Rated R For Return:
How After 9 Years, WWE Got Its Edge Back

Sports fans remember where they were when historic things happen. They remember where they were when Michael Jordan took ‘The Shot’, when Dwight Clark made ‘The Catch’, and when the ‘Miracle on Ice’ happened. The same can be said for pro wrestling and it’s fans. Ask a fan where they were when The Undertaker’s Wrestlemania streak ended, when the Attitude Era began, and when CM Punk delivered his Pipe Bomb promo. If you ask any wrestling fan where they were on April 11th, 2011, they would be able to tell you where when Edge announced his retirement from in ring competition.
After his match with Alberto Del Rio at Wrestlemania 27, Edge fans around the world were wondering what was next for the Rated R Superstar. That included a little 14 year old me. At this point in my wrestling fandom, I had started to understand just what exactly pro wrestling was, and had become a fan of the storytelling aspect of the business. One of the best at telling those stories, whether it was through a promo or an actual match, was Edge. I had been a fan of his since the feud with Undertaker leading up to Wrestlemania 24, and I was excited to see what feud would be next for the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. But on April 11th, 2011, all the Edgeheads hearts dropped and the wrestling world stopped as the defending World Heavyweight Champion announced that due to his neck injuries and surgeries through the years, that he would have to retire from in ring competition. This news came as a shock to the wrestling world, as one of the best wrestlers of his time had to step away from the ring.
Edge’s history of neck issues goes back to 2002, as he first injured his neck in a No Disqualification match against Eddie Guerrero on Smackdown. But Edge opted to not have surgery until 2003, which was triple neck fusion surgery. He would return from that injury in 2004, but to steal a line from his own retirement speech, he was wrestling on borrowed time. Nine reigns as WWE and World Heavyweight Champion combined and a pair of Tag Team Championship reigns would come in those seven years. There were also a plethora of fantastic matches and amazing moments. Going back and watching his feuds with the likes of Undertaker, Kane, Chris Jericho, and Del Rio are just a few of those amazing feuds.
While the shock retirement was something that nobody wanted to see, it did speak volumes to just what these wrestlers actually do. These wrestlers are putting their health and lives on the line for our entertainment and joy. And it doesn’t matter how good or young they are, that can be taken away in an instant, just like this. With the threat of possible paralysis from the neck down, Edge had no choice but to retire at 37 years old.
While we wouldn’t see Edge compete in the ring, he would still pop up from time to time. He helped his lifelong best friend Christian finally win a World Championship in WWE, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as the headliner for the Class of 2012, and he had memorable moments with the likes of Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch on his talk show, The Cutting Edge. He even started doing television shows, appearing on episodes like ‘The Flash’ and ‘Private Eyes’. He even had a main role on ‘Haven’ and still has one on ‘Vikings’. He was enjoying his life living in the mountains of North Carolina with his wife Beth Phoenix, and their two daughters Ruby and Lyric. Fans thought that the only time we would see Edge anymore was for show specials and a talk show segment here and there. That was until SummerSlam 2019.

With the event emanating from Scotiabank Arena, it was the first time in 14 years that SummerSlam wasn’t in the United States. During the pre show, Elias would come out and start to run down the Toronto crowd. While the crowd was booing him, a familiar theme hit, and Edge came through the curtain. He took to the ring, and for the first time in eight years, he hit someone with a Spear. This got the rumor mill a spinning, and fans started to speculate that Edge could be medically cleared and able to wrestle again, but he denied those rumors, ending those thoughts.
Fast forward about five months and we were in January 2020. Fans were getting excited for the Royal Rumble. While we were getting excited for the event itself, the rumor mill started churning again, and this one seemed to have a bit of merit behind them. Rumors were going around that Edge had been to Pittsburgh to see WWE doctors to get medically cleared. These rumors would pick up throughout the month, but still at every single turn Edge denied it. He even denied that he had signed a new deal with the WWE, tweeting out “Still not and still not. Period.” on December 20th. As the match got closer, those rumors slowly died down and went away.
We get to the day of the match and after a dominant Brock Lesnar was eliminated by Drew McIntyre after 13 eliminations, the match could finally get started. After a few minutes, we have four men in the ring, McIntyre, AJ Styles, Dolph Ziggler and Karl Anderson. Next up was entrant number 21.

5...4...3...2...1...ehhhhhhhhhhh
“You think you know me”l
The pop for Edge returning was unlike anything I have ever heard. I’ve gone back to watch it more times that I care to count. It is such a special moment no matter how many times you hit replay. From the fact that he didn’t wait for his cue and just ran out of gorilla like he did. The fact that everybody in the building and at home, myself included, going insane, and many on the verge of tears of joy. And just look at his face.
That is the face of a man that just had the weight of nine years lifted off of his shoulders. He is back where he belongs, inside a wrestling ring, and back home in WWE. Edge had nine years of his career taken away due to his injuries, but now he is back. For how long exactly? We don’t know. It could be just for the three year deal that he signed, or he could be back for longer. One thing is for sure, no matter how long this run is, let’s enjoy every second of it. Not many wrestlers get a second chance like this. And knowing the Ultimate Opportunist like we do, he is going to soak up every second of this return to the wrestling ring that he calls home.