Never say never: Edge Proves anything is possible (Opinion)
Welcome back, Edge!
This was something I didn't know that I needed until it happened. I never wanted to believe it was possible. I was quick to squash any reports or speculation to the contrary, because I never wanted to give myself hope. The last thing I wanted was hope that, one day, I would see the Rated-R Superstar in action again.
I started watching wrestling in the late 90s, right at the height of the Monday Night Wars. Legends like Mick Foley, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Sting, and Diamond Dallas Page were among those who got me hooked into the product. Their phenomenal work during the prime of their careers is what got me in the door, but it was the maturation of up-and-coming stars like Edge and Jeff Hardy that kept me invested for years to come.
In a sense, I watched Edge grow up. I was there from his first run with The Brood, to the glory days of Edge and Christian, to the live sex celebration and the multiple World Title wins that followed. Edge is the embodiment of hard work and determination. The man is living proof that if you want something bad enough and are willing to put your nose to the grindstone, anything is possible. He proved that during his rise to becoming WWE Champion, and he's proved it again nearly a decade after a career-ending injury, or at least what we thought would be a career-ending injury.
I have literally watched his surprise entrance in the Royal Rumble over 100 times, and every single time I get goosebumps. When it first happened, I didn't react the way the live crowd did. I didn't make a sound. I didn't move. I was in a complete state of shock with what I was witnessing.
It wasn't until Edge emerged from the fog for the first time that I lost my composure. It was those brief seconds, where he was so overcome with emotion and just in awe of the crowd reaction, that will stick with me forever. In those few seconds, he stopped being Edge and was simply Adam Copeland. The man who scratched and clawed for nine years to get to this moment. The look on his face, and the way it made me feel, is something I will never forget.
Moments like that are why I'm still a wrestling fan to this day. In that moment, I stopped being the grown man with responsibilities that I am now. In that moment, I was 13 again. I was a young boy with tears in his eyes, ready to watch his favorite wrestler go to work. I still had my concerns, but at that moment, they all washed away.
Despite it seemingly being cut short, the WWE Hall of Famer had accomplished everything there is to accomplish in a career. He was an 11-time World Champion, a Royal Rumble winner, MITB winner, one half of arguably the greatest Tag Team in WWE History - the accomplishments go on and on. Initially, I frankly didn't see the point of a comeback attempt when weighed against the risks of another catastrophic injury.
It didn't hit me until Monday night what the point really was. It's not about Championships, or paydays, or dream match-ups. Edge said it best on RAW; It's about him choosing to leave the sport he loves, not anyone else making that decision for him. Having control over your own life is all any of us should ever want. So who the hell am I to tell that man there's no point to being back in the wrestling ring? I hope he gets what he's looking for out of this last run, and that it lasts as long as he wants it to. One thing is for sure, it is off to a fantastic start.
The work Edge has done is nothing short of remarkable. Not just in getting medically cleared, but also to get himself in the shape that he's in at age 46. That wasn't the shell of a WWE Hall of Famer that hit the ring Sunday, that was the Rated-R Superstar. That was a man that was as good, if not better, than when we saw him defeat Alberto Del Rio at WrestleMania XXVII.
I'm still not quite sure how ready I am to see Edge take the kind of bumps and sell them the way he did on Monday night, but the level of work both he and Randy Orton put into that segment was outstanding. I'm genuinely excited to watch this story play out over the coming weeks. I'm also over-the-moon excited that Edge is back healthy, and doing the thing that he loves the most. Not only that, but also what his accomplishments could mean for others.
Edge's return has suddenly made the impossible, possible. He has given hope to other Superstars who are where he once was. He have given wrestlers like Paige, Nikki Bella, and Jason Jordan hope that one day, they, too, can get back to the business they love. He has given them hope that they, too, can end their careers on their own terms.
He has given them hope. Hope, I recently learned, isn't such a bad thing. So once again, welcome back, Edge!