Edge forced to retire -- vacating World Heavyweight Championship on SmackDown

Yowza. I am left unsettled after last night's RAW where World Heavyweight Champion Edge announced that injuries sustained through almost two decades' worth of wrestling are forcing him to retire. No storyline. No angle. This seems to be the Real Deal.

From Wrestling Online Newsletter:

"Edge, real name Adam Copeland, said that both of his arms are experiencing numbness as a result of a neck injury and an MRI that was held the day after WrestleMania in Atlanta confirmed the seriousness of the injury. Edge was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, the narrowing of one or more areas in the spine which puts pressure on the spinal cord or spinal nerves at the level of compression according to world renowned Mayo Clinic. His injury will require surgery and no medical professional will clear Edge to ever compete in a ring again as there is a risk of paralysis or even death."

Now, as wrestling fans, we are not strangers to injuries befalling our favorites. Every wrestler at some point has incurred some type of injury that required rest or surgery. So they go under the knife, do some rehab, and return. No big deal.

Similarly, we are used to guys deciding to hang up their boots. We are usually given hints about this through age (e.g., Dean Malenko, Finlay, Ricky Steamboat, Arn Anderson), long standing injuries (e.g., Stone Cold Steve Austin), or storyline (e.g., Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels). So it is a rare thing when a superstar, especially one at Edge's level, can no longer compete and seemingly has no option but to retire. We can hope for an HBK-esque recovery period and return. Shawn retired in 1998 because he thought that his back was too far gone, too busted up, to keep going. He sat on the bench for four years and moved on with his life. Of course, we know that HBK dipped his toes back in the water in the summer of 2002 and went on to have a glorious eight year run. Edge may not get that chance. For all intents and purposes, Edge is done.

Done as far as being an in ring competitor. Edge is too passionate about the business and has too much know-how to sit at home. My guess is that after he's done rehabbing, he'll find his way back to WWE, either on screen as a commentator or backstage as a trainer or producer.

So how will wrestling remember Edge? He leaves behind a legacy that surprised me when he said it last night: Edge has won 31 championships, the most number of championships in the history of WWE. Count 'em:

World Heavyweight Championship (7 times)

WWE Championship (4 times)

Intercontinental (5 times)

United States (1 time)

Tag Team Championship [14 times(!)] with six different partners: Christian, Chris Benoit, Hulk Hogan, Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, and Rey Mysterio

He also won the King of the Ring in 2001, Money in the Bank twice, and the Royal Rumble in 2010. Also he has main evented the last four WrestleManias. This is a streak matched only by Hulk Hogan, Triple H, and John Cena. Those are obviously Hall of Fame stats.

But will Edge's retirement leave a Hogan/Triple H/Cena sized hole in the WWE? I don't think so. Edge has never been a larger than life, generation defining wrestler. The absence of Stone Cold, The Rock, Shawn Michaels, and eventually The Undertaker leave bigger holes than the one Edge leaves. Lara correctly nicknamed him "The Overrated Superstar". Not that Edge wasn't consistent, passionate, and loyal to professional wrestling. But his World Championship reigns were patchwork and unmemorable. Only one five star match pops in my mind when I look back (against Mick Foley at WrestleMania 22). But at least he was there. As long as he was physically able, he was there every week for 13 years. Of course, this is Edge as a singles star. As a tag team specialist, my memories are much fonder.

Along with Christian, he captured the Tag Team titles eight times (becoming the octopusses of the WWE). With the Hardys and Dudleys, they pioneered Tables, Ladders, and Chairs. They stole the show at WrestleManias 16 and 17. Me and my flash photography benefitted from them. They also ran around as pranksters with the then-comical Kurt Angle, forming Team AEC (Angle/Edge/Christian) and played the kazoo. In my mind, Edge was never better than when he had Christian as his partner.

Lara noted last night that when Edge was giving his retirement speech that it was the most she'd ever liked him. Understandable as last night, he was speaking as Adam Copeland. Edge the character never hit home for me. He wouldn't break my top 25 of favorite wrestlers. But Adam Copeland has worked for 17 years to entertain us and in the process destroyed his body. He's the guy who, when he saw me in a crowd in San Diego 7 years ago wearing an old school Edge & Christian shirt, shot me a wry smile and struck a quick five second pose. Professional wrestling benefits from hard working superstars such as Edge. And for that, we as fans, have been very lucky to have him.

WrestleMania XXVII: Opinions and Thoughts

Recap:

So many things wrong with this year's WrestleMania. The show was definitely average which is fine for the other 364 days of the year. Not for WrestleMania. We as fans expect more and WWE did not step up. Here are the main reasons why WM27 was a disappointment:

1. The World Heavyweight Title match is the curtain jerker (first match) for WrestleMania?! This is insulting to World Champion Edge and Royal Rumble winner Alberto del Rio. It's even more insulting when you see the build-up and intros for The Miz and John Cena for the last match of the night. Why go to the effort of having del Rio win the Royal Rumble if you're just going to have him lose a SmackDown-rate match at WrestleMania?

2. They left the United States Championship match (Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan) off the card. Apparently, this was the dark match before WrestleMania started. Though not unheard of, leaving this match off the card seemed mostly due to poor time management. They could have dropped that match into the main show if they cut The Rock's promo by 2 minutes and spent less time on the Undertaker's post-match laying around time.

3. The Corre vs. Kane/Big Show/Kofi/Santino was an absolute waste. Approximately 90 seconds long, the match which includes two former World champions, three former and the current Intercontinental champion, and the Tag Team champions, was completely without merit. Poor booking.

4. No title changes. Only two titles were defended anyway (the fewest in modern WrestleMania history) and neither changed hands. If I wanted to drop money on a pay-per-view to NOT see titles change hands, I'd order SummerSlam.

5. Having The Rock rule supreme over the main event was a mistake. This is a night for all the WWE roster to shine, not the guest host, no matter who he is.

6. On the same vein, leaving most of the women wrestlers off the show was sad to see also. At least the male Superstars were allowed to participate in the pre-show Battle Royal. The women of WWE work just as hard as the men so they should have made room for them somewhere (hint: next time just cut the Snoop Dogg segment).

7. Having Triple H tap out to the Undertaker undermines his whole "I'll beat the streak or die trying" bit. Seems like if you're trapped in the Undertaker's submission move, you should probably accept death over tapping out, because tapping out means that you have made the willful, albeit rational, decision to quit. Triple H should have gone down via pinfall or "Oh god, this submission move is so painful that it caused me to pass out from the pain but I never quit" route.

WrestleMania Results:


WWE Championship: The Miz (c) defeats John Cena

A pretty average match. Cool intros for both, but the crowd seemed dead for this one. This was marred by the double count-out ending, followed by The Rock's decree that the match go on. After the match re-started, The Rock hit a Rock Bottom on Cena, allowing The Miz to get the win. Then The Rock goes on to beat up The Miz. Congratulations WWE, you have now managed to allow a semi-retired former Superstar beat down your two top draws at the last match of your biggest night of the year. Bravo. 2 and a half stars.



World Heavyweight Championship: Edge (c) with Christian defeats Alberto del Rio with Brodus Clay

The less said about this the better or I'll get angry again that they started the show with this. Average match. Average storytelling. Two and a half stars.



The Undertaker defeats Triple H

19 and 0 at WrestleMania. They had me thinking that Triple H was going to win for a brief moment. That moment happened after the slew of chairshots and Triple H's Tombstone on the Undertaker. I had forgotten about Undertaker's submission move, Hell's Gate (or as I refer to it "I Choke Your Face"). Glad that he pulled that out and got the win. Best match of the night, despite the ending. Four stars.



Randy Orton defeats CM Punk

Second best match of the night. Punk and Orton could have headlined the show, but still managed to do well. Cross your fingers for a long CM Punk title reign this year. Four stars.



Michael Cole with Jack Swagger defeats Jerry "The King Lawler" via disqualification -- Special Guest Referee Stone Cold Steve Austin

Entertaining. Lots of Stone Cold Stunners. Sort of odd ending with the RAW General Manager reversing the decision after Michael Cole tapped out. I assume this is going somewhere. Great to see and hear Jim Ross again. Great to see Jerry Lawler participate in his first WrestleMania match. Three and a half stars.

"Dashing" Cody Rhodes defeats Rey Mysterio

Good match and character development. Cody is getting a good rub from Mysterio. Cody could have a big year in store for him too. Three and a half stars.

John Morrison, Trish Stratus, & Snooki defeats Dolph Ziggler & Lay-Cool with Vickie Guerrero

Seems like Morrison and Ziggler could be two candidates for future big spots at WrestleMania. Morrison's Starship Pain to the outside was pretty crazy. And to give credit where credit is due, Snooki's super surprising gymnastic abilities gave this match a lot more than expected. Short match. Would have benefitted from more Morrison/Ziggler action. Two and a half stars.



United States Championship: Sheamus (c) vs. Daniel Bryan (no contest)

Dropped off the main WrestleMania card. They never really got a chance to do this during the dark match as it quickly devolved into the traditional pre-WrestleMania Battle Royal.


The Big Show, Kane, Vladimir Kozlov, and Kofi Kingston defeat The Corre

Horrible booking. The entrances lasted longer than the actual match. For a team that has both the Intercontinental and Tag Team champions, The Corre got buried at WrestleMania. Shame on WWE for wasting the talent involved in this match. Half star.

Final Thoughts

Among modern WrestleManias (WrestleMania 14 and above), this ranks dead last. No title changes. No major swerves. What was this year's WrestleMania moment? Pick any year prior and you have a defining moment. In fact here they are:

WM 14: Stone Cold Steve Austin beats HBK for his first WWE Title -- The Austin Era begins
WM 15: This was kind of a crappy WM, but Triple H betrayed DX and joined The Corporation
WM 16: First Ladder match between Edge and Christian, the Dudley Boyz, and the Hardy Boyz
WM 17: Austin turns heel. TLC II.
WM 18: The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan
WM 19: HBK returns to WrestleMania. Brock Lesnar almost breaks his neck attempting a Shooting Star Press. Kurt Angle tears his quad in the first 30 seconds of his match but continues to compete for another 20 minutes
WM 20: Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero stand victorious as WWE and World Champion
WM 21: Batista and John Cena win their first major championships. HBK vs. Kurt Angle. First Money in the Bank Ladder Match
WM 22: Also a weak WrestleMania. HBK vs. Vince. DX reunion teased. Edge vs. Mick Foley. Mysterio wins World title.
WM 23: Batista vs. Undertaker. Hair vs. Hair match -- Vince vs. Donald Trump.
WM 24: Ric Flair vs. HBK. Floyd Mayweather vs. Big Show
WM 25: HBK vs Undertaker
WM 26: HBK vs. Undertaker II
WM 27: ??? The Rock beats up Cena and Miz?

On RAW, we see that this is all set up for next year's WrestleMania in Miami. The Rock vs. John Cena. We have a year to watch the build up and hope that Cena can stay healthy. This will be interesting as this now eliminates Cena from major title stuff starting at next year's Royal Rumble. Sin Cara made his debut, antagonizing Sheamus (probably not a great idea). No new feuds seemed to have erupted on RAW so we'll see how things develop in the coming weeks.

WrestleMania XXVII: Meh.

WrestleMania update: Change in card

Not that the match was super well developed in the first place but there's been a change to the the Big Show, Kane, Santino, Kozlov vs. The Corre match-up. During the WrestleMania weekend festivities on Friday, Vladimir Kozlov was having an exhibition match. After his match, The Corre came down and beat up him. WWE.com reported this as if to imply that Kozlov will not be physically able to keep his spot in the match. Fortunately, they have a pretty good replacement in former Intercontinental Champion, Kofi Kingston. Nice to see that Kofi will be able to be on the card, but it must be disappointing to Kozlov to miss out on his WrestleMania payday. Such are the consequences of sloppy booking.