Well, I was hoping to return to the site with better news. After being away from the weekend, I hoped to write a nice piece on why The Rock was underwhelming at Wrestlemania (and I still might), but something else in the WWE took center stage. It was something unexpected to many, but something that I truly respect and I had to give some perspective about.
At about 10:10, Edge came out on Raw. This is weird to begin with, as Edge is a Smackdown superstar, but he had an important message to deliver. The rumors that the WWE had been showing throughout the night in regards to Edge were quickly proven true as Edge announced that he is indeed retiring from the WWE.
This came as a shock to many as his last match was a title match where he retained the belt. Most of us were in the dark as to the Rated R Superstar's health, but it had apparently become a major issue.
Even though I found myself believing what Edge was saying, I feared that this could still be an elaborate work. When no one came out to confront him, I figured it had to be laced with truth and I won't lie, I got a little emotional. I grew up watching this guy and I was not prepared for his departure.
On a much, much smaller scale, I would compare Edge's retirement to my Papa Dave's passing. My grandfather died just 6 months before my Bar Mitzvah suddenly and I was not prepared for it. When we received the call relaying that news on May 16, 1997, I was legitimately shocked and saddened. I am a believer that bad news is easier to take when you are prepared for it and in the case of my grandfather, it was very tough due to the shock factor. While I would never in a million years put a wrestler retirement or even death on a level with a family member that I loved, the shock factor in hearing Edge's news brought out emotion in me that I did not feel when guys like HBK and Flair retired. In both of those cases, I was prepared going in as it became inevitable and even if I was a little sad to see them go, I was perfectly prepared for life without them on my television screen.
When Edge was hugging all the people in the back, it started sinking in that this was real. I had to research it and make sure, though. Indeed, all the reports about this subject are confirming that Edge's health concerns are very real and when he said that retiring now would keep him alive and out of a wheelchair, he meant it. The doctors would not clear him to wrestle anymore and he followed their orders. I can't imagine how tough it must be to come to the realization that your career is over and that your dream job is now to be a memory. However, I have such a profound respect for Adam Copeland for walking away before it's too late. There have been far too many wrestling tragedies and I'm glad that this man is choosing to do everything in his power not to become one.
I'd like to close by saying thank you to Adam Copeland for always going above and beyond the call of duty to put on a great show for the fans. Your passion was crystal clear and I sincerely hope that the young guys see you as a guy whose shoes will be very difficult to fill. I will be doing a full retrospective of Edge's career later this week but I hope that everyone takes this news to heart and realizes what this man is going through. I wish him all the best as he walks away from his one true love and thank him again for all the memories. You will be missed!
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