WWE News: Edge offers fresh perspective on Paige retirement
What’s the story?
This year started out on a sad note with mass speculation over Paige having an injury that would "medically disqualify" her from competing in-ring for WWE ever again.
Well, a Superstar who knows all about career-ending injuries has given his two cents on the matter - a Rated-R Superstar, that is.
In case you didn’t know…
Not too long after coming back from serious neck surgery, Paige was injured during a six-woman tag team match last year at a New York house show. The match was stopped after Paige took a heavy knock.
Add to this a history of scoliosis and things weren't looking too good in the long-term with Paige reportedly being told she has no future as an in-ring competitor in WWE.
However, one month later, we've still had no official confirmation from either Paige or WWE, even though several of her peers have seemingly confirmed retirement reports as true.
The heart of the matter
Well, things have seemingly cooled down in terms of rumors surrounding what WWE actually told Paige and whether she will compete again, but both Mike Johnson and Dave Meltzer have reported that Paige will never be allowed to wrestle in WWE again.
One very interesting story has been shared though, and that comes from Edge - a man who found himself in the same position as Paige seemingly does seven years ago.
The Hall of Famer recently was speaking to CBS Local when he addressed the matter. He commented that the hardest part is Paige's youth. While she's got over a decade of experience in the ring, she's still only 25.
"It is tough because when I retired, I was 37. I had accomplished everything, and then some, I set out to do within that industry. So there wasn’t anything else besides wanting to help some younger talent and teach them. That was what the next mode of my career was going to be."
However, Edge did offer a unique, uplifting perspective on Paige.
"I guess all I can say, if that is the case, is she did a lot. She got a lot accomplished. She won the women’s championship, and she stood out."
Edge, having suffered a similar setback albeit a little further into his career, also offered some advice to the former NXT Women's Champion.
"You just try and focus on the positives instead of drawing on the negatives. That’s really all you can do in that kind of situation. But I don’t know if there’s a magic elixir or the perfect sentence you can say to make that easier to swallow."
What's next?
WWE has yet to confirm Paige's retirement, but given that they've acknowledged the injury without putting a timescale on any return - or even hinting at such - it doesn't look good. Particularly when they've done nothing to conflict the rumors. We may still see Paige on WWE television, but who knows if we'll ever see her in the ring again.
Author’s take
It's never nice to see a WWE Superstar get injured, and it's even worse to see someone so young facing retirement, but Edge does offer some great insight into what it's like. We can only wish Paige all the best.
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