Four-time WWE Champion.
Seven-time World Heavyweight Champion.
Five-time Intercontinental Champion.
One-time United States Champion.
Two-time WWE Tag Team Champion (one with Chris Jericho, one with Rey Mysterio).
12-time World Tag Team Champion (seven with Christian, two with Chris Benoit, one with Chris Jericho, one with Hulk Hogan, one with Randy Orton).
King Of The Ring.
Two-time Royal Rumble winner.
WWE Hall of Fame inductee.
To say that Edge has had a fantastic career would be an understatement of epic proportions.
If you don’t count the Hardcore or 24/7 Titles (and really, you shouldn’t ever count those for anything), nobody in the entire history of WWE has won more overall titles than Edge. He found tremendous success as a singles competitor and as a tag team performer, as a main event player and as a midcard talent, as a beloved face and as a despised heel… almost literally, he has been able to do everything one can do as a member of WWE over the last 25 years.
In those 25 years, I haven’t seen another wrestler anywhere on the planet who loves the sport as much as Edge does. Actually, as much as Adam Copeland does, because it clearly isn’t just because of the character he portrays on television.
We lost him to forced retirement in 2011, and even though he seemed to receive a medical miracle that allowed him to return to the ring in 2020, are we on the verge of losing him to another retirement? Lord knows it was framed that way on the most recent episode of Smackdown. Setting up a match in his hometown of Toronto, Ontario, Canada got that ball rolling. Having the match be against Sheamus, the man who helped him return to the business in the first place, continued the rolling of said ball. The emotion on Edge’s face during his ring entrance, and especially the emotion on Beth Phoenix’s face as she sat with their children in the front row, spoke volumes. After Smackdown went off the air, Edge would tell the Toronto fans that this was probably going to be his final match in front of them, as he didn’t think he had enough left in his tank to stick around for as long as it would take for another show to be held in the city. He has also gone public with the fact that he doesn’t have any more matches left on his current WWE contract. Before anyone starts to fantasy book his AEW debut at All In(nit), his contract expires at the end of September. He just doesn’t have any more contractually obligated matches left to perform.
This, of course, has everyone talking.
Edge has made sure not to say anything about the match with Sheamus being the last of his career. WWE never billed this as any sort of “retirement match” or had it seem like that was on the table. The post-show promo was simply Edge saying that he didn’t know what his future would hold, and that he wanted to take some time before discussing it with his family and figuring things out from there.
The man has options. That’s always a great thing.
Does he actually ride off into their sunset, but under his own terms this time around? It’s pretty clear that he loves being a father and a husband, so that will always be an attractive and appealing option for him, and it’s not like he has anything left in the ring he needs to accomplish. One of the biggest reasons he came back in the first place was to prove to himself, and to everyone else, that he could still wrestle, and to be able to retire how he wants to retire. He has that opportunity now, if he should want to do so.
I just don’t see that happening. Not yet. I don’t think he signs a five-year deal or anything, but I think if a full-blown retirement was the leading option, it would’ve been revealed as such. He could’ve/would’ve been more open about a final match, and that would be that. He’s keeping the door open for a reason. You’re a fool if you don’t think he has already been discussing this heavily with his wife, and probably even his kids. This is something they’ve been preparing for from the day he decided to return to the ring. All of his options have been thrown about, discussed, and decided on.
So… if he’s not retiring yet, what is he going to do?
The man has basically been a WWE “lifer.” Would it surprise you if he re-signed with WWE on a short-term deal? It wouldn’t surprise me. He isn’t exactly a full-time performer anymore. Since returning three-and-a-half years ago, he has wrestled a total of 29 matches, although that number might’ve been higher if he didn’t tear his triceps at Backlash 2020, which forced him to sit on the shelf for seven months. If he’s going to stay with WWE, it could be for something that would get him to another WrestleMania, and nothing more. That’s less than eight months from now, so… a Survivor Series match, being an entrant in the 2024 Royal Rumble, a match at WrestleMania 40, and whatever small handful of additional matches he and WWE would agree on? That would be an easy thing to pull off. There are more than enough people on the WWE roster for him to face between now and Mania. However…
Is this the most exciting option?
There was a time that the idea of Adam Copeland wrestling for a promotion other than WWE sounded absurd. That time is no longer the here and now. No matter how you feel about AEW, they are more than a viable option here.
If the man wants money, not only can AEW offer him a lot of it, but they’re also more likely to throw more of it at him than WWE would, as they could really use the star power and name recognition that he would bring to their table.
Of course, there’s the fact that he has a bunch of connections in AEW. Christian Cage is there. Matt Hardy is there. Jeff Hardy is there. Dax Harwood is there. Cash Wheeler is there. Chris Jericho is there. There are other names, in front of the cameras and behind them, that the man is good friends with. Could he be swayed by the chance to work with these people again? The rabid AEW fan base would welcome him with open arms, and he would be treated like a huge deal from the moment he steps foot in front of those fans.
Personally, I would love to see him face the likes of Kenny Omega, Adam Cole, Adam Page, MJF (that could make for some amazing promo battles), Claudio Castagnoli, Daniel Garcia, Jay White, Jon Moxley, Konosuke Takeshita, Malakai Black, Miro, Orange Cassidy, Ricky Starks, Sammy Guevara, Samoa Joe, Sting (!!!), Swerve Strickland… the list goes on and on and on, and that’s only the people he has never faced before.
I am very intrigued with the idea of Adam Copeland, or whatever his new name would be, becoming an AEW wrestler, even for a brief, part-time run. I will admit, though, that I enjoy seeing a lot of people “jump ship” to other companies, simply because it provides chaos, excitement, and fresh ideas more often than not. You’ve seen me write about stuff like that in my columns for years. If it becomes news that Wrestler A has a contract set to expire, or if they’re outright released from their deal somewhere, I’ll probably make an argument for them to sign with such-and-such company. Most recently, I wrote about wanting to see Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks head to WWE when their contracts were on the verge of expiring. Not in a “hahaha this will be the death blow to kill AEW once and for all” type of way, but again, to see something fresh and exciting. If we found out the truth about Drew McIntyre’s contract status, you’ll probably see me say that I’d like to see him in AEW, too. That’s just how I am.
For a “normal” wrestler, AEW provides the chance to have a lot more creative control over what they do, what they say, who they wrestle, and so on. We’ve seen that a ton with former WWE talent who make their way to the Land Of Khan. Edge, however, isn’t a “normal” wrestler. He is probably one of the very rare few names in all of WWE who probably has all of that aforementioned creative control right now, so that makes this a wash.
The chance to work with Christian again might be a determining factor in things all by itself. We thought there was a possibility of things happening when Christian returned at the 2021 Royal Rumble and they shared an emotional moment together during the match, but nothing came of it, as Christian was done with his WWE contract and AEW-bound weeks later. Outside of that Rumble in 2021, Edge and Christian haven’t wrestled together since 2011, and they haven’t wrestled against each other since 2010. Just imagine the pop that Whatever-Edge-Would-Be-Called-In-AEW would get if he interrupted a Christian Cage promo or attack. The Full Gear pay-per-view is in November, and that could be a great debut date. I’m just saying.
Honestly, though, it doesn’t matter to me what Mr. Copeland ultimately decides to do. I’m happy that the man was able to return to what he loved after being told that he would never be able to do it again. He has had one of the best careers of anybody in the sport over the last 25 years, becoming one of the best blends of pro wrestling and sports entertainment that you’re ever going to see.
Some of you that have been reading my work from the beginning know that I wasn’t always the biggest supporter of Edge, but you will also remember that almost all of the criticism I had was based on how he was booked, and not because of anything he did. He is an 11-time World Champion, and those 11 reigns have equaled to 550 total days as champion. For those of you that failed math, that’s an average of 50 days per reign. He had a handful of reigns that saw him win a World Title and lose it in the first defense, or in the second defense after the first defense ended in disqualification on television. Like I said, though, unless Edge himself is telling Vince McMahon that he would prefer not to hold a World Title for more than three weeks at a time, that isn’t his fault.
Through the years, I began to appreciate him more and more, especially after his 2011 retirement. His return at the 2020 Royal Rumble is one of my all-time favorite moments in wrestling history, and it still makes me emotional to see the look on his face as he steps through the smoke during his entrance for that match. There are a lot of people who have been relatively disappointed with the overall run he has had with WWE since 2020, and while I do get some of the frustration (his initial feud with Randy Orton went on too long, the heel turn with The Judgment Day was a terrible idea, etc.), I think it has gone really well and he has defied Father Time by being in some of the best shape of his entire career and being able to “go” in lengthy matches against a variety of opponents when his number was called upon.
If he decides to hang up those wrestling boots for good, he deserves all the flowers while he is still around to smell them.
If he decides to continue wrestling, whether it’s with WWE, AEW, or any other promotion on the planet, I have no doubt that he will continue to be successful and entertain people along the way.
Thank you, Edge.
Thank you, Adam Copeland.
Your tasks are simple this week, folks… what is your favorite Edge-related event? It could be a match, a promo, a moment, or whatever. I just want to see what you’ve enjoyed about the man’s career. Secondly, what do you want to see Adam Copeland do? Retire, stay in WWE, go to AEW, or a different “wild card” choice? As always, hit me up in the comments section below, or on Twitter (@HustleTheSavage), and let me know what’s on your mind.
Weekly Power Rankings
Edge vs Sheamus: Really, you could flip flop the top two entries here, but in the end, the emotion and mystery surrounding this match placed it here. We still don’t know if it was Edge’s final match, final WWE match, or just the final match until his next one in a month or so. There was also the possibility of a heel turn for Sheamus that many were predicting. All in all, this was a really good match that was elevated by a lot of outside factors.
Rey Fenix vs Komander: A breathtaking Lucha Libre match. Plain and simple. It’s a style that many people love and adore, but it’s also a style that many can’t stand. I’m not Lucha’s biggest supporter, but I do appreciate when a match is put together well and features plenty of jaw-dropping spots. That’s what this match delivered.
Darby Allin vs Christian Cage: Christian is truly hilarious in his current role. He gets to have good matches, which is cool and all, but he’s really shining with the character work as a delusional heel that truly feels he’s the TNT Champion, even though Luchasaurus is the true titleholder. Whenever you see Christian make an appearance, know that you’re about to get something entertaining, one way or another.
WrestleMania 40: Tickets to the two-day event went on sale, and within hours, records were starting to fall. Before the first day of sales had even come to an end, over 90,000 tickets had been purchased and the all-time record gate of $21.6 million (for this year’s edition of WrestleMania) had been surpassed. AEW has been receiving a ton of praise for the ticket sales that All In(nit) has seen, and that has been well-deserved, but it’s WWE’s turn to receive praise for the records that they’re breaking.
Cody Rhodes vs Finn Balor: It has been almost two full months since Finn Balor has won a singles match on television or pay-per-view, and nearly three months since he did so against a main roster member (his win two months ago was against Carmelo Hayes). That shouldn’t be a thing. The Judgment Day has been having their issues recently, and I get that, but Balor is too good to not be presented as a bigger deal.
Orange Cassidy vs Wheeler Yuta: I might be off by one or two, but I believe this was the 1,947th successful defense of the AEW International Title by Orange Cassidy. I’ve said all I can possibly say about the title, this reign, and what it all means in the grand scheme of things, but at least we’re still getting good matches on a near weekly basis because of it.
All In(nit): I’ve seen a lot of complaints about the card that AEW has put together for their biggest show of all-time. I don’t have many issues with the card itself, but I really wish the way things were put together was better and smoother. It’s like we got months of nothing, and then a bunch of matches “randomly” thrown together in a single television episode. With that many eyes on the product, this should’ve been treated like WrestleMania, Starrcade, and other flagship events in wrestling history. Lengthy feuds and issues should’ve come to an end here. As it is, I am excited to see just about every match that has been announced so far, and I have no doubt that the show itself is going to deliver.
Sami Zayn vs JD McDonagh: Slowly, but surely, it looks like McDonagh is going to be an important member of the Raw roster. Then again, McDonagh is a smaller, less charismatic version of Finn Balor, and we see how that is currently going for Finn, so I guess I should approach this with caution and not get my hopes up too much just yet.
Bianca Belair & Charlotte Flair vs Iyo Sky & Bayley: I think we’re all waiting for the inevitable moment when Bayley turns her back on Iyo, right? We’re coming up on three years since Bayley has held a singles title of any kind. Yes, 14 months of that time period saw her out of action with an injury, but the fact remains that she has been without a singles title for a long time. There’s a good story to be told there. Is it only a matter of time before WWE pulls the trigger?
Wes Lee vs Dijak: While it wasn’t on the level of their match at NXT Vengeance Day back in February, this was still a really fun “little man vs big man” match. I’ve been saying for a while now that Lee is ready for a main event run in NXT, and now that it is finally here, it remains to be seen if it’s a one-off or a full-time stint.
This Week’s Playlist: “Mama Told Me” by Quavo… “Where Can I Start” by Quavo… “Greatness” by Quavo… “Seasons” by Thirty Seconds To Mars… “At Your Worst” by Calum Scott… “Immortal” by Atreyu… “Safe And Sound” by Point North & The Ghost Inside… “Below The Belt” by Point North… “Recover” by Point North… “Dark Days” by Point North & Jeris Johnson… “Holy” by Of Virtue… “Blood Throne” by Thy Art Is Murder… “Enough” by Hollow… “I Can Feel Every Cut” by Hollow… “Trouble” by Hollow… “All Because Of You” by Marques Houston & Young Rome… “I’m Your Puppet” by James & Bobby Purify… “Wait For Love” by Luther Vandross… “Stay” by Ghost & Patrick Wilson… “Gimme Back My Bullets” by Lynyrd Skynyrd