Fangin n' Cryin in the Club

EDGE SAT FOR five months, with his foot propped on a pillow for most of that time, as he convalesced due to a torn Achilles tendon. The “Rated-R Superstar” had just become accustomed to the idea that he had the full faith and trust of WWE management, was a reliable and essential main-eventer, and that even in his mid-30s, his greatest days were still before him.

But as with the Ancient Greek hero Achilles, fate found his one weak spot, just behind his ankle. Edge suffered the rupture during a match against Jeff Hardy on July 3 in San Diego. The Achilles tendon is the strongest and thickest tendon in the body, designed for duration. But when that tendon tears, it’s a hell of a long road back.

Doctors told Edge that he would be out for a year. One year in WWE is like five years in the real world. With superstars being pushed and pulled and placed on the bubble, with storylines designed for shock, swerves, and speed, and a wrestler’s fortunes directly tied to what he did, not yesterday, but five minutes ago, edge realized that being sidelines was like being cryogenically frozen in time while the WWE Universe was advancing at full tilt.

[Smashing the anonymous general manager’s computer might not have seemed like the best idea when it happened, but in hindsight it might be the exact thing Edge needed to reboot his career.]

Would he burst back upon the WWE scene like an exploding supernova, only to be sucked into the resulting black hole? Edge knew his career was at a risk–and that had nothing to do with his physical injury. He faced the deadliest enemy of all: Irrelevance.

Fortunately for Edge, his comeback was treated like that exploding supernova. Upon his surprise return, Edge received the second-most dramatic entry at the Royal Rumble–number 29. He went on to eliminate WWE’s biggest star, John Cena, to win the 2010 Rumble.

So far, so good–damn good.

[Coming back from a serious injury is nothing new for Edge, who has done it many times over in his career. His most recent return, at the Royal Rumble, proved to be one of his best when he last eliminated John Cena to claim the win.

Photo by George Napolitano]

Then there were old scores to settle, and that might have been his undoing. As his reward for winning the Rumble, Edge chose to face WWE World champion Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 26. Edge and Jericho had been undisputed World Tag team champions at the time of Edge’s injury. And, instead of supporting Edge during his injury, Jericho proceeded to trash Edge on TV, blaming him for the end of the glorious reign.

Edge hated Jericho–and Jericho happened to have the World heavy-weight title. The situation seemed perfect. Edge knew his violent emotions would only fuel his sense of purpose. 

But Edge didn't count on the emotions of the fans. Love him or hate him, they had become sentimentally attached to the “Rated-R Superstar.” They enthusiastically rallied behind Edge. He didn’t expect that. He didn't even really want it. But he figured that could be just one more force to bring to bear against Jericho.

Then Edge lost to Jericho at WrestleMania. Everything had fallen apart. 

Edge defeated Jericho inside a steel cage at Extreme Rules–well after Jack Swagger had cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase and seized Jericho’s World title. Edge was able to redeem himself, but it didn’t get him back to the championship track.

[Smackdown stars should take note: When EDge sets his mind to it, he can accomplish anything. Just ask Chris Jericho. After talking trash about Edge while he was gone, Y2J learned the hard way that the “Rated-R Superstar” always gets what he wants.]

Then came the directionless mess. That’s how Edge will always regard his five-month stint with the Raw brand. He lashed out against the fans and called them “puppets.” So some fans loved him and some hated him. Then he feuded with former Rated-RKO partner Randy Orton, who was a tweener himself at the time. Then he joined Team Raw in the war with The Nexus and competed in more four-way mish-mashes, further placing him in that lazy, non-compelling territory between fan favorite and heel.

Sure, Edge acted like a jerk, but the storylines and situations on Raw didn't exactly ignite fans’ passions  against him. And, of course, that’s something on which Edge thrives.

So Edge snapped–snapped worse than that Achilles tendon. Hearing one decree from Raw’s anonymous general manager too many, Edge grabbed the “GM laptop” from its stand during an interview on “The Cutting Edge” And destroyed it. His punishment was being banished to Smackdown. 

Edge made the most of it, and the truth is that he has always considered the blue brand to be more of his home turf. He established his supremacy right away, defeating Jack Swagger on October 3 at WWE’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view. This victory was crucial, considering it determined whether Edge would be the face of Smackdown as it began its re-launch of Syfy.

Since that time, Edge being a fan favorite–at least a more genuine fan favorite than he appeared to be on Raw–is the dynamic that has kept Smackdown fresh and interestimgh. He was the difference-maker in the Raw vs. Smackdown showdown at Bragging Rights,  where Smackdown’s Big Show, Rey Mysterio Jr., Kofi Kingston, Alberto del Rio, Tyler Reks, and Edge defeated Raw’s John Morrison, The Miz, Sheamus, CM Punk, R-Truth, and Ezekiel Jackson. Edge speared Miz to score the victory for Smackdown.

[Welcomed with open arms to Smackdown by Teddy Long (above), Edge is looking to rekindle that flame that made him a main-event attraction for so many years in WWE. Being one of the last members standing on Team Smackdown at Bragging Rights (right) was a good first impression.]

World heavyweight champion Kane defeated The Undertaker in a buried Alive match at the same event. The pathway became clear. With Kane’s feud with Undertaker coming to an end, Edge became the logical top contender. As of press time, he was scheduled to face Kane for the championship at Survivor Series.

“Knowing Edge as I do, I feel that the best is yet to come for him,” said his old partner, Christian, who has been sidelined with a torn pectoral muscle since September. “And now that we’re both on Smackdown–on the same brand, on the same side–for the first time in a long time, I realize Edge has never lost that eye of the tiger, that drive to succeed. He’s the kind of guy who needs to succeed. He’s the kind of guy who needs success and acceptance, and I say that in a sort of positive way. A lot of guys would spend six months on the shelf, unplugged and decompressing, hanging out with family, watching videos. Edge festers during his off time and that's why he burst back on the scene with so much energy.”

And what about his future in WWE? Does it include a reunion with Christian?

“Nah, I don’t think so,” laughed Christian. “But it will get to the point that winning world titles will become passé for him. I can’t believe I’m saying that, but what I really mean is he wants to be World champion and he wants his career to rise into another stratosphere. I think there will be another significant twist of fate in his future–and, no, I don't know what that is.”

Perhaps even Edge doesn't know what that is. But winning the World title is only the first step to an entirely new career phase for the “Rated-R Superstar.”

[Now on Smackdown,, Edge will have to compete against the likes of The Big Show when trying to reestablish himself as the man everyone wants to be.