5 Best WWE promos from Edge since his 2020 return
Trying to list the best WWE promos cut by Edge since his return to WWE in 2020 is a tall order. After all, the man is one of the best mic workers in the game, so there's truly no shortage of options. If anything, it would be easier to make a list of his worst WWE promos - because there wouldn't be any!
The following five promos showcase everything that is great about Edge's verbal abilities. He speaks with clarity and intelligence, but above all else, he always manages to imbue his promos with incredible amounts of emotion. Nothing ever feels contrived with Edge - he finds a way to make everything feel real.
Oh, and he's intense. Very intense.
#5 In Best WWE promos from Edge since his 2020 return: His blood runs black
When it comes to unbridled intensity in promos, few superstars can hold a candle to Edge. This one, which came in the midst of his acclaimed feud with Seth Rollins in mid-2021, was bristling with barely contained fury.
In response to Rollins threatening to curb stomp Edge's surgically repaired neck, the veteran WWE Superstar fired back:
"Now, I know what that curb stomp can do to me. I know if you hit that curb stomp, it probably ends my career. It affects my way of life, my ability to be the father I need to be. I take my cues from eyes and Seth, I look into your eyes. You mean everything you say. You’ve pushed me into a dark place. You’ve made me find a place in my heart where the blood runs black."
The promo then built to Edge reviving the Attitude Era, much to fans' excitement. When the red, viscous liquid - you might even call it blood - rained down from the ceiling all over Rollins' pristine white suit, it sent the WWE Universe into a frenzy. The "Broodbath" had returned!
#4. "You woke up the evil."
During the contest titled "Greatest Wrestling Match Ever" at WWE WrestleMania Backlash 2020, Edge suffered a tricep tear and was put on the shelf. Meanwhile, Randy Orton targeted his longtime best friend Christian, punting him in the head. It prompted Edge to vow vengeance on the Viper.
In a promo conducted in a darkened wrestling ring with the camera right in his face, Edge gave a masterclass in how to work raw emotions into wrestling. Without ever breaking eye contact with the camera, he told Orton that he'd made things extremely personal.
Attacking Edge's best friend, someone who was not medically cleared to wrestle, was beyond the pale. Now Edge didn't care about winning a wrestling match. Oh no. He just wanted to hurt Orton. Badly.
It all built into this amazing passage:
"You woke up the evil. You woke up the Rated-R Superstar."
#3. A chilling message for AJ Styles
The most recent promo on this list occurred mere days ago on Monday Night Raw. A week after turning heel by brutalizing the Phenomenal One AJ Styles, Edge came out to explain himself. But this was a very different Edge than fans have been seeing for the last two years in WWE.
With the arena bathed in an eerie purple light, Edge slowly walked to the ring with no music. He was wearing a suit and had his hair tied back neatly. He then cut a promo that was subdued and sinister in all the right ways, a far cry from his usual intensity. Amazingly, the grizzled veteran found a new wrinkle to his character, as this promo and new persona felt fresh and innovative.
Edge's first line - a smirking, evil rendition of his classic entrance theme refrain, "You Think You Know Me" - will stay with the WWE Universe for a long time.
#2. Reminding Paul Heyman who he is dealing with
Sometimes, in order to cut a great promo in WWE, you need a scene partner. You need someone to react to. And, realistically, who is better to verbally joust with than Paul Heyman?
In this Talking Smack segment the night before Edge took on Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania, Heyman hugged Edge. He said he was worried about what Reigns was going to do to Edge, because Edge simply wouldn't know when to quit. All the while, Edge didn't say a word.
Edge then got up and moved closer to Heyman. He proceeded to detail how he once dived through a flaming table headfirst, suffering second-degree burns and feeling his body riddled with thumbtacks. If he was willing to do that simply to show he belonged on the Grandest Stage of Them All, what depths would he be willing to sink to in order to win the main event of WrestleMania?
#1. Edge's heartfelt return to Raw
After Edge made a triumphant return at the Royal Rumble 2020, the WWE Universe was ecstatic. He had been away for so long and most people assumed him wrestling again would be impossible, due to the condition of his neck. And yet, there he was, back where he belonged like he'd never been away.
So, when Edge came out the next night on Raw, he delivered an emotional promo that hit people in their hearts. He talked about how he wanted to end his career on his own terms, and listed the auperstars he was excited to wrestle. He admitted he didn't know how long it would last, but he'd give everything while he could. There wasn't a dry eye in the house.
But then Randy Orton turned on his old Rated RKO buddy, smashing him with a con-chair-to and setting up Edge's first return feud.
Poetry.