Jay’s Ways – Where Is Edge?

Where is Edge?

Back in January, the WWE Universe witnessed Edge winning the 2021 Royal Rumble match. With that victory, he earned a main event championship bout at WrestleMania 37. It was a monumental moment. He entered the match at #1 and won the whole darn thing. Not only that, he was out injured since the previous summer. A lot of folks forget that detail, but Edge had not had a match in over six months, yet he returned and won the grueling Rumble. From the first spot. Unreal.

I was vocal about it. I expressed my initial confusion…and disappointment as well. Some guys up there in age (Edge is 47 mind you) I can understand being off for long periods of time and then coming back to the squared circle for a feud before taking time off again. Some guys I get it. Edge? That was a curious case. I didn’t think he would openly accept or even push for a 2021 Royal Rumble victory and WrestleMania main event title match. I wrote a column immediately after the Rumble, saying those exact things and just saying it was a tad bit worrisome.

Well, Edge either knew this criticism was coming or reacted to the backash. In early February 2021, Edge said the following in an interview with CBSSports:

“I didn’t come back to just do a greatest hits tour. That’s not why I came back. I didn’t just want to do regurgitated greatest hits. I wanted to come back because I wanted to tell compelling stories. I wanted to get in with a lot of talent so that … if I could impart wisdom from 29 years of doing this, in terms of trying to tell a story, that’s really exciting for me. I love so much of this talent, and it’s exciting to be able to get in with them. Did I necessarily know that I was going to try to work toward WrestleMania? No. A lot of those things are out of your hands. I did know I was going to put the work in to be able to do it if called upon. That’s part of my responsibility in coming back, as well.”

“I don’t just want to be another body. I want to be able to help, and to help the totality of the industry if I can. If that means that this year Edge main events WrestleMania? Ok. I will do my part to make that happen and make it as compelling as I possibly can. But I also want to get in there with loads of talent. My goal is to come back and tell great stories in the main event of WrestleMania or on Raw, whatever it is. I came back committed to this. After my family, this is my top priority. If I’m asked to be in a title program heading into WrestleMania? I’m here every week. That’s the way I operate. I’m not going to be a guy who comes in for one week and floats off for eight weeks. If I’m involved and I’m in the mix, I’m going to be here every week because that’s how I operate.”

In the build up to WrestleMania and his inevitable clash with Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship match, something happened. Something that I sadly saw coming immediately after his Rumble victory. Fans got bored. Edge was stale. Despite what he stated and proclaimed, he was doing a greatest hits tour. He already had the emotional comeback in 2020. Repeating the same story in 2021 was NOT what fans were clamoring for. Even if WWE/Edge added in the title and story about his retirement from 2011 to the mix. The story was still the same…and it wasn’t clicking.

Daniel Bryan was added to the title match, and the triple threat feud picked up steam in a hurry. I thought Daniel Bryan was a better opponent for Reigns. I thought he had a better story going into WM37. Heck, I even felt more of his retirement stuff compared to Edge. It just fit much better. Still, Edge won the Rumble, so after Bryan earned his way into the WrestleMania main event, things finally felt BIG. WrestleMania worthy BIG. That was due to Bryan, not Edge.

I appreciate the fact that Edge and WWE recognized their error and course corrected. I especially appreciate the fact that Edge even went as far as to play the heel role before Mania. Bryan was going to be the spunky under dog without a doubt. Thus, Edge had to go back to his beloved Rated R Superstar character, and it worked! It was great. Everything eventually worked itself out, even if the Rumble stuff felt like a distant memory and ultimately a waste of a ‘moment’ that could have gone to somebody else.

Come bell time, the triple threat main event was great. WrestleMania 37 ended on a high note and despite all the speculation and all the retirement stuff from both Bryan and Edge, it was Roman Reigns who walked out as Universal Champion. I loved that finish. He is at the top of the industry right. No reason Bryan who had an expiring contract or a 47 year old Edge should have won. Reigns pinned BOTH of them and stood tall. Awesome match, awesome ending.

Since then, Edge has not been seen from or heard from. Bryan and Reigns continued their story line a little bit, but even that is over with for now. Nothing. Edge hasn’t even tweeted since WrestleMania 37. He has re-tweeted a few things and liked a bunch of posts but no actual tweet from himself. Weird.

Weird because of his February 2021 quotes from that CBSSports interview. Let me remind you:

“I’m here every week. That’s the way I operate. I’m not going to be a guy who comes in for one week and floats off for eight weeks.”

Well, he did have that one match on RAW after the Rumble. Then he had a match on Smackdown a few weeks later. After that was, of course, his big WM37 main event. Unless I missed it, he has not been on a regular wrestling schedule. Or even a semi-regular wrestling schedule as we were led to believe. That second point is even more damaging to his reputation.

He won’t be here for one week and then float off for eight weeks? Um, oops! I mean this with all due respect because I was/am a huge Edge fan. I just can’t seem to be able to connect the dots. I’m sure he is at home with his family. I am sure he is at home resting before his next WWE story line. I just go by all of this talk in interviews and then see him disappear. Just like a part-timer. Just like he said he wouldn’t do. One more time folks…

Where is Edge?