Reported details on why WWE did not want Edge to face a popular 6-time champion

Triple H had an alternate Royal Rumble plan for the Rated-R superstar.
Triple H had an alternate Royal Rumble plan for the Rated-R superstar.

Edge made his WWE return after nearly three months at the Royal Rumble as an entrant in the show-opening men's match. The Rated-R Superstar was, however, previously rumored to be in a different bout until he was deemed unavailable due to filming of a TV show, as revealed recently by Dave Meltzer.

Edge has been embroiled in a storyline with The Judgment Day for several months as he was written off WWE programming following a brutal "I Quit" match against Finn Balor at Extreme Rules 2022.

The initial idea for both superstars was to have a rematch inside the Hell in a Cell at the Royal Rumble. Talks of Brood Edge taking on "Demon" Finn Balor in a HIAC match circulated online a few weeks back when WWE was still shaping up the Royal Rumble card.

As revealed in this week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Triple H and his team nixed the proposed Hell in a Cell showdown as Edge was out for the filming of the Disney+ series, "Percy Jackson and The Olympian."

The 11-time world champion has been onboarded to play the role of Greek God Ares in the show and wasn't available to build towards a Royal Rumble rematch against Balor.

Here's what Dave Meltzer reported about the nixed match:

"The reason the at one time talked about Brood Edge vs. Demon Balor Hell in a Cell match at the Rumble didn't happen is because Edge was filming a television show until this past week and thus couldn't do the WWE television to build up the match. He was filming "Percy Jackson and The Olympian," a Disney + series where he will play Ares, the Greek God of War."

What's next for Edge following WWE Royal Rumble?

As seen in the recently concluded PLE, Edge didn't spend long in the Royal Rumble match, as Finn Balor eliminated him in just over a minute. The Hall of Famer had to endure a beatdown from The Judgment Day, which led to Beth Phoenix coming out to attack Rhea Ripley.

The current plan is for Phoenix and Edge to face Ripley and Balor in a mixed tag team match at Elimination Chamber on February 18th.

Meltzer added that WWE could eventually return to its original Royal Rumble plan for WrestleMania, where Brood Edge vs. Demon Balor could happen inside the menacing steel structure.

WrestleMania is where most storylines conclude, and the same should be expected in the long-drawn saga between The Judgment Day and Edge.

Do you wish to see the alter egos of Edge and Balor battle it out in a Hell in a Cell clash? Let us know in the comments section below.

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