hand over DX more often than not.

At New Year’s Revolution in 2007, the final battle between the two duos was scheduled to take place. What was a brutal brawling battle between the two teams, however, was brought to a halt by the severe quadriceps injury suffered by Triple H after executing a spine buster. A double-disqualification ending resulted and the entire storyline, running nearly four months in length, was tossed aside. With Triple H on the shelf, Shawn Michaels was left to fend for himself.

Michaels would defeat Edge in another street fight that, while not as brutal and bloody as the original in 2005, was still a fitting end to the rivalry. To hammer home the point that the feud had ended, Michaels defeated Edge and Randy Orton in a triple threat match to become number one contender to the WWE title at WrestleMania.

Out of the title picture, and with previously-booked angles for WrestleMania now thrown out the window thanks to the untimely injury to Triple H, Edge was placed in the annual Money in the Bank ladder match. Unsuccessful at WrestleMania for the first time in his career, many wondered what was next for the "Rated R Superstar." An injury to a young, up-and-coming star allowed Edge to once again earn the nickname "the Ultimate Opportunist."

Mr. Kennedy had been positioned as the next breakout star since his arrival in WWE in 2005. When he won Money in the Bank at WrestleMania, many assumed that day was coming sooner, rather than later. Then he was injured and the initial prognosis led many to believe he would miss enough time that he would be unable to cash in his title opportunity. As a result, Edge was booked to win the case from him.

On the May 11 edition of Smackdown, Edge captured the World Heavyweight Championship, defeating an injured Undertaker on his way to getting surgery a day or two later. Once the biggest heel on Raw, Edge became the face of the Smackdown brand. He was the focal point of the show. Then, in a year of crippling injuries for the WWE’s roster, Edge suffered a torn biceps that would sideline him until November.

His return far from a secret, thanks to various promotional materials distributed for the annual Survivor Series pay-per-view, Edge found his way back into the main event scene by interfering in the Hell in a Cell match between Undertaker and Batista and costing the "Dead Man" the World Heavyweight Championship. Edge would go on to regain the title at the Armageddon pay-per-view, with the aid of the former Major Brothers, now dubbed "Curt Hawkins" and "Zack Ryder," respectively.

The year 2008 was a major year for Edge. For the first time, he was trusted to carry an entire brand on his shoulders, working TV tapings, pay-per-view events, and house shows as the biggest star on Smackdown. Ingenious booking saw him paired with Vickie Guerrero, the Smackdown general manager, her nephew Chavo, and the aforementioned Ryder and Hawkins as a super faction on the show. They abused their power in ways not seen since the McMahon-Helmsley Era in the early 2000’s. Edge and Vickie were almost disgusting in their display of "love" for one another and the fans ate it up. They were both the most over act, as well as the most hated, in all of sports-entertainment.

At WrestleMania XXIV, Edge lived another one of his childhood dreams. Just as he had seen Hogan and Warrior had in Toronto some eighteen years earlier, Edge was in the main event of WrestleMania, defending the World Heavyweight Championship against the legendary phenom, The Undertaker. The "Dead Man" was victorious but Edge gained the experience of working with the most respected man in all of WWE. The feud between the two would include a TLC match at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view and the vicious, demented Hell in a Cell match at SummerSlam. Edge earned his place among the top acts of all-time in this series of contests and found himself more respected by the WWE fan base as a result.

The following year, 2009, was a largely forgettable one for Edge. The on-air relationship with Vickie Guerrero disintegrated and Edge traded the World Championship with John Cena for the majority of the early months. At WrestleMania, he was on the losing end of a triple threat match also involving Big Show. Then, at Backlash, he regained the title in a physical Last Man Standing Match. Upon losing the gold to Jeff Hardy in a ladder match at Extreme Rules, Edge seemed destined to spend the remainder of the year in a team with Chris Jericho in an angle that would be reminiscent of the "Rated RKO" team.

Unfortunately, Edge’s year ended prematurely when he suffered an Achilles tendon tear at a live event in July. What was supposed to be a big push towards and end-of-the-year angle with the, again, newly-reformed D-Generation X evaporated when the injury came to light. He would be forced to watch from the sidelines as Big Show stepped into his place and, along with Jericho, dominated the tag team division.

January 2010 brought with it the opportunity for a returning Edge to accomplish something he had not done to that point. At the annual January event, "the Ultimate Opportunist" made his surprise return and won the Royal Rumble match. Poised to challenge Chris Jericho for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XXVI, the writing staff looked nine months in the past to provide the story.

When Edge exited with his injury in 2009, Jericho wasted no time in bashing his tag team championship partner, calling him weak and unworthy of teaming with a talented star like Y2J. Jericho reiterated his position in December, when he and Big Show were awarded the Slammy award for being the best tag team of the year. Edge used this display of disrespect as the emphasis for his title push. The match between the two at that year’s "Showcase of the Immortals" proved to be one of the best of the show. Jericho and Edge showcased the ability to have a technical bout with solid psychology that was light on big spots but still managed to excite the fans. Jericho would leave Phoenix with the title in tact but Edge got his revenge, spearing Jericho off of an announce table and to the arena floor.

The annual Draft episode of Raw saw Edge return to the Monday night brand, a move that was seen as beneficial initially but one that ended up stranding Edge in mediocrity for his entire stay. A mediocre program with Randy Orton lasted for the majority of the six month run. For whatever reason, the former partners showed little chemistry with one another and Edge still appeared hesitant considering the severity of his previous Achilles injury. An injury to the Undertaker and a lack of depth on the Smackdown roster would soon see the Toronto native’s return to the Friday night program.

For the majority of the summer, Kane had dominated the Smackdown brand. The World Heavyweight Champion at the time of Edge’s return to the show, he had soundly defeated every star put in his way, including three consecutive victories of his on-air brother. He used mind games to gain a psychological edge over his rivals. With the "Rated R Superstar," however, his mind games proved futile.

Edge consistently angered and enraged the "Big Red Monster," using his father Paul Bearer to keep him distracted. At the Survivor Series, the two fought to a disqualification. It was a disappointing match and disappointing, at the time, return for Smackdown’s most decorated star but December would be the first month since his return some 11 months prior that Edge looked comfortable back inside the squared circle.

At the Tables, Ladders and Chairs event, Edge won his 13th world championship by defeating Kane, Rey Mysterio and Alberto Del Rio in a fatal four way TLC match. Edge starred, the veteran of several ladder matches, and seemed to be the glue that held that match together. Like a fine film director, Edge mapped out a match that played to each competitor’s strengths and proved he was one of the few "ring generals" left in the industry.

Alberto Del Rio proved to be Edge’s final on-air rival. For the first time in his career, Edge was the grizzled, respected veteran faced with the challenge of a new, cocky and confident challenger. He was also trusted to get the next, surefire champion over enough to be accepted as a threat and viable challenger to the gold. To his credit, Edge handled the task phenomenally and at WrestleMania, had the only match outside of Undertaker and Triple H to be worthy enough of the show’s prestige. No one, including the champion, knew it at the time but the successful title defense over Del Rio would be the final match in the unforgettable career of the "Rated R Superstar."

By now, my opinion of Edge should be clear. From the very first moment he stepped foot on WWE programming, I was a fan. I remained so through the thick and the thin and will never forget the tag team run he had with Christian, the 2002 star-making program with the Smackdown Six, his run at the top of the card and the coining of the "Rated R Superstar" persona in 2006, his solidifying of his position as the most complete main event talent in WWE in 2008, and his final run of 2010-2011. There are moments from each year of his career I consider favorites of mine, moments I could not exchange for anything.

Is Edge one of the all-time great talents? Absolutely. Is he a surefire Hall of Fame candidate? Undoubtedly. But Edge will be remembered for being the cool WWE Superstar, the one every guy in the audience wanted to be and every girl in the crowd wanted to be with. He was the bad guy who managed to gain the respect of the fans based on his hard work and his absolute refusal to fail. A lifelong fan of wrestling, the fans sensed his love for the business and as a result, gave him their love. Hopefully Edge can take a step back and come to the understanding that the fans loved him, his knack for performing, and watching him ply his craft as much as he loved performing for them.