The Mother Brain Files: The Canadian Boyhood Dream
By Mother Brain

Last Monday on WWE Raw, I was stunned by the announcement of the retirement of the Rated-R Superstar Edge, the 11 time world champion. Over the course of his 13 years with the company, his body has gone under numerous injuries and surgeries which have eventually led to this point. Many fans will say either he should tough it out like broken down has-beens like Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair or consider his retirement another peg knocked down for the older WWE crowd. But any way that you look at it, Edge has accomplished more in WWE than anyone, including himself, could ever dream.

I remember the vignettes of Edge running around the dark streets of New York back in 1998 as his debut was being teased weekly. This was the time that the WWE was turning around in the rating war with WCW and going into the Attitude direction. When Edge first arrived on the scene, he was that silent loner type with incredible athleticism in the ring. Then when Christian arrived on the scene as his on-screen brother and joined the Undertaker’s Ministry of Darkness, Edge’s visibility increased even more.

But I didn’t truly find myself entertained by Edge until I saw the Edge & Christian/Hardy Boyz/Dudley Boyz triangle ladder match at Wrestlemania 2000. The work that everyone put into that match eclipsed the HBK/Razor Ramon ladder match from Wrestlemania X. From then on, I saw Edge as one of the top guys, especially when he and Christian turned into Bill & Ted-like heels with the “five second pose”, the “conchairto”, and just simply the way they mocked their opponents in promos. It was only a matter of time before he went back into singles action.

I didn’t follow the WWE much between 2002-2005 because I was spending more time studying in college. But when my interest peaked again in late 2005, I was surprised to see how strong of a top heel Edge had become. As the Rated-R Superstar, he not only had great feuds with Mick Foley and John Cena, but he also began to push the envelope as a character. When I went to the Raw show at the Meadowlands in early 2006, my friend Albert and I were dying laughing when Edge presented the his Ric Flair road rage skit on the Titantron. Even as a heel, everyone in the crowd couldn’t help but to laugh and cheer. He only got better over the course of that year with everything from the hardcore match with Mick Foley at Wrestlemania 22, the Foley/Edge vs. Tommy Dreamer/Terry Funk tag match at ECW One Night Stand, the live sex show with Lita on Raw, etc. While everyone backlashed against company star John Cena, Edge became the real fan favorite.

I could go on about all my favorite Edge moments like the Rated RKO angle, attacking the Raw GM’s computer, the two times he used Money in the Bank to win the title, or personally for me Royal Rumble 2008 where I and everyone in Madison Square Garden cheered him on when he successfully defended the World Heavyweight Title against Rey Mysterio. He has done everything that a real WWE superstar needed to do and he’s getting out while he’s still young and able to physically function. While we’ll all miss the Rated-R Superstar in the ring, it’s safe for us to know that his days up in the mountains of his home are more than well deserved.