Booking Edge

I will try to post my comments on the finalized WWE Draft before the end of the weekend, but I thought I’d focus in on Edge at the moment, who was moved over to Raw last Monday. While I detest when they strip Smackdown of their main event players, I actually didn’t mind this move. Edge has been a Smackdown property for a few years now, so a move over to Raw is a nice change of scenery for him (unlike, say, Jericho, who only got to spend a year on the blue show). What did bother me, though, was his abrupt heel turn. It wasn’t particularly shocking or unexpected – which was part of the problem, really – it just happened way too soon.

I’ve actually been arguing for Edge to turn face since his feud with the Undertaker. Don’t get me wrong, Edge is a tremendous heel, but he’s been doing the same thing and acting as the foil to the same guys for the better part of five years. While I don’t think he was stale by any means, he did desperately need to change things up. And as the post-Edge & Christian storyline showed, and the Smackdown Six series solidified, the guy CAN play a very effective and over face.

Here’s how I would have played things out, doing essentially the same thing WWE came up with.

In Raw’s main event, Batista uses some heel tactics to sneak a victory over Orton. Following the match, Batista and Sheamus beat Orton down. Edge comes in and makes the save. Show ends with Edge and Orton reluctantly standing in the ring together.

On Smackdown, Edge delivers his farewell and discusses all he’s accomplished on the show and how it really did become HIS show. He’s interrupted by the Straight Edge Society. Punk tells Edge that his Rated R, rock star lifestyle kept Smackdown from becoming the “A” show, and that with him gone, CM Punk will take the program to bigger and better things. Edge retorts, and soon enough the S.E.S. attacks Edge. Christian comes in and makes the save. For one night only, we get the Edge & Christian reunion we’ve all been waiting for over the past year, when they take on Punk & Gallows. Edge & Christian win, and we even get a five second pose.

Now an official member of the Raw roster, why not do a month or so of Rated RKO vs. Jericho and Sheamus – neither of whom will have a main event face to work with Cena occupied with Batista and Triple H injured. Then slowly but surely divide the feud into Orton/Jericho and Edge/Sheamus, two feuds we haven’t really seen yet. For that matter, the options we’ve seen with a heel Edge after he’s finished with Orton are things we’ve seen before. Cena? Done that. Triple H? Been there. Morrison? Yep. There’s a lot more original fuel for a fan favorite Edge. How about a reluctant alliance with Cena? Or a feud with Miz? Or even a heel Triple H.

And the thing that kills me is that if there’s one character in desperate need of a heel turn, it’s Triple H. So provided that happens, we’ll have Edge, Triple H, Jericho, Sheamus, and possibly Batista all hanging around Raw as top heels. And who do we have on the face side? Cena and Orton, pretty much.

I’m not saying that Edge shouldn’t have turned heel, I just think that his act as a face could have lasted at least until the end of summer. Depending on how well it catches on, maybe even til the end of the year.