Au revoir, Edge

Monday was just a bummer all around in the wrestling world, as following the Sweeney news, RAW occurred. That's actually not a dig on the WWE product in general, but the sudden and legitimate retirement of Edge in particular. I'm sorry, Amanda. I truly am.

I was talking to my good friend Jason of So We Were Told (cheap plug) about this, and realized that Edge is the first big time star whose entire major league career I've seen. I missed the beginnings of Owen Hart, Eddy Guerrero, and Chris Jericho. I wasn't watching when Bill Goldberg made his WCW debut. But I remember vividly, watching RAW the night after Wrestlemania 14 and seeing the first vignette for a soon to be debuting Edge. Thirteen years later, and it's all over due to spinal stenosis, the same ailment that eventually ended Steve Austin's career.

It's difficult to put Edge's career into context right now, so soon after the news has broken. He is without question one of the biggest wrestling stars of the past five years, perhaps trumped only by John Cena on a worldwide basis. I would actually argue that he was WWE's MVP during that time period, almost like Bret Hart in the mid '90s or Ric Flair in the late '80s. The guy the company didn't really want to be the number one guy but kept going back to because there was nobody better for the job. A work horse who could have a great match almost any time he was called upon to do so. A killer promo in an era of men reading badly scripted tripe.

I have no doubt that Edge will be back at some point in time. Probably never on a full time schedule, but he's only 37 years old and unless he's the rarest of birds in the wrestling business, he'll itch to come back. Trish Stratus, Lita, The Rock, Chris Jericho, all people who left WWE on their own terms and all have been back in some capacity since. Edge's case is of course a little different with the injury, but even Steve Austin is hinting here and there about a comeback. I just don't believe that Edge is done for good.

In short, as his full time career comes to a close, I have almost all fond memories of Edge. A top talent through and through, and I just hope that the voters for the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame see things from my perspective this summer.