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Edge finally gets his one-on-one match with Roman Reigns at Money in the Bank 2021. It was supposed to be the main event of WrestleMania 37 Night Two, but Daniel Bryan was added to the match (even though he didn't feel the need to be in it).
It's going to be a huge main event and even then, Reigns will be expected to defeat Edge. There's a fair argument as to why the former should beat The Rated-R Superstar and retain the Universal title, but anything is possible in WWE.
We look at the unlikely-but-alternate scenario of Edge winning the Universal Championship at Money in the Bank 2021. There's no doubt that it will change the landscape of SmackDown. Here are a few things that must happen if the WWE legend wins the Universal Championship from Roman Reigns this Sunday:
#5. Edge should only face fresh and young stars during his reign
One of the big problems we've seen with WWE and part-timers in recent years is that they're often pitted up against each other. The Goldberg-Brock Lesnar feud from a few years ago is the perfect example of that.
Normally, only a few superstars benefit from part-timers appearing, with Roman Reigns being the biggest one. At WrestleMania, he has faced four part-time legends: Brock Lesnar, Triple H, The Undertaker, and Edge.
If The Rated-R Superstar beats Reigns and becomes the Universal Champion, he should go on a run where he only faces younger and fresher faces from SmackDown. If he does win the title, the WWE Draft will follow soon after and there will be fresher faces on the Blue brand.
When Edge returned to the ring in early 2020, WWE fans hoped that he would only be facing names that he had never faced before, with Roman Reigns being one of those names.
Hopefully, his run doesn't culminate with a match against a part-timer such as Brock Lesnar. Part-timer vs. part-timer matches seem to be a waste on the big stage and are better off reserved for the shows in Saudi Arabia that have little storyline impact.
#4. A full-time appearance for Edge as the Universal Champion
If Edge wins the Universal Championship at Money in the Bank, he must go on a Ronda Rousey-esque run as a part-timer and not a Brock Lesnar-like run. The difference is quite big.
While Rousey only had a one-year stint in WWE, it was one of the most impactful runs ever. Even though she was considered a part-time superstar, she never made it feel that way. She won the RAW Women's Championship at SummerSlam 2018 and would appear weekly as a full-time superstar.
That's the kind of run that Edge should have if he becomes the Universal Champion. Rather than taking weeks or even months off as Lesnar did during his 500+ day reign as Universal Champion, he should appear weekly and present himself as a legitimate fighting champion.
The Brock Lesnar model only works for The Beast Incarnate and even then, it has been criticized heavily by fans. There was a point where Paul Heyman's promos were the same for years and Lesnar's rare appearances stopped feeling special unless he had a great match (see: Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles, Survivor Series 2017).
Edge needs to be a full-time Universal Champion for however long he holds the title. We anticipate that if he wins, this is exactly what he will do.
#3. Edge should be a "tweener" character and not an outright babyface or heel
When Edge returned to WWE in 2021, he was a babyface - exactly where he had left off. However, with Daniel Bryan's addition in the WrestleMania 37 main event, he quickly turned heel and we saw glimpses of his ruthless side.
However, the heel turn itself didn't last too long since Edge wasn't having a run that extended beyond WrestleMania 37. Now that he has returned, it's as a babyface. With that said, he doesn't seem like a "white meat" babyface, as they're called.
If he wins the Universal Championship, the best role for his character is to be a "tweener" - in between a babyface and heel. We've seen examples before with The Undertaker where he simply transcended the entire babyface-heel character dynamic. The same could happen with Edge.
While he made his name as a singles star while being a ruthless heel, the rough and veteran version is different. Being a 'tweener' and not a babyface or heel is the best option for The Rated-R Superstar as he can face superstars on either side. Fans will naturally keep cheering him, but that doesn't mean that WWE needs to stick to him being a babyface.
#2. Edge should align with The Mysterios again
While it might contradict the point of Edge being a tweener, we liked the glimpses of the reunion we saw between him and Rey Mysterio. The Rated-R Superstar put out an emotional post on Instagram ahead of his reunion with Mysterio:
He even seemed to be happy to have the slightest involvement with the young Dominik Mysterio, who got to perform in front of a live audience for the first time.
Suppose he does remain a babyface, perhaps he could have a storyline alliance with The Mysterios. It would be the best way to go about it since the ultimate objective would be to associate the young Dominik Mysterio with a legend like Edge.
Dominik has had some massive opportunities so far in his short WWE career, but this could be the biggest one yet. Not only would we be able to see the nostalgia between the old tag team partners Edge and Rey Mysterio, but a new face could benefit from it.
It would be fun to see The Rated-R Superstar align with The Mysterios, particularly when facing the numbers game.
#1. Edge to drop the Universal title back to Roman Reigns?
This might seem a bit bizarre if Edge wins the Universal Championship, but there could be a valid reason. For one, he could pick up a shocking victory at Money in the Bank 2021 and become the Universal Champion - only for it to be a somewhat transitional reign.
The problem with this is that he will disrupt the possibility of a year-long Universal Championship reign for Roman Reigns. As of this writing, Reigns is one-and-a-half months from completing a full year as the Universal Champion.
However, if WWE goes with the title change to create some buzz, then the ultimate objective might be for Edge to drop it back to Reigns. Right now on SmackDown, there is no superstar better than The Tribal Chief and nobody is more worthy of carrying the show.
As good as Edge is, he doesn't seem to be in a position to take over the throne from Roman Reigns - who has been dominating SmackDown and WWE for the past year.
If he wins the Universal Championship at Money in the Bank, he may simply have to drop it back to Reigns a while later.
