WWE WrestleMania 36: Edge vs. Randy Orton is the best storyline going

The in-ring return of WWE Hall of Famer Edge at the Royal Rumble shook fans to their core, but what has followed has taken things to a whole new level as the buildup towards WWE WrestleMania 36 heats up.

WWE WrestleMania 36 has had a hit or miss build up to this point, but the one definite hit has been the angle between Edge and Randy Orton, which began during the Royal Rumble match back in January where the two former tag team partners teamed together for a while before Edge caught The Viper napping and eliminated him.

The following night on Raw, Edge gave a heartfelt and passionate promo stating his intentions to return to the ring after what appeared to be a career-ending announcement back in 2011 in which The Rated-R Superstar said he was being forced into early retirement due to injury.  Towards the end of this promo, Orton came out and talked glowingly about Edge.

He went on to ask for a Rated RKO reunion before turning on Edge and hitting him with an RKO.  Orton took it farther by eventually hitting Edge with a move he made famous, the concerto.  Edge has not been seen since, but Orton has been indecisive about his actions ever since, not making much sense as to why he did what he did to someone he allegedly said he loves.  That all took a drastic change on the most recent episode of Raw.

Edge’s wife and fellow WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix addressed her husband’s condition on Raw, but before she could get very far, The Viper made his presence felt.  Phoenix was livid with Orton and demanded an explanation, which Orton gave in what could be considered one of his greatest promos ever.  He talked about the first time he met Edge back in 1999 and talked about several other memories involving the two.

Orton said Edge helped him get out of a rough place and saved him at one point.  He said he was trying to do the same for Edge by making sure he couldn’t wrestle again.  According to Orton, it was all about making sure Edge’s kids and wife could have him in their lives.  However, it quickly turned into criticism of Phoenix, who Orton called an enabler that allows Edge to keep feeding into his desire for the business.

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Phoenix slapped Orton, words were said, Phoenix kicked Orton in the gut, and then the shockingly-inevitable happened when Orton hit Phoenix with an RKO to lay her out in the ring.  This storyline has been outstanding thus far and Edge hasn’t even been on Raw since the night after the Royal Rumble.  Once he comes back, things should really heat up.  Without question, this angle has been the best thing going in the buildup towards WrestleMania 36.

Although the match hasn’t been made yet, Edge vs. Orton will be a marquee match that nobody thought they’d ever get to see again after Edge was retired for nearly nine years.

This storyline is similar to what went on between Triple H and Shawn Michaels in 2002, which led to a fantastic SummerSlam battle.  This Edge/Orton angle has a ton of potential and in a relatively short amount of time, it has helped get Orton back to a level he hasn’t been at in years.

This is probably the most sadistic and even demented The Viper has been since he tried taking out the McMahon family in 2009.  At times, he has struggled to recapture that old Orton vibe that made him so great in the first place and has felt stagnant far too many times in recent years.

However, this type of an angle can change his fortunes for good.  And then there’s Edge, who is already one of the most sympathetic babyfaces going thanks to Orton.

Things are clicking with this storyline and that bodes extremely well for WrestleMania 36, which will see the in-ring singles return of The Rated-R Superstar against a version of The Viper fans haven’t seen in a long time.