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In this business, there are a lot of performers, but very few become legends. The term ‘legend’ is not used very loosely; you have Ric Flair, Bruno Sammartino, Freddie Blassie and Hulk Hogan, who paved way for all the performers throughout the next 3 decades or more. Then you had Bret Hart, the Undertaker and the Shawn Michaels, who paved way for superstars of this generation. No matter how you look at it, these are the very few elite performers who will not be forgotten in wrestling history. If someone ever decides to write a wrestling book, these performers will be on the foreword and the appendix. There is one such performer who has given everything for the business, and, in the end, had to get away because of the business as well.
“In the last little while I’ve been in a lot of pain. I’ve been losing feeling in my arms. So I passed a strength test and all of those things. I made it through WrestleMania. But the WWE wanted me to get more tests. And thankfully I did because the MRIs showed that I have to retire. Trust me it’s not my choice. The doctors have told me that I got no choice. And thankfully they found out because I’m not going to end up in a wheelchair now.” – Edge on 11/4/11
Almost exactly two years ago, on 11th April 2011, a bombshell was dropped on the WWE Universe. I clearly remember that RAW episode. Before the show, there were reports online that WWE had scheduled a sudden ‘Edge special announcement’ on RAW which seemed odd to me. Just a week ago, he had won his match against Alberto Del Rio at WrestleMania 27! I didn’t know what the announcement would be, but thought it would be an angle to further Edge’s feud with ADR. But during the segment, a visibly emotional Edge walked out with the title on his shoulder; and as he digested the ovation he received from the crowd, he said something that every performer has nightmares of. He told the RAW crowd, and the WWE Universe, that he had to retire.
I was always a fan of Edge. Whether he was a part of the Brood, or a member of the famous E & C team, or the Rated R Superstar/Ultimate Opportunist, Edge always made it look believable. Edge was one of those rare performers, who, no matter what, came out and gave his all. Whether he was hurting or in pain, as soon as he walked out of those curtains, Adam Copeland was Edge. Edge was a part of the WWE for nearly 14 years, in which he gave all of us many memories; and in the end, he left WWE the way he deserves – as the reigning World Heavyweight champion. The way Edge said he wouldn’t be confined to a wheel chair echoed just how many risks these performers take to entertain us, something we fans take for granted more often than not.
Edge had suffered a string of injuries, with the most severe of them being a broken neck. Still, he kept going and kept performing for us. There are times when these performers don’t know when to call it a day. Some of them have nothing but professional wrestling; there is one truth in this business than anything else. When you can, you need to get out. When your body tells you that this is it, you need to listen to it. But most of the guys don’t, and that is when they get hurt really bad. I hate to bring the story of Chris Benoit, but that is a prime example. Benoit took so many bumps, so many blows to the head and his body, that towards the end, he started making no sense to people. Sadly, that’s a reality that keeps happening more often than not in this business.
I remember watching Edge as a kid. He, along with Christian and Gangrel, was a part of the Brood, and later a part of the Ministry of Darkness along with the Undertaker. I started noticing Edge more when he broke out as a member of the E & C tag team. Their feuds with Team Xtreme started a trend that no one saw coming. They elevated the tag team division to such heights that no team before or after them could achieve. Of course, it only escalated and reached its pinnacle with the inclusion of the Dudley Boyz. Edge & Christian were not only one of the best tag teams in the history of the business, but were one of the most charismatic and entertaining individuals in the company. As a kid, Edge adored Hulk Hogan and was even present at WrestleMania 6 with Christian to watch Hogan taking on Warrior. As such, it was a dream come true for Adam when he got the opportunity to team up with Hulk Hogan!
Edge was an outstanding performer, and a one-of-a-kind individual. He finally got the chance to go for the ‘big one’ when he won the Money in the Bank ladder match, and then, after a real – life chaos, was involved in a whirl wind affair with Amy (Lita). I was/am the biggest Lita fan, so I was always envious about that. But in ’06, Edge realized his dream by winning his first ever WWE Championship. Life couldn’t be better for Adam, but it eventually did. By the time he retired, he was an 11-time World Champion! In all, he won 31 titles – more than anyone else in the history of WWE. Even when he was a heel as the Ultimate Opportunist, Edge was always respected as a performer, and a future Hall of Famer. Edge had also done something no one else ever did. He had a live make–out celebration on RAW after winning the WWE title that received the highest ratings in over a year!
“I would hope that through it all I’ve earned the respect of everybody in that locker room. And I hope that I’ve earned all of your respect. Because no matter what I came out here and I tried to give you guys as much as I had every single night. And in turn you guys gave it right back to me. So I’m going to miss all of this…all of it. I’m going to miss that reaction when I hear my music and I come out on the ramp – it’s like a shot of adrenaline straight to the heart from you guys and it’s amazing. I can’t describe it.” – Edge 11/4/11
Edge was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame during the WrestleMania 28 weekend. As a performer, you could tell Edge loved going in front of the crowd and performing for them. I remember an incident that Edge narrated about Chris Benoit; at the end during one of their matches, Edge had Benoit rolled up, and looked up and saw Chris smiling at him. When you have one of the best technical wrestlers in the history of the business giving you a compliment like that, you know you’ve ‘made it’. For some, pro wrestling is a passion; but for some others, it is an obsession. For Edge, this was it. He loved performing, and he loved the adulation of the fans, their response – both the cheers and the boos. When Edge came through the curtains, he put on a show like no other.
It would be a gross injustice if I didn’t mention Christian more. Jason Reso has been best friends with Adam since he was 10. In a business where friendship is the last thing on people’s mind, they have been best friends for over 29 years. Christian is one of the most under-rated performers in the history of the business. He achieved another dream by teaming up with his real life best friend, and ended up being one of the most successful and best tag teams in the history of the business! Christian has always looked out for Edge, and like he said, Edge went out on his terms – as the World Champion!
“If you asked me if I’d do all of this again – all the way back from getting hired by JR – if you asked me if I’d travel all the roads, log all the miles, hop on all the flights, all the sleepless nights, all the surgeries, all the injuries – the metal rods in my teeth – all of it. If you asked me if I’d do it again…in a heartbeat. So thank you. Thank you very much.” – Edge 11/4/11
Many people say J. R was the best VP of talent relations, and that’s completely true. One of J. R’s most successful acquisitions is Edge. The above words describe who Adam Copeland is. That’s what the business means to him. Whether he was down, hurt, in pain; Adam came out each and every week to perform. Through injuries and surgeries, Edge came through for the fans, to live his dream and to continue doing something he loved. Very few of us get to live our dream, and even fewer sacrifice their everything for it. Adam Copeland gave the wrestling industry and his fans his everything; and in return, the fans gave Edge the respect, love and adulation that he rightfully deserves. This puts Edge in the list of the very elite, and one of the greatest legends in the industry.
In the end, how will Edge be remembered? Few might say as ‘The Ultimate Opportunist’, few would say as ‘The Rated R Superstar’. But if there ever was one word that would describe Edge aka Adam Copeland, it would be ‘Champion’. It’s been 2 years since we’ve seen Adam compete in the WWE ring; and although we will never get to see it again, the memories of Edge will keep us wanting for one more 5 second pose. Everyone who has had the pleasure of watching Edge perform would miss him. But in the end, we have to be glad that he got out at the right time. Thank you, Edge. Thank you for the memories.
