Thank You Edge

I had intended on writing this after Smackdown, when Edge officially retires and relinquishes the World Heavyweight Championship, but with The Vampire Diaries and Smallville returning tonight and tomorrow, I didn't want this post to get lost in the shuffle.

As I noted in my LIVE Raw thoughts post, Edge has been my favorite wrestler since his debut. Even before his hilarious antics with Christian or his awesome entrance with The Brood, there was just something about this guy that intrigued me. Even before he wrestled his first match, I just knew Edge was special. Perhaps it was his unique look (at the time of his debut, the Attitude Era was still in its early stages, and many of the characters were still cartoonish or colorful), his cool name, or his different entrance (through the crowd with a neat, repetitive theme music). Whatever it was, right off the bat, this guy was one of my favorites.

So it was with great pride that I saw him achieve incredible success in every single venture he undertook. He and Christian held the Tag Team Championship more than any other team in history (this, despite the fact that they were nearly broken up before even winning that first title). At one point, I believe he even broke the record for the most Intercontinental Title reigns. No matter what character he was asked to play, or type of match he was put in, or storyline he was stuck in, he made it work. With great success.

To be honest, it hardly seems fair. I would never hope for somebody's career to come to an end, but it still seems unfair that Edge is forced to hang up his tights when guys like The Undertaker, Triple H, Ric Flair, and many others are able to continue competing into their 40's and 50's without any extended absence.

I had the pleasure of meeting Edge back in 2004 when he released his book Adam Copeland On Edge. I was really excited, because -- as I said -- he was one of my favorite wrestlers at the time (and he was really coming into his own as a singles competitor on Smackdown before his injury), and I was really happy to discover that he was, indeed, a really, really cool guy. He was extremely personable and nice, and he was one of the only authors I've met that personally signed each book. As in, referring to me as "Matt" as he signed it. I'm EXTREMELY eager for him to write his next installment. C'mon, between the Matt/Lita mess and his various runs at the top, this thing would be an absolutely awesome read.

While this is a really crappy situation, there are some things that make me glad. As I said the other night, I'm really happy that he got to end his career as a popular babyface, so that the fans could really make this moment special for him. He undoubtedly would've been turned babyface when he made the announcement anyway, but it felt a lot more genuine this way. It was also really nice that Christian was there to share the moment with him. These two have become so synonymous with each other that it's truly gratifying that Christian could be there, right by his side, to close the book on Edge's career. It's also fitting that Edge's departure paves the way for Christian's first real run with the World Championship (fingers crossed!) The outpouring of support from virtually everybody he has ever worked with, ever, has been legitimately nice as well (including Matt Hardy, who wrote a rather classy message).

And finally, it's sweet that Edge gets to end his career as champion. This is practically unheard of, but it's also suitable. That championship belt is almost always associated with Edge, so why shouldn't the Rated R Superstar step away with it in his grasp? Further, Edge is a relatively young guy who still had a lot to give. He is, for all intents and purposes, still a champion.

This is undoubtedly a sad time for professional wrestling, but you know what? Think about the alternative. Edge's next scheduled match was supposed to be a ladder match. If he's in as bad a shape as he apparently is -- and I'm inclined to think he is, otherwise they'd have him drop the title -- think about what could have happened if he wrestled that match. Edge the wrestler may be done for, but at least Adam Copeland the man can live a full, relatively normal life because he was smart enough to take care of himself.

Best of luck to you, Edge. You deserve it.