SUMMARY
- After his WWE exit, Adam 'Edge' Copeland is now an AEW wrestler.
- In a recent interview, Copeland opened up on his interaction with Vince McMahon where the latter asked him to retire.
The WWE Hall of Famer Edge has been one of the most influential superstars in the industry and is well known for his heel persona in the company. Edge was a captivating heel during the Ruthless Aggression Era and was one of the top-tier talents during this time having feuds with John Cena, Batista, The Undertaker, and many more veterans.
In his illustrious 25-year career in the WWE, he held several championships and won the Royal Rumble twice in 2010 and 2021. He won the Rumble match in 2021 by entering at number one spot and outlasted 29 other superstars to do so. His career has seen a lot of ups and downs but the Ultimate Opportunist remained consistent in terms of his dedication and passion for pro wrestling.
One of his all-time lows occurred in 2011 when he was forced to retire due to several injuries. After making a shocking return at the 2010 Royal Rumble, The Rated R Superstar suffered several injuries on his neck which ultimately saw his departure. Fans were left in shock after seeing Edge retire in such fashion leaving his legacy behind at only 37 years of age.
It seems that Edge experienced the same when he first learned about his retirement. The 50-year-old received a phone call from Vince McMahon who examined Edge’s reports and informed him about his retirement. During his podcast with Chris Van Vliet, Edge talked about his instant reaction after getting the phone call from Vince in 2011.
He stated how he felt sorry for himself and had a cry after hearing the news. “I was surrounded by my four dogs and I just kinda sat down and felt sorry for myself a little bit. Had a cry because it’s the only thing I ever wanted to do.”, stated the AEW Superstar.
No one expected Edge to retire at such a young age and during his retirement in 2011, Edge was at the peak of his career. He was the World Heavyweight Champion at the time and had just defeated Alberto Del Rio at WrestleMania 27. Unfortunately, his career took a long pause in which he suffered immense pain due to his triple fusion neck injury.
Edge’s multiple neck injuries forced him to retire from the WWE in 2011
When Edge declared his retirement on the April 11, 2011, broadcast of RAW, it shook the whole WWE Universe. The Ultimate Opportunist disclosed that despite undergoing surgery for a broken neck, he was still in pain and could not feel his arms. The Rated R Superstar underwent several more tests, and following the findings, medical professionals advised him that one more bump may cause paralysis or even death.
Edge was forced to retire from in-ring competition as a result of these reports. The Rated R Superstars stated how he realized he didn’t have any choice but to retire after getting the phone call from Vince. “It wasn’t easy but fairly quickly I realized okay if I don’t have a choice in this at all, I have to wrap my mind around this.”, stated the 50-year-old superstar.
In this emotional bonus scene from #WWE24, @EdgeRatedR gave a special farewell on a tour of Europe following his retirement announcement in 2011.
Watch WWE 24 EDGE: The Second Mountain anytime on demand on @WWENetwork. pic.twitter.com/A0U3TbXTOi
— WWE (@WWE) April 8, 2020
The series of surgeries which followed after his retirement were painful for the WWE Hall of Famer. During the podcast, Edge revealed how he felt like a hot bottle of water was being released inside his head after the surgeries. During this time, Edge acted in a lot of films and series adding more to his legendary career. However, his pure focus and dedication did the unthinkable in 2020.
Edge made a shocking return at the 2020 WWE Royal Rumble PLE
The Rated R Superstar was absent from professional wrestling for more than nine years after forcing his retirement in 2011 due to neck issues. But at the 2020 Royal Rumble, Edge unexpectedly returned to the Stamford-based promotion.
He returned, coming in at number 21 in the yearly 30-Man Royal Rumble match. Fans were ecstatic to see Edge perform again, and his return to the event elicited one of the greatest pops in recent memory. Despite making it to the top three and throwing nasty spears the entire match, Drew McIntyre won the match.
By eliminating Randy Orton in the 2021 Royal Rumble match, the Rated R Superstar was able to make up for his loss at the 2020 edition. Along with Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns, Edge went on to headline WrestleMania that year. Without question, Edge had an incredible final run in the WWE. Edge really couldn’t have asked for anything better.
But The Rated R Superstar called it quits on his 25-year tenure with the Stamford-based organization soon after his last match in the WWE with Sheamus. There were rumors that he would eventually leave professional wrestling, and many people made assumptions about this. Remarkably, he debuted for AEW at WrestleDream in 2023 shocking fans.