Edge: Greatest Hits

Edge: Greatest Hits


This latest post of Greatest Hits was requested by my friend Stewart Lange on the Facebook group known as Yes! Yes! Yes! and it's definitely the best wrestling group you'll find there. Here's a link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/205317189578631/



So here are the Greatest Hits of the Rated R Superstar known as Edge.



Edge & Sable vs Marc Mero & Jacqueline
From Summerslam 1998. Here we have Edge's very first PPV match in the WWE. Little did everyone know that they were watching a future Hall of Famer that had sex on live TV. It's kind of appropriate that he'd debut in a tag match, just not the kind you would think. This was an entertaining match and better than I expected with a hot crowd and lots of action. **3/4


Edge vs Owen Hart
From Breakdown 1998. I guess you could call this a bit of a dream match with these guys going one on one. Edge looked like he was trying to imitate Raven with the way he sat by the rope during Owen's entrance. Edge showed fantastic athleticism here, as did Owen. This was a great little match and a forgotten gem worth checking, as this is Edge's first great singles match, thanks to the pro that was the late great Owen Hart. ***3/4


Edge & Christian vs The Hardy Boyz
From King of the Ring 1999. This is the first PPV encounter between these two awesome teams, and they would only have more as time went on. This was a short match but it was very energetic and featured one of the coolest spears you'll ever see from Edge. The crowd still wasn't totally behind them, but that would all change in a few months. Good match anyway. ***



Edge & Christian vs The Hardy Boyz : Ladder Match
From No Mercy 1999 and the managerial services of Terri are on the line along with some money. This is the first recorded Tag Team Ladder match in WWF history and it was the big chance for these guys to get over with the crowd, and they certainly succeeded there. These guys hit a ton high-flying moves that hadn't been seen in the WWF at this point in time. It may look tame compared to modern ladder matches, but this was epic for it's time and a must-see match. The crowd was silent to start with, and by the end they gave a standing ovation, showing how great this match is. WWF's MOTY for 1999. *****



Edge & Christian vs The Hardy Boyz vs The Dudley Boyz : Triangle Ladder Match
From Wrestlemania 2000. A lot of people mistake this for the first TLC match, although it is like a TLC match since there's a quite a few tables around the place. Definitely a precursor to the TLC concept. A classic match here with some great innovative moves for the time and so many replayable moments. The scary part is that they would only get better and better. Amazing stuff from these six fearless guys. ****1/2



The Hardy Boyz vs Edge & Christian vs The Dudley Boyz : TLC Match
From Summerslam 2000. Here we are, the first ever TLC match and it was in the Hardy Boyz's hometown. Still makes me wonder why E&C won the thing. This could be the greatest TLC match ever. It's between this and the TLC at Wrestlemania 17. I never wanted this match to end. It feels much shorter than 15 minutes. Edge and Christian win after taking out all other competitors. Amazing is the word to describe this. Easily the match of the night, and maybe the match of the year. *****



Los Conquistadores vs The Hardy Boyz
From No Mercy 2000 and the Tag Titles are on the line. The Conquistadores are of course Edge and Christian in 'disguise'. E&C were not allowed another shot at the Tag Titles, so they donned some lucha libre masks to fool Commissioner Foley into giving them a shot at the Titles. E&C were hilarious in their roles. A fun match as these guys knew each other very well by this point. **3/4



The Hardy Boyz vs Edge & Christian vs The Dudley Boyz : TLC
From Wrestlemania X-Seven and the Tag Titles are on the line. The second and best TLC match in history, and that's saying a lot considering how exciting those matches are. These guys were somehow able to come up with new and exciting spots different to those in previous matches and somehow make them even more memorable. The 20ft spear is a moment that is still shown in highlight videos to this day. Even the interference was well done as it kept the match exciting and added even more drama. Excellent match that will forever be remembered. *****



Edge vs Kurt Angle
From King of the Ring 2001. The finals of the King of the Ring tournament. Poor Kurt still had to face Shane McMahon later on in the night. This wasn't a particularly great match, but it was a big moment for a Edge and a nice start to his singles career. The finish was pretty exciting with a few nearfalls, but Edge came out on top with help from Shane O' Mac. **1/4



Edge vs Lance Storm
From Summerslam 2001 and the IC Title is on the line. I don't know if this counts as Edge's first IC Title reign since he won it from Jeff Jarrett a couple of years previously during a house show. The continuation of the Invasion storyline. A great match showing off the great talents of both superstars with some nice counter-wrestling and nearfalls. It might be Storm's best match in the WWE. ***1/2



Edge vs Christian : Ladder Match
From No Mercy 2001 and the IC Title is on the line. This is quite a forgotten gem, probably because it was a little underwhelming considering who was involved. This was still a great match with some nice ladder spots, but the match did go on a little long for my liking, clocking in at over twenty minutes. Still an entertaining contest though, and one that's worth a watch. ***1/2



Edge vs Test
From Survivor Series 2001 and this is to unify the WCW US Title and the WWE IC Title. This is probably Test's best match in WWE, except for perhaps his Street Fight with Shane McMahon. A great back and forth contest that featured the story of power vs speed. There was also some nice nearfalls in there with both guys kicking out of the other's finisher. Fun match. ***1/2



Edge vs Kurt Angle
From Judgment Day 2002. The loser of this match would have their head shaved bald. I love this match and it's definitely one of the best singles matches of Edge's career. It's kind of stupid that this feud started with an insulting t-shirt, but since it led to this match, I don't really care. It's quite historical too, as it started the look of Angle that we know today. A classic bout with some great back and forth action and some exciting nearfalls to add to the drama. ****1/4



Edge vs Eddie Guerrero 
From Summerslam 2002. Unfortunately the No DQ match from Smackdown isn't on the Network so I'll have to stick with this one, not that that's a bad thing. Edge's feud with Eddie was definitely a highlight of his career. The arm psychology was well done until the finish when Edge used the injured arm to spear Eddie and he barely even sold it. Still this was a great match while it lasted. ***1/2



Edge & Rey Mysterio vs Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit
From No Mercy 2002 and the newly made Smackdown Tag Titles are on the line. Their prestige didn't last that long. I haven't seen this match for almost ten years, so I've been aching to watch it again to see why it was so popular, and it's not hard to see why. This was an amazing contest, and is probably the best tag match I've ever seen. This one was filled with action from start to finish, with the final ten minutes being especially exciting. From awesome double team moves to close nearfalls, this one had just about everything you need for an awesome match. A must-see classic in my eyes. *****

Edge vs Brock Lesnar

From Rebellion 2002 and the WWE Title is on the line. A rare confrontation between these two and I also think that this was the first time that Edge challenged for the main Title belt. Edge looked great going against the monster that took out legends like The Rock and Hogan. There were slow moments like Lesnar's long bear hug, but it was exciting for the most part. A great match that made Edge look good. ***1/2

A few months after this Edge would suffer a neck injury that would keep him out for over a year, and wouldn't return until March of 2004.

Edge vs Randy Orton

From Vengeance 2004 and the IC Title is on the line. This match finally ended Orton's long reign as the champion, and put Edge back into the Title scene after being a Tag Champ for a while. I lot of people don't like this match because of it's rest holds and slow moments, but it leads to a very exciting finish that makes it worth the wait. Great match from both guys. ***1/2

Shortly after this, Edge would injure himself again and forfeit the IC Title. When he came back he embraced the jeers he had been getting from crowds, including his hometown crowd in Toronto for Summerslam, and became a heel. 

Edge vs Shawn Michaels

From Royal Rumble 2005. Edge cost HBK his shot at the World Title and injured his leg, and after that HBK cost Edge his shot at the World Title in the Elimination Chamber. That all leads to this match which I've always found quite underrated. Yes there were a few sloppy moments but this was still a very entertaining match. Edge was great in his heel role and you just wanted to see Shawn kick his ass. The abrupt finish was annoying, but still it was a great match. ***1/2

Kane vs Christian vs Chris Benoit vs Chris Jericho vs Shelton Benjamin vs Edge : Money in the Bank
From Wrestlemania 21. The first ever MITB match and still the best one. No MITB match has been able to beat this, and it might even be the best Ladder match of the 21st Century (TLCs don't count). It's tied with the HBK/Jericho match for me anyway. An amazing match with some very memorable spots, including Shelton running up a ladder and knocking Y2J off another ladder. They even managed some psychology with the work on Benoit's arm. Awesome match that needs to be seen, especially if you're an Edge fan. ****3/4



Edge vs Chris Benoit : Last Man Standing

From Backlash 2005. This feud started with Edge taking advantage of Benoit's injured arm at Wrestlemania and then attacking him on Raw. A friend told me this match was a classic. I wouldn't go that far personally, but the match was still very good with some nice spots. Edge wins by hitting Benoit over the head with a brick. Interesting and unique way to win a match. ***1/4



Edge vs Matt Hardy : Steel Cage
From Unforgiven 2005. I knew I had to include Edge's feud with Matt seeing as that lead him to becoming the Rated R Superstar. We all know the story between these two guys and Lita. Matt could have tried to hurt Edge with his leg drop off the cage, but he was a professional and landed it perfectly. Matt may have won the battle but I think Edge won the war. A great cage match with a hot crowd. ****


At New Year's Revolution 2006, Edge would become the first ever guy to cash in a Money in the Bank briefcase and would win his very first World Championship. A classic moment and a huge moment for Edge, even though he would lose it only a few weeks later at the Rumble event.



Edge vs Mick Foley : Hardcore Match
From Wrestlemania 22. Here's a match you won't see in the WWE ever again. Foley can make anyone into a star and on this night he did just that with Edge. Edge took some brutal bumps in this one like the back suplex onto the thumb tacks and an encounter with some barbed wire. The flaming table spot was fantastic and a true Wrestlemania moment in itself. An awesome match that stole the show on this night. One of Edge's best matches. ****1/4



Edge / Mick Foley / Lita vs Terry Funk / Tommy Dreamer / Beulah
From One Night Stand 2006. Here's yet another match that you won't see in the WWE again. This one was freaking insane, and I can't believe that a sixty year old Funk was able to pull off some of those stunts. Everyone performed well here, and Edge was at his sleazy best with a sexualised pin on Beulah to win the match for his team. An unforgettable clash. ****1/4



Edge vs John Cena
From Summerslam 2006 and the WWE Title is on the line. If Edge is disqualified, he loses the Title to Cena. Edge wanted to prove he could beat Cena, and Cena wanted revenge after Edge slapped his father. Cena was in his hometown and still getting booed.  A good match that had Edge in control most of the time, and these guys showed chemistry for perhaps the first time. The DQ stipulation was used well too. Good stuff. ***1/4



Edge vs John Cena : TLC Match
From Unforgiven 2006, and if Cena loses, he can never wrestle on Raw again. Also the WWE Title is on the line. Edge was in his hometown, so naturally he was cheered like a hero and Cena was booed by about 96% of the audience. An awesome TLC match here, and possibly the best one on one TLC bout. The spots were great, including the finish with Edge given an F-U through two tables. It looked amazing. Fantastic match and one of the best for both guys. ****1/2


Batista vs Edge : Steel Cage
From One Night Stand 2007 with the World Title on the line. Taker was injured so he dropped the Title to the new MITB holder Edge to start a feud with Batista. And then shortly afterwards, Edge would be injured and Khali would be brought into the picture. What a bad year. These two guys have surprisingly good chemistry together, and this may have been one of their better bouts. It did start slowly but the pace picked up as it went along. Great cage match. ***1/2


Edge was injured shortly after and had to forfeit the World Title. He wouldn't return until Survivor Series.



Edge vs Undertaker vs Batista
From Armageddon 2007 and the World Title is on the line. This looks like a kind of dream match to me. This was set up after Edge cost Taker the World Title at Survivor Series. This match featured the debut of Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins as Edge's clones. A good triple threat match here with entertaining action that really made Edge look like the Ultimate Opportunist. Good stuff. ***1/2



Edge vs Rey Mysterio
From Royal Rumble 2008. The World Heavyweight Title is on the line. Mysterio was really just the challenger to keep Edge busy until he faced Undertaker at Wrestlemania. That didn't stop this from being good though. The crowd was really against Mysterio and they were cheering for Edge. They must have still been pissed off about the Eddie storyline. Anyway this was a great match, as there was some great offense from Mysterio, Edge was a great heel as always, and Mysterio sold the leg very well. This feud wasn't over yet. ***1/2



Edge vs The Undertaker
From Wrestlemania XXIV and the World Title is on the line. One of my personal favourite matches and probably Edge's best singles match. No one really gave Edge much of a chance here, but once he hit the spear, I think most fans thought that the Streak had ended. Luckily that wasn't the case. An awesome match featuring some great counter-wrestling and some well done nearfalls as well. A classic Wrestlemania main event and Undertaker's best Streak match until the next year's edition with Shawn Michaels. ****1/2



Edge vs The Undertaker
From One Night Stand 2008 and the World Title is on the line. If Taker loses he must end his career. Like that was going to happen on this PPV. If he was going to end his career it would have to be at Mania. Taker performed well here considering that he wasn't used to this kind of match, and Edge was at his sneaky heel best with seemingly his whole family coming out to help him. This had a nice story to it with Taker fighting off La Familia, and there were some nice spots too. A very good TLC match. ***1/2



Edge vs The Undertaker : Hell in a Cell
From Summerslam 2008. The final match for one of the best feuds of 2008. This is very close to being their best match, but I'd have to give the edge (no pun intended) to their Wrestlemania match. This match did have some awesome spots like the spear through the announce table and the chokeslam through two wooden tables. Taker finally giving Edge his comeuppance was awesome and beat him using moves that Edge used against him, such as a spear and hitting him with a camera. Fantastic match overall. ****1/2



After the Cell match Edge would take some time off and return at Survivor Series to win the WWE Title (there's no way in hell I'm reviewing HHH vs Koslov) He would then lose the Title a month later to Jeff Hardy.


From my Royal Rumble 2009 review:


Edge vs Jeff Hardy: No DQ
WWE Title on the line. Ok what was the point of taking the belt off of Edge only to put it back on him a month later? 2009 was filled with these Title changes. This whole match was here basically to start off the brother vs brother feud that worked about as well as it did in 2001. I think it was meant to originally be Christian that cost Hardy the match, but the crowd was too smart and saw it coming, so they changed it to Matt. Good choice guys. This one was a bit slow at times, but it was still entertaining and the twist of fate on the apron looked cool. It did get much better after the table spot, as the crowd really got into it and so did I. Good match. ***1/4



John Cena vs Mike Knox vs Kane vs Kofi Kingston Edge vs Rey Mysterio vs Chris Jericho : Elimination Chamber
From No Way Out 2009. Ok this was great for Edge's character but was really confusing. So because he entered a pod , he's suddenly officially part of the match that could have went to someone else? At least Y2J and Mysterio start off the match to make up for it. This is definitely one of the better Chamber matches in history, and the final two between Edge and Mysterio was a lot of fun. Edge was really an Ultimate Opportunist here. ****1/2


From my Backlash 2009 review:

John Cena vs Edge : Last Man Standing
The World Title is on the line. I liked that these guys used their history together for the storyline, with the fact that Edge could never keep Cena down. Edge absolutely hated Cena for that. This is the last PPV match these guys would have together. The story of the match was great with both guys knowing each others moveset, and having to resort to different tactics to win. Edge even broke out a sharpshooter. The AA into the audience was insane. The finish with Cena going into the stage spotlight was awesome, but unfortunately started the boring Cena/Big Show feud that no one wanted. Probably the best Last Man Standing match since Fully Loaded 2000. ****1/4



Shortly after this, Edge would injure himself and wouldn't come back until January 2010.



The 2010 Royal Rumble Match
One of the better Rumble matches in history, as the ring was never overflowing with superstars like most Rumble matches, and it was very entertaining throughout. There were some memorable moments as well like Beth Phoenix entering and eliminating Khali, and CM Punk's dominance at the beginning and then talking on the mic after every elimination was just awesome. And of course the most memorable moment of the match was Edge returning to action after months of being away and it is still a mark out moment. Awesome Rumble match. ****1/2



Edge vs Chris Jericho
From Wrestlemania XXVI and the World Title is on the line. This match had been built-up for almost a year and started when Edge was injured. Jericho started saying insulting things, like thanking him for getting injured because he was just holding him back. Ouch. The crowd started quiet for this thanks to the boring Bret/Vince match, but because both guys are so good, they were able to get the crowd into it. A fun match even though it had an abrupt finish. ***3/4



Edge vs Chris Jericho : Steel Cage
From Extreme Rules 2010. This feud continues after their great World Title match at Wrestlemania. It's also notable that these two also had a steel cage match against each other eight years previously to this one. I love how Jericho teased the escape and then decided to punish Edge some more. I think the end of the match dragged a little bit , as Edge continued to attack Jericho and it became a little uncomfortable. Other than that a great match. ***3/4



Edge kind of faded into obscurity at this point and didn't really have any direction, that is until he was made a member of the Smackdown roster, as we head towards the end of his career.



Edge vs Rey Mysterio vs Kane vs Alberto Del Rio : TLC Match
From TLC 2010 and the World Title is on the line. This was originally meant to be just Kane vs Edge, but thank god they changed it to a fatal four way. This was a fun, action packed contest with all four guys taking and delivering big bumps that you would expect from this kind of match. Even poor Ricardo took a big bump. A nice moment for Edge as well, and the long reign of Kane was finally ended. Awesome stuff all round. ***3/4



Edge vs Dolph Ziggler
From Royal Rumble 2011 and the World Title is on the line. If Edge is caught using the spear, he will forfeit the Title. No one really gave Ziggler much of a chance of winning this one, but there were some moments that made him look like a viable contender, like when he almost pinned Edge with his finisher. I loved Edge paying homage to his best friend Christian by using his finisher to win. Awesome forgotten gem that made Ziggler look like a star. ****



Edge vs Rey Mysterio vs Kane vs The Big Show vs Wade Barrett vs Drew McIntyre : Elimination Chamber
From Elimination Chamber 2011 and the World Title is on the line. This is probably my favourite Chamber match, and it might be the best one ever. There were multiple storylines woven through it, such as Drew wanting revenge on Edge for Kelly Kelly's departure, or Show wanting revenge on Barrett for all the stuff the Corre did to him. It helped that it was a ton of fun all the way through, and especially when it came down to Edge and Mysterio, because you had no idea who was going to win. Absolutely fantastic match, and one hell of a forgotten gem. ****3/4



Edge vs Alberto Del Rio
From Wrestlemania XXVII and the World Title is on the line. Sadly this would end up being Edge's final match, but what a way to go out. He left as the World Champion and his final match took place at a Wrestlemania. Not bad at all. The match was entertaining if a little underwhelming, but it was still very enjoyable, and a nice send off for the Rated R Superstar. Thank you Edge! ***1/2