Whenever a wrestler talks about retirement — and even after they actually do retire — there's always the question of whether their time in the ring is truly over. Edge knows that better than most, having wrapped up his latest run more than a decade after he was initially forced into retirement due to a neck injury that had him believing he'd never wrestle again. Fans are always skeptical of wrestlers actually "retiring" when it's an issue of contract renewals, and reports popped up saying that he didn't re-sign with the WWE specifically so that he could rejoin his former partner Christian in the AEW and take on the best tag teams in that promotion. Is any of it actually true? Edge himself spoke up to clear the air.
After seeing the chatter spinning around the web, the Rated-R Superstar decided it was time to set the record straight by hitting up social media and laying out a lengthy video statement. In it, he informed fans about exactly what's going on behind the scenes, and confirmed that he hasn't made any firm decisions about his wrestling career. In his words:
There's nothing going on. There's no hard feelings between me and WWE. I love WWE, you know, it's my dream gig. It's all I ever wanted to do. I didn't come at them with some crazy contract or anything. They didn't deny me. I have a contract extension sitting in my inbox. I just don't know what to do. The first time I had to retire I was forced, and this time the choice is on my lap and it's a lot harder. WWE gave me that night, Friday night in Toronto, and it was the best night of my career. A lot of people will say, 'You should retire at WrestleMania or this or that,' but it's not their career. Friday night was really special for me and I don't know if that can be topped to be perfectly honest. And if we think we can, then great.
I have to concede that while I had my doubts about him saying goodbye forever after a random SmackDown bout, Edge's hometown match in Toronto felt as perfect as a send-off can be for a wrestler of his stature. It's hard to know whether retiring at WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia would match the energy exuded by the crowd of his fellow Canadians. As Edge said, it's his career. If he feels it was the perfect goodbye, who are we to ask him to return for upcoming WWE events?
Ultimately, Edge made this statement to clarify that there are no issues between him and the WWE, and that he (presumably) isn't making some big play to appear at AEW's massive All In pay-per-view, which is being held at Wembley Stadium on August 27. He's still trying to figure out what he wants to do but noted that there are two key things that are most important to him ahead of this next chapter, and he'll be prioritizing that beyond all else:
I need to sit with it and just know that whatever it is I do, whether it's Percy Jackson–which is coming out soon–or it's wrestling, or it's sitting in my rocking chair it's because I'm having fun. And having fun and raising my kids at this stage of my life is the two most important things. So, hope that clears stuff up, I'm going to go back to my coffee.
Edge appears genuine enough in the video, but we're in the world of professional wrestling. If he was planning to appear at AEW's All In in front of a massive crowd of 80,000+ people, wouldn't an earnest response refuting rumors be the ultimate smokescreen? Anything is possible, though, in the infamous words of Hulk Hogan, I may be "working myself into a shoot" by speculating on that level.
If Edge returns to pro wrestling, he'd hardly be the first wrestler to return after his retirement. Ric Flair recently had his second retirement match in 2022, and even Edge's wife and legendary women's wrestler Beth Phoenix retired once before her return years later. Edge might be 100% set on hanging up his boots tomorrow and could change his mind a few months from now. Once again, it's his career, and he's free to do whatever he wants, and there's plenty of precedent for him to change his mind.
If Edge never wrestles another match in his life, plenty of his previous matches are available to revisit with a Peacock Premium subscription. Well have to wait and see if he'll take that contract extension with WWE, or just commit to a lot more acting gigs like he did following his first retirement.
