The Greatest Heels in WWE History – No. 7

Edge

Continuing with our series of finding the top 10 bad guys in the history of WWE, we come down to number 7. Often, you hate a guy not because of what he does in the ring, but for everything else.

You have the examples of John Cena and Hulk Hogan, whom the fans got tired of seeing, and hence, booed/boo them because of wanting something fresh. There are very few superstars who invoked true emotions from the fans, those who were truly able to get over as the bad guys.

You had the Roddy Pipers and Jake Roberts who were able to do that successfully. Following in their footsteps was one other guy who became one of the most decorated superstars in the history of the WWE.

Today, we look at someone who was a true entertainer; he was also known as the ‘Ultimate Opportunist’, the Rated R Superstar, Edge!

Edge started his career as a singles competitor, but soon forged an alliance with his childhood friend, Christian, as they became one of the greatest tag teams of all time! They were also a part of ‘The Brood’, which was then a part of the Ministry of Darkness, but were kicked out to be on their own.

As a tag team, they achieved and accomplished more than most other teams, and were known as the innovators of the tag team division in the WWE. They were also the founding fathers of the TLC match, and were heralded as perhaps the greatest tag team to ever step foot in a wrestling ring.

But perhaps Edge achieved his greatest success as a singles competitor, when everyone said he couldn’t do it, that he could never win the ‘big one’.

Edge is a former Royal Rumble winner, won the very first ‘Money in the Bank’ ladder match, and was the winner of the 2001 King of the Ring tournament, being the only performer to have achieved all of those three!

Edge realized his childhood dream when he got the opportunity to partner up with Hulk Hogan, and went on to win the tag team championships with the Immortal one! Many of us dream of achieving that one thing we were always passionate about, but it takes real effort to make it a reality, and Adam Copeland did just that.

Adam grew up as a fan of the WWE, and the first major match he remembers was watching Hulk Hogan bodyslamming Andre the Giant, and that was when he made up his mind to become a WWE superstar.

Edge gained momentum when he turned heel after spending a year on the sidelines with a neck injury. Edge then feuded with Chris Benoit and Shawn Michaels, but received his ‘big break’ when he was paired with Lita after winning the inaugural Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 21.

Edge and Lita were involved in a real life affair at that point, and WWE used this as an opportunity to bring back Matt Hardy, and put the three in a ‘breaking the fourth wall’-esque feud, which ended with Matt losing to Edge in a ‘Loser leaves RAW’ ladder match.

But his moment of glory came at the New Year’s Revolution in ’06, when he cashed in his MitB briefcase after Cena retained his WWE title after a grueling Elimination Chamber match. This resulted in Edge’s first run as the WWE champion, and it was the beginning Edge’s monicker as the ‘Ultimate Opportunist’.

Edge followed this up with a controversial segment with Lita which received the highest ratings for RAW in a year! Edge would then lose the title and win it back a couple of times, as he was engaged in a bitter feud with Cena for a good part of the remainder of the year.

Edge would then move to Smackdown! after winning the MitB briefcase from Mr. Kennedy and cashing it in on an injured Undertaker for the World Heavyweight championship. This was the beginning of a long main event stay for Edge, as he focused on the World title for almost 3 years.

During this period he was involved in an on-screen relationship with Vickie Guerrero, even marrying her (kayfabe), and started the ‘La Familia’ stable. They got divorced in ’09, and in the coming months, Edge won the tag team titles for a record 12 times, but was once again sidelined due to an injury.

Edge

Edge made his comeback at the 2010 Royal Rumble and subsequently won it to face his former partner Chris Jericho at WrestleMania for the World Heavyweight champion. Although Edge was unsuccessful in winning the title, he turned heel once again as he spent the next few months on RAW.

After being traded for CM Punk, Edge returned to Smackdown! and won the World title for a record sixth time, making him a ten time world champion. He was then involved in a feud against Dolph Ziggler, during which he was stripped off the title by Vickie, only to receive a rematch at the end of the night and winning the title back, making him an eleven time world champion!

He would then feud with the 2011 Royal Rumble winner, Alberto Del Rio and defeated him at WrestleMania to regain the world title.

Very few performers get the chance of going out while being on top. It is a performer’s dream to bow out on a high, instead of sinking to the lowest of lows. We’ve seen guys performing late into their sixties, but Edge received the opportunity to bid the business and the fans goodbye while still being on top.

Edge was told that he had to retire post WrestleMania, and Edge took the smart decision, hanging up his boots from the business he loved while growing up. Edge received an overwhelming response from the WWE Universe and his peers, as a teary eyed Adam Copeland bid farewell to the fans and his friends.

Edge was then inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012, and has since made sporadic appearances when the WWE asked him to. Being one of the very best at what he did, Edge was a true professional, and he made the fans hate him for who he was as a character, earning him the number 7 spot in our list of the top 10 greatest bad guys in WWE history.

The series continues here - The Greatest Heels in WWE History