WWE Ruthless Rivalries: Edge's 10 Potential Feuds We Never Got to See

Before I begin, I would like to thank those readers who followed my series of articles over the last few months entitled, "Deadly Dream Matches" and "WWE's Pushed to Punished" .

I have devised a new column entitled "WWE Ruthless Rivalries," where I present to you potential feuds for past and present WWE Superstars.

In a shocking turn of events, former World Heavyweight Champion, Edge, retired from the WWE due to his multiple injuries. I speculated in my "WrestleMania 28 Bold Predictions"article that the Rated-R Superstar would be hanging up his boots by the big event, but unfortunately, the inevitable came sooner than expected.

Thinking back on Edge's illustrious career, I've pondered what else the Master Manipulator could have accomplished in the short period of time he had left with the company, had he not been injured so severely.

With the growing youth movement, there are a handful of feuds Edge could of been a part of, no matter what brand he was fated to be on.

Here are 10 exclusive rivalries that had the potential to be money-makers if the 11-time World Champion was involved. After careful consideration, I have rated these feuds from least appealing to must see, in my opinion.

*UPDATE* - Almost all of my content placed in the slideshow can't be displayed for some reason. I'm trying to fix it as soon as possible. Sorry, Bleachers.

Visit my website at Next Era Wrestling for more of GSM's writings, along with WWE/TNA news, recaps, and more 

10. Zack Ryder

I may get some heat for this pick, but hear me out.

For those who may not be informed, Edge and Ryder have a history. They were both involved in the alliance entitled "La Familia", which included Vickie Guerrero, Chavo Guerrero, Bam Neely and Curt Hawkins.

Following the group's quiet break-up in August of 2008, Edge would part ways with Ryder and Hawkins, collectively known as the Edge Heads. There would be no contact between the two former allies until September 2010, when the Rated-R Superstar and Zack Ryder, showcasing his new persona and all, would participate in three hilarious promos, backstage on RAW.

During Edge's feud with the anonymous RAW General Manager, I almost believe that his interactions with Ryder meant the Long Island Iced Z was the man behind the computer!

Ryder's in-ring skills are highly underrated, so I believe they could have provided us with a relatively good match. Had it not been for Edge's move to SmackDown in early October, I could see a tag team or possible feud between the two.

9. Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes

While Edge was main eventing SmackDown as the World Heavyweight Champion, over the last four months, Cody Rhodes has had a staggering road to becoming a top star.

As a strong believer in the young man's push, I would have liked his current program with Rey Mysterio to begin months ago. But what can you do?

Since he moved to SmackDown via the 2010 WWE Draft, Cody Rhodes has been in a stalemate. With no feuds or championship pushes until now, the former "Dashing One" has literally had almost nothing to do for the past year.

Edge and Cody Rhodes would mix well in the ring and on the mic, if Rhodes continued his current push to stardom. If both were able to survive the draft this year, I would have liked to see the Rated-R Superstar challenge Rhodes in a series of matches for the world title.  

8. Drew McIntyre

Over the past two months or so, we've seen a lot from these two, both backstage and in matches. Many speculated a future feud was in the works—following the "Elimination Chamber" match—due to Edge's role in the firing of Kelly Kelly.

With McIntyre's fondness for Kelly Kelly, rumors spread that they were planting seeds for a big push for the "The Chosen One." Unfortunately that was not the case, as McIntyre was not even included in this year's WrestleMania card.

However, their two one-off matches were rather brief, with Edge emerging as the obvious victor and McIntyre putting forth a strong performance even in defeat. If given more time, these two could have started an intriguing rivalry.

7. Daniel Bryan

We saw a unique preview of this potential feud last September, when Edge challenged the newly crowned United States Champion, Daniel Bryan, to a match on RAW, following an altercation backstage.

Although the match was barely six minutes, it showcased a very strong performance by both men. The final portion of the match provided fans with suspenseful near-falls and forced many viewers to contemplate whether Daniel Bryan could pull off the upset.

The outcome of the match was affected by the interference of former U.S. Champion The Miz and the RAW General Manager, but the action was fun while it lasted.

As I predicted last month in a article about Daniel Bryan, this feud may have come to fruition had Bryan been drafted to SmackDown this year.

6. Sheamus

Edge and Sheamus don't have the best chemistry, but it's likely the two would have developed a feud had the Celtic Warrior been drafted to Friday nights. Both are main-event talents and established stars, so a feud over the WWE World Heavyweight Championship would not be out of the question.

The preview for this potential feud happened the night after Edge won the "Royal Rumble," match. He exclaimed that Sheamus was a possible WrestleMania 26 opponent for a guaranteed title match. The segment ended with the Rated-R Superstar standing tall following a unexpected Spear to the then-WWE Champion, Sheamus.

The exchange of words between the two didn't interest me that much, given their roles at the time, but it would have given us an interesting world championship picture on SmackDown. 

5. Wade Barrett and the Corre

As we enter our must-see top five, Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett enters the discussion, along with his fellow stablemates Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater and Ezekiel Jackson. This group, collectively known as the Corre, have had one of the most disappointing impacts on SmackDown in recent memory.

Since their inception in mid-January, the initial impressions of the stable was that it would be an exact replica and counterpart of RAW's New Nexus. However, Corre was given a new concept when it was revealed that all four members of the group would be treated as equals and there would be no clear-cut leader.

With Nexus dying on Monday nights, Corre began to pick up steam on SmackDown, and they even pulled off a few upsets against the likes of Big Show and WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Edge.

From that point onwards, Corre's momentum began to slowly fade into what is now a poorly booked and weak group of individuals who are routinely dominated by the dynamic duo of Big Show and Kane.

If their stock rose to where it once was, a feud between Corre and Edge would have been inevitable.

Although it would be slightly similar to the rivalry between Nexus and John Cena, during the latter half of 2010, it would breathe new life into the dying main-event scene on SmackDown. 

4. The Miz

Edge and The Miz have crossed paths on a few occasions, but have never engaged in a lengthy feud. By my count, they have competed in three separate singles matches, with one taking place in March of last year and the other two in January of this year.

The fact that The Miz has never defeated the Rated-R Superstar in one-on-one action adds more intrigue  to this possible feud. Their matches haven't been out of the ordinary, but they have shown potential to become spectacular if given enough time to develop into a full-fledged rivalry.

On the episode of RAW, following the "Hell in a Cell" match, Edge did admit there are some similarities he shares with The Awesome One.

The segment was used to build hype for Edge's departure from RAW via trade and his upcoming "Bragging Rights" pay-per-view event, where both men would compete on different teams for RAW and SmackDown, respectively.

I would have much rather seen this bout go down at WrestleMania 27 than the lackluster main-event we witnessed, with The Miz finally proving he is not caught in Edge's shadow after all.

3. CM Punk

Edge and CM Punk have competed in a variety of matches between early 2008 to mid 2009, prior to Punk's transformation into a heel that summer. Every bout they had was nothing short of solid, and although I wasn't a huge fan of CM Punk while he played babyface, these two still showed good chemistry in promos.

In aforementioned promos, the Straightedge Savior threatened to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Edge's wedding day in July 2008.

Surprisingly, Punk shocked us all by redeeming his title shot earlier than expected (only 24 hours removed from the "Night of Champions") and won his first ever WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the process.

The following year, Punk would once again flirt with cashing in his second MITB briefcase, which he won at WrestleMania 25, following the matches he competed in with Edge.

Their final match together in singles competition was on SmackDown—two days before "Bragging Rights"—where they easily earned Match of the Night. This would be their only match where they reversed their  roles as a face and heel.

Although the contest ended in a disqualification via interference, it left this viewer speculating that the match finished they way it did to set up a future feud between the two. Edge would play the heroic babyface and Punk would play his role of a demonic villain to perfection.

2. Randy Orton

Bringing together the two most lethal Superstars in today's WWE landscape, it's no surprise that matches between Edge and Randy Orton have always been show stoppers. These two iconic Superstars have a storied history, in what was once the greatest tag team of the last decade—Rated-RKO.

As a team, these two surpassed expectations, not only in the tag team division, but also in matches with championship implications. It is unfortunate the tandem only lasted a few months, because they could have accomplished more together had they not split up in May 2007.

After a reunion failed to happen for nearly three years, I can speak for many people when I say prayers were answered when the Rated-R Superstar interfered in the "No. 1 Contenders" match for the WWE Championship.

The interference cost Orton the title shot on the night of the 2010 WWE Draft and renewed a longtime rivalry between the two icons that would last nearly three months.

During the feud, however, both wrestlers competed in only two singles matches. Their first ended in a double count-out at the Over the Limit pay-per-view event in May, and the second being a randomly placed blow-off match on RAW that Edge emerged victorious in.

In my mind, this feud never really ended. Had Orton not been injured in their match at OTL, we may have witnessed another Orton-Edge match in SummerSlam, possibly for the WWE Championship.

A renewal of this rivalry has been highly anticipated since then, with my ultimate dream match taking place on the Grandest Stage of Them All. 

1. Christian

Admit it, once you saw the title to this article, you knew this would be the logical No. 1 pick.

The bond, chemistry and history between Edge and Christian is stronger than any other rivalry mentioned on this list, both in the ring and in reality. Arguably one of the greatest tag teams in WWE history, Edge would have never made it this far without his longtime friend Christian.

Since their historic breakup, which came nearly a decade ago, a reunion of any sorts has been highly anticipated. Although they were able to team up sporadically on RAW in 2005, it didn't amount to the magic they once had.

When Christian announced his departure from WWE in late 2005, a reformation of the tandem looked grim. However, after what felt like an everlasting three years, Captain Charisma returned to World Wrestling Entertainment and rumors of a reunion with Edge spread rapidly.

It was speculated at one time that Christian would intervene in the boiling rivalry between Jeff Hardy and Edge in early 2009, but plans were scrapped and Matt Hardy replaced Christian.

After a few brief encounters between the two, in light of Christian's return to the company (including an unexpected match on RAW in May 2010), fans' dreams were set to come true when Edge was traded to SmackDown last October.

Due to Christian's lingering injury, many months passed before the reunion finally came to fruition at this year's "Elimination Chamber." In the match, Captain Charisma returned to aid his blood brother Edge against the evil Alberto Del Rio.

This would spark a new relationship between the two and they appeared together on numerous SmackDowns, including a successful return to their tag team roots.

Following WrestleMania 27, rumors swirled about a heel transformation for either Edge or Christian, which would cast the one-time friends against each other and give the WWE Universe a match they've desired for years.

My personal prediction was that Christian would aid Del Rio to victory at Extreme Rules, costing Edge the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the process.

Unfortunately, Edge's unpredictable retirement caught nearly everyone off guard, and thus this dream match will never take place. All these feuds will never come to fruition, but dreaming of what could have been makes them that much more interesting.

Which of these feuds would you have paid money to see on pay-per-view? Are there any feuds that I haven't mentioned that you would have liked to seen?

Thanks for reading Bleachers! Make sure to leave your feedback in the comments below, and please give an assessment of my article.

Visit my website at Next Era Wrestling for more of GSM's writings, along with WWE/TNA news, recaps, and more. You can follow me on Twitter @GSM2ndComing for the latest updates.