Grading Edge’s WWE run after 2020 Royal Rumble return

Three years ago, Edge made his triumphant return to the WWE after nine years away from the ring. Fans had no idea what would be in store for his second stint with the company, but now we know there is a possibility it may be over after a match with Sheamus on Smackdown this week.

Edge’s time back would be highlighted by feuds with Randy Orton, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns. All top names in the company that Edge deserved to be feuding with because of his star power. Starting back in 2020, his first singles match back was against Randy Orton at WrestleMania 36 in a last-man-standing match. The match was famous for being entirely too long, but it was impressive that he could still go for 36-plus minutes in his first one on one action in nine years.

The feud would continue in what was billed as “the greatest wrestling match ever” at Backlash a month later. Now by no means was this the greatest match ever, but it was quite enjoyable. The match included great action by Orton and Edge, with a high number of callbacks to many WWE legends that had helped the two stars earlier in their career. This ended up being one of the better WWE matches that year.

Edge would then not compete in action until winning the Royal Rumble in 2021, a massive moment for a legend of the business. This would be the highlight of his return for me, as it was all relatively downhill after this. He wouldn’t even get a chance to challenge Roman Reigns one on one at WrestleMania as Daniel Bryan would join the match in a triple threat. Reigns went on the stack both men on top of each other and pin them both, a slap in the face to two of the best performers of all time.

Fast forward three months, Edge got his chance to finally challenge Roman Reigns all by his lonesome. He and Reigns had a stand-out performance in the main event of Money in the Bank 2021, but the action of the match was outshined by the return of John Cena after the match. For me, this is the story of his second WWE run, outshined by others in moments when Edge should’ve gotten a tribute tour to give back to the business.

Edge’s next feud would be against Seth Rollins in easily his most captivating feud since his return. Remembered by a Hell in a Cell match at Crown Jewel that was a WWE match of the year contender. This was his best work in his return, as he found a knack for putting on well-received extreme matches.

The next year was the attempt at Edge becoming heel as the leader of the Judgement Day, a group that blossomed once he left it. His elongated feud with Judgement Day really ended up nowhere than traded wins back and forth between himself and Finn Balor. To date, there has really been nothing of note in the last couple of months after Edge won the blow-off Hell in a Cell match at WrestleMania 39, which to me was pretty forgettable.

The verdict: B- 

Edge’s run was about 80% of what it could have been in my opinion, heavily tapered by a lackluster last year of his run. There would be good moments, but there seems to be an asterisk next to every match I enjoyed. The match was too long, the finish was not fitting for a legend of the business, or a feud with Balor just never hit as intended, all factors I considered. Some matches were good like the Hell in a Cell match vs. Seth Rollins, or the Backlash match vs. Randy Orton, but I wasn’t blown away by the work of the WWE Hall of Famer. “Just okay” is how I would describe this run for Edge, some star-making moments, and some pretty good matches, but underwhelming over the last 12 months. This barely felt like a tribute run to one of the best performers ever, rather it seemed like a quality run for an upper mid-carder or a low-tier main eventer.