Thoughts From The Top Rope 04.28.09: Modern Greats Series - Edge

Posted by Daniel Wilcox on 04.28.2009

The Modern Greats Series continues with a look at one of the most decorated and controversial superstars in the history of professional wrestling, the Rated R Superstar, Edge.


Ric Flair. Hulk Hogan. Bruno Sammartino. Bret Hart. Steve Austin. These are just some of the greatest performers to have ever graced the squared circle, and professional wrestling is so much better off because each has done so. However, these unforgettable names have all but ridden off into the sunset.

Shawn Michaels. The Undertaker. Sting. Three names equally as important to the wonder that is pro wrestling, three names that have given us decades of service but are unfortunately in the twilight of their respective careers.

Edge. One of the most decorated performers in the history of the business; a nine-time world champion, a five-time Intercontinental champion, a twelve-time tag team champion, a former United States champion, a King of the Ring winner and a two-time Mr. Money in the Bank. That's some thirty major championships in just over ten years. To do that in just one company is somewhat insane, but in Edge's case, it's probably deserved.

He's been one half of the greatest tag teams of all time, one of the greatest Intercontinental champions of all time, and very few men have held as many world titles as he has. Let's not forget the fact that he still has many years left at the top. Furthermore, Edge is one of the most controversial figures in all of wrestling, partially due to the infamous Matt Hardy and Lita fiasco and partially due to the Rated R Superstar persona which has produced some very memorable moments in its own right, including the Live Sex Celebration with Lita and Edge capitalizing on just about every opportunity there is to capitalize on.

But regardless of the controversies and countless title reigns, Edge has always been one of the best in-ring performers, his legendary matches spanning a decade and opponents including the likes of Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, John Cena, Ric Flair, Kurt Angle, Eddie Guerrero, Mick Foley and many, many more. While narrowing down Edge's best matches to a list of five is extremely tricky, an unenviable task if you will, it's just about doable;

5. WWE Championship Match: Edge vs. John Cena, WWE Summerslam 2006

5. Last Man Standing Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Edge vs. John Cena, WWE Backlash 2009
Pre-Backlash, I had Edge and Cena's match from Summerslam 2006 penciled in at number five, and putting such a recent match in is a risk, because my opinion of it could change upon a second viewing. But this was an outstanding match up between two true professionals. These guys always look to raise the bar each time they fight, and I love some of the innovative spots they came up with in this one to really put over the match; in particular, the Attitude Adjustment into the front row was insane and will likely be replayed for many years to come, deservedly so. I'm planning a column discussing this rivalry and the fact that Cena has said it's one of the greatest of all time, but matches like this go a long way in giving such a statement a leg to stand on. Interference aside, this was an incredibly intense match that will likely be remembered for a long time.

4. Hardcore Match: Edge vs. Mick Foley, WWE WrestleMania 22
There was a lot of buzz at the time about this potentially being the greatest hardcore match of all time, and regardless of whether you rank it as the best or not, I would have to say that it is certainly one of the best. Going into the match, the goal was to give Mick Foley that one huge WrestleMania memory, one all-in performance that had eluded him despite his otherwise illustrious career. However, I think it was Edge who gave a career-performance here, as this was a match that solidified Edge as a tough son of a bitch who deserved his spot in the main event, where he would remain from this moment on. The match had all kinds of crazy spots, making use of thumbtacks, barbed wire and even a WWE-rarity and a WrestleMania-first, a flaming table. Indeed, the final spot will be a Mania memory etched in wrestling fans' minds for a long time to come, but the match was more than just the one big spot. It was an epic struggle, a violent and bloody brawl that ended with a jaw-dropping climax. An unforgettable Mania match no doubt, but also one that helped to make Edge the Rated R Superstar.

3. No Disqualification Match: Edge vs. Eddie Guerrero, WWE SmackDown 2002
This was a classic match that came after Edge's glorious tag team days but before his meteoric rise to superstardom, although from matches like this and others that Edge was having around the time, it was clear that it wasn't a matter of "if" but "when" Edge broke out and became one of the biggest names in the company. Edge and Eddie had traded pay-per-view wins on consecutive shows and had had a really good series of matches in the process, but fans and the two competitors themselves thought that the bar could be raised, and that's what this match was really all about, as both guys went all-out and brought it. This was a fantastic No DQ that actually incorporated and a bunch of weapons to sell the stipulation. Notably a ladder was used to produce some pretty breath-taking spots, including the Edgecation DDT from the ladder, which ultimately gave Edge the victory. It's a testament to how good this match was that Guerrero, who was playing the heel in this match, got a huge standing ovation from the crowd as he stood defeated in the ring post-match. But without a shadow of doubt, it was his work with the likes of Guerrero in the early stages of his singles career that helped Edge become the performer that he is today. When it comes to honing ones craft, none were more fortunate than those who worked with Eddie Guerrero.

2. Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match for the WWE Tag Team Championships: Edge and Christian vs. The Hardy Boyz vs. The Dudley Boyz, WWE WrestleMania X-Seven
In October 1999, The Hardys and Edge and Christian took tag team wrestling to a whole other level with their tag team ladder match, which essentially made those four men overnight stars. Months later at WrestleMania, along with The Dudleyz, they topped themselves with the Triangle Ladder Match. In the summer of that year, they took it one step further with the inaugural Tables, Ladders and Chairs match, a classic in its own right. And just when you thought that they couldn't possibly outdo themselves again, the Hardys, Dudleys and Edge and Christian were booked in Tables, Ladders and Chairs II, and despite massive expectations, they managed to raise the bar again, and they did so in unimaginable fashion. I was reluctant to include this match on such a list because a) it's a spotfest b) it's a multi-man match, and thus Edge isn't really the focus. But I rationalized that its impressiveness could not be ignored, and because Edge was involved in the most impressive visual of the match, I included it.

Spotfests are generally jaw-dropping affairs. They astound and amaze but ultimately, most go forgotten. There's only so many variations of the same spot one can do, only so complex a spot can be before its too far-fetched, and only such a height a wrestler can fall from before the risk isn't actually worth taking. And as such, they very rarely stand the test of time. I think this match does. Despite all the awesome shit we'd seen these guys do over the previous year and a half, they still left us in awe when this one was all said and done, and watching it back now you still have to wonder how all six guys are still taking risks eight years later when this match alone should've taken years off of their respective careers. Moves like a Spear from 15-feet in the air, one of the greatest visuals in wrestling history, could well have ended a career on their own. Edge's legacy will probably consist predominantly of the matches and moments he's had in the last four or five years, but without a shadow of a doubt his tag team career was as innovative and inspiring as his singles run, and this match is the perfection demonstration as to why that is.

1. World Heavyweight Championship Match: Edge vs. The Undertaker, WWE WrestleMania 24

WrestleMania main events generally serve one of two purposes; either to be the culmination of a lengthy feud where a face finally gets his hands on, and revenge on, a heel, or a first encounter that serves to kick off one of the bigger feuds of the year. Somewhat uniquely, this did both, as Edge had screwed Undertaker out of numerous world titles in the year preceding this match-up, and yet this was the first one-on-one match the two had had for the World Championship, although they would go on to have many more such matches later in the year.

This was something of an epic encounter that built brilliantly, climaxing in one of the hottest finishes in WrestleMania history. The match began with Edge taking the fight to Taker, overzealously at times, as Taker would soon regain control and deliver a bunch of signature moves to Edge. However as the match progressed it soon became clear that Edge seemingly had a counter for just about everything The Under could throw at him, and although Taker dished out a hell of a lot of punishment, including the annual No-Hands Suicida, Edge was clearly one-step ahead of Taker. Many of the Internet Wrestling Community believed that Edge could and should be the guy to end the undefeated WrestleMania streak of The Undertaker, and I think there were times in this match up that suggested that that improbability could in fact become a reality. Some of the countering sequences were excellently thought out and even better executed. What I really like about this match, aside from what's already been pointed out, is how Edge used previous tactics that had worked against Taker, but they weren't enough on this occasion. Edge used a camera to cost Taker the World Championship against Batista back at Survivor Series, but a similar camera shot didn't get it done at Mania. Edge used Hawkins and Ryder to steal the World title from Taker and Batista at Armageddon, but their interference was thwarted on this occasion. Taker and Edge can put on awesome matches but also incorporate some tremendous elements of psychology. After an intense exchange of near falls, Taker took a second Spear but quickly adjusted his body position to lock in the Gogoplata and earn the submission victory.

Despite the losing effort, Edge really came out of this match looking like a million bucks due to the fact that he was able to hang with, and put on an outstanding match with The Undertaker. And while Edge didn't get that career-making win, it was a career-making performance and one that will go down as one of Edge's absolute best when his career is all said and done. Edge's transition from tag team wrestler, to singles wrestler in the mid card to main eventer was meteoric and flawless, and this match proves that the Rated R Superstar can incorporate all essential devices into his matches; intensity, drama, excitement, unpredictability and technical ability. It's matches like this that prove that Edge is one of the very best the business has to offer, now just in the present day but of all time.

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Next week, Thoughts From The Top Rope's "Modern Greats" series continues with a look at a third generation great who has developed into one of the best performers in the business, the current WWE Champion Randy Orton.

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