Views from the Hawke’s Nest: Edge: A Decade of Decadence Disc 2

About six months later, Edge would suffer a neck injury that would put him on the sidelines for over a year.

Vengeance
July 11, 2004

Randy Orton(c) vs. Edge [WWE Intercontinental Championship]
Evolution music!

“Let’s go Orton!” chants to start the match. In Toronto. (In case you’re wondering how ineffective Edge could be as a face.) The opening minutes did not do anything to change their minds on who they wanted to win. Orton decided to walk out on the match. Edge went and got him. Orton managed to dump Edge to the floor, and he then worked Edge over. This match has accomplished very little so far. Edge eventually escaped and made a comeback. The crowd had been growing restless and didn’t get that very excited for this comeback. Orton tried to walk out again, but Edge hit a baseball slide. Edge got a nearfall on a missile dropkick. Orton avoided a spear and hit his backbreaker for a nearfall. Orton was in control again. I cannot say I expected or wanted a second heat segment in this one. Chinlock. Boring chants. Edge connected on a neckbreaker and then finally made a comeback. They sort of botched a turnbuckle Edgecution. Orton then rolled through a crossbody and then thumbed Edge in the eye. Edgecution: 1…2…NO! Orton had cheated for several pinning combinations at this point, but Edge always kicked out. Edge avoided a RKO, and Orton avoided spear. Edge reversed a RKO into a backslide for a nearfall. Edge sent Orton into the turnbuckle that Orton had exposed and then connected on a spear: 1…2…3!

This match tested my sustained attention skills. They deserve credit for some genuinely nifty sequences down the stretch and for getting fans behind Edge in the end. However, that does not excuse the amount of pointless boring it took to get there. Orton does nothing of substance during his heat segments. They can be brutal to experience.
Match Rating: **1/2

Raw
February 28, 2005

Shawn Michaels vs. Edge [Street Fight]
They’re dressed in street clothes for a STREET FIGHT. Michaels was whipping Edge with his belt right away. They ended up in the crowd. Michaels set up a ladder, but Edge cut him off with a trash can lid. Edge was in control after that. Michael’s forehead was busted open. I forgot what a blade job on WWE looked like. Edge went to the top rope, but Michaels threw a ladder at him that sent Edge to the floor. Michaels got his feet tripped up on a short-range tope suicida. Edge had to lunge forward to catch him. Michael’s face was disgusting. Edge came back and hit a Superfly splash off the ladder. Michaels came back with a killer chair shot to the head. Michaels avoided a kendo stick shot and made a comeback. He cracked Edge on the forehead with the stick. He called for the superkick, but Edge hit him in the balls with a chair. Edge went for the con-chair-to, but Michaels punched him in the dick. Michaels went for a chair shot, but Edge speared him: 1…2…NO! It sounded like Michaels’ head got hit with the chair on the way down. Edge did the Sweet Chin Music mannerisms before a spear attempt but ran into a superkick: 1…2…3!

The blood in this match kind of felt like a cheap prop instead of organically earned, but sometimes cheap props work. This was a ton of fun, and it’s immediately clear how much better off Edge was as a heel (and in weapons brawls) when you see it after so many babyface matches. This was some really strong stuff.
Match Rating: ***3/4

Raw
May 16, 2005

Edge vs. Kane (w/ Lita)
This was a part of the Gold Rush tournament to crown a number one contender for Batista’s World Heavyweight Championship. I forgot about Lita being married to Kane. Edge was also the Money in the Bank holder at the time.

Kane was running through Edge early. Edge finally cut him off with a low blow. We went to commercial. When we came back, Edge was working him over. Edge was going after the leg. Kane eventually made a hobbled comeback. Edge got goozled, but he hit an Edgecution after a ref distraction/eye poke spot. There was a very clunky ref bump, and Edge speared Kane. Kane avoided a briefcase shot. Lita grabbed the case and gave it to Edge behind Kane’s back. Kane went for the diving lariat, but Edge hit him with the briefcase: 1…2…3.

Lita jumped in Edge’s arms after the match. Once Kane woke up, Lita and Edge made out so that he could see.

This match started off very badly, but it recovered well enough by the end. I feel like match was mostly included for the Lita angle at the end.
Match Rating: **

We got a video package on the Matt Hardy/Edge/Lita very real life love triangle issue.

Raw
August 29, 2005

Matt Hardy vs. Edge (w/ Lita) [Street Fight]
In a laugh out loud moment, they lock up for a few brief moments to start their very serious Street Fight. They quickly started brawling all over the place. Matt mostly had the advantage early on. Matt got a nearfall after a legdrop from a ladder, but Edge then cut him off with some kendo stick shots. Edge was dominating so much that they teased the referee stopping the match just like at Summerslam. Matt managed to hit a DDT on the steel steps. Lita hit Matt with the briefcase to allow Edge to cut him off again. Matt actually came right back and used a ladder as a weapon. Matt placed Edge on the ladder. He went for a moonsault, but Edge moved. Oooof. Edge was in control again. Matt and Edge brawled up the ramp. Matt got distracted by Lita’s presence, and he went to powerbomb her off the stage. Edge valiantly saved his girlfriend. These teased some stage dives spots. Eventually, Matt took them both off the stage with a Side Effect into tables (and pads) that caused a light show to go off.

Edge and Matt were both stretchered out. Edge was nearly in tears when they put the neckbrace on him. As far as non-finishes go, this was pretty awesome. I’ve never really been bothered by the hokey-ness of these types of finishes in the WWE. I can understand why it harms the ability to suspend their disbelief for some fans, but it’s never bothered me. Edge, in particular, sold it very well after.

I think this was one of the best matches I’ve seen from either guy (especially Matt, who never received the PPV opportunities that Edge received). There was an intensity to this that can often be missing in WWE no disqualification matches. I loved the finish. It was perfectly executed and sold, and it actually made me interested in seeing another match between these two. That feels like a lost art in feuds these days: a middle chapter match that is both completely satisfying in the moment and makes me more interested in a future match.
Match Rating: ****

New Year’s Revolution
January 8, 2006

We are joined in progress of the scheduled Elimination Chamber main event. Chris Master and Carlito were working over John Cena, who was busted open. Kurt Angle, Kane and Shawn Michaels had already been eliminated. Carlito betrayed Masters and schoolboyed him for the elimination. Cena immediately schoolboyed Carlito to win the match and retain the championship. Vince McMahon came out. He told everyone to stay in their seats. He ordered the chamber raised to the roof. Vince announced that Edge was cashing in his Money in the Bank contract.

John Cena(c) vs. Edge (w/ Lita) [WWE Heavyweight Championship]
Cena was a bloody mess. Edge beat him up for a bit and then hit a spear: 1…2…NO! Edge was panicked for a few moments. He then set up for a spear again. He connected: 1…2…3

This was excellent. It was Edge’s first WWE Championship. This was also by far the best executed Money in the Bank cash-in ever.

Edge only got to keep his first world championship for a month. He switched gears to a feud with Mick Foley for Wrestlemania.

Wrestlemania
April 2, 2006

Mick Foley vs. Edge (w/ Lita) [Hardcore Match]
Joey Styles got to call this match.
Edge killed Foley early with cookie sheet shots to the head. Edge called for the spear early, and he connected on it. Right before the spear, Foley opened up his flannel so that Edge ran into some barbed wire. He cut off the barbed wire. Edge’s shoulder was bleeding, and Foley then whipped him with the wire. He then got the barbed wire bat. Edge was trapped in the ropes. Lita saved Edge by jumping on Foley’s back. Foley decided to give Edge the Cactus Clothesline anyway. Lita took a nasty bump to the floor. Edge got back control after a hip toss into the steps. Foley took some awful-looking bumps. Edge poured some lighter fluid on Foley, but that woke up Foley who hit a piledriver. Edge got control right back though. Foley was busted open. Edge poured out a bag of thumbtacks on the mat. Foley caught Edge with a back suplex that put both of them into the tacks! Foley wrapped Mr. Socko with barbed wire and gave Edge and Lita the Mandible Claw. Foley was in control. He poured the rest of the lighter fluid on the table that was on the floor. Lita then hit him in the balls with the barbed wire bat. Lita finished pouring the lighter fluid on the table! SPEAR THROUGH THE ROPES INTO THE FLAMING TABLE: 1…2…3

Six years after his “retirement,” Mick Foley finally steals the show at a Wrestlemania. Edge continues to show how much he excelled in brawls as performer, and Foley brought out a slightly different structure out of him here. It was a bit more methodical with more of an emphasis on brutality as opposed to the intensity of the Matt Hardy feud. I love this match.
Match Rating: ****

ECW One Night Stand
June 13, 2006

Tommy Dreamer, Terry Funk, & Beulah vs. Mick Foley, Edge, & Lita
Foley cut the “Long live The Alliance!” promo before the match. A great line. Edge and Foley were the self-proclaimed co-holders of the Hardcore Championship. This was originally just a tag match, but Beulah and Lita were added after the babyfaces got to the ring. Beulah made the challenge, and Lita slapped her.

This actually started as a regular tag match with Edge and Dreamer trading HOLDS and whatnot. Foley and Funk quickly tagged in. Foley tried to leave after a couple of slaps. The match promptly broke down into a brawl. Dreamer and Funk briefly had control, but Edge and Foley cut them off sure enough. Dreamer came back by hip tossing Edge onto a ladder. Funk climbed the ladder for some reason, but Edge knocked him over. Beulah and Lita have been standing on the apron the whole time by the way. Lita eventually saved Edge by kicking Dreamer in the balls. Beulah did nothing. A barbed wire table came into play. Edge and Dreamer destroyed Funk with it. He started screaming about his eye, and he was brought to the back by medical staff. The crowd chanted for Sandman. Dreamer and Beulah were on their own though. They had Dreamer finished but then went after Beulah. Edge held Beulah in a lewd position when Funk came out with a bandage on his eye and a barbed wire 2×4. Funk eventually lit it on fire and hit Foley with it. Foley’s flannel actually caught on fire and was then sent into a barbed wire table. Edge sent Funk into it with him. Dreamer hit Edge with a DDT and a barbed wire crossface. Beulah and Lita did the “catfight” spot. Tommy gave Lita a DVD. Edge gave Dreamer a barbed wire Edge-o-matic and then speared Beulah. He pinned her in what can only be described as a Sexual Assault: 1…2…3

I thought this was really well done especially considering the physical limitations of Dreamer, Funk, and Foley. Funk and Foley were still mobile enough to seem like crazy old men as opposed to sad old men. Beulah and Lita were kind of awkwardly absent from most of the match, and it feels like they were only officially added to the match because someone got the idea of doing that creepy pin as the finish. I understand that bad guys in wrestling can do bad things because they’re bad guys. However, in a company where heels and faces switch back and forth (and often for inexplicable reasons), it’s really not the best idea to do racist, homophobic, sexist, transphobic, etc spots when there’s a good chance fans will be cheering that person within a year or so. There’s never any explanation for that sort of stuff, and it just makes me embarrassed to be watching.
Match Rating: ***1/2

Raw
July 3, 2006

Rob Van Dam(c) vs. John Cena vs. Edge [WWE Heavyweight Championship]
RVD had recently been arrested for marijuana possession in case you forgot the result of this match. On a personal note, this is the night that I guess technically “made a me a wrestling fan” again. I sporadically watched wrestling from 2002-2005. I randomly turned on Raw on this night in time for the main event. I was confused by some of the events (“ECW is back?!?!?”) and went to the internet for answers. The rest, as they say, is history.

RVD’s ECW Championship is not on the line. Not much of note happened for a while. RVD wiped out Cena with a pescado. RVD went for Rolling Thunder, but Cena and Edge gave him a double team spinebuster. They all traded punches. Cena went for the FU on Edge, but Edge ended up getting dumped to the floor. Lita went to hit Cena with a chair, but Cena gave her a FU. RVD then gave Cena the Van Daminator. RVD went for the five star, but Cena avoided it. Cena gave him the FU, but Edge then KOed Cena with the belt. He pinned RVD: 1…2…3!

This was not that special. It was a standard television match with maybe one or two nifty three-way spots in it.
Match Rating: **1/2

Special Features

November 10, 1997

Adam Copeland vs. Christian
This was a dark match from 1997. Edge already has a contract at this point, but Christian does not according to the commentary (provided by Edge & Matt Striker).

Christian cut him off and worked him over a bit. Edge avoided a top rope splash and made a comeback. Edge avoided a superplex and hit a crossbody for what seemed like a three count, but Earl Hebner didn’t count the three for whatever reason. He then hit a Liger Bomb for the win.

This match sucked. The highlight was Edge sounding embarrassed on commentary.
Match Rating: 1/4*

July 24, 1999

Jeff Jarrett(c) (w/ Debra) vs. Edge [WWF Intercontinental Championship]
This was a house show in front of Edge’s hometown crowd.

Jarrett heeled it up with the crowd, and it was announced that Ken Shamrock could not make the show. Jarrett tried to win via forfeit, but Edge came out.

Jeff cut Edge off quickly enough. They actually traded sleepers of all things. Jeff reversed Edge’s into a back suplex. Edge then made a comeback for some reason. He caught Jeff with a small package for a nearfall. Jeff then leaped into a Liger Bomb for another nearfall. Debra tried to distract Edge, but he only pretended to fall for it. He then hit the spear: 1…2…3!

They took the belt away from Edge because it was not scheduled. Jack Lanza came to ringside. The decision to reverse the decision was reverse back. So, Edge officially won his first title here.

This was not much of an ending, but the crowd popped for the finish.
Match Rating: *

Check out Edge in free matches!
Edge & Christian vs. The Hardys
Edge vs. Eddie Guerrero
The Rock vs. Edge & Christian
Edge vs. Ric Flair
Edge vs. Dolph Ziggler
Edge vs. Chris Jericho vs. Batista
Jeff Hardy, Edge, & Christian vs. The Dudleys & Al Snow
Edge, Randy Orton, & Kenny vs. Ric Flair, Triple H, & Shawn Michaels

Thanks everybody for reading! You can send feedback to my Twitter or to my email address: [email protected]. Also, feel free to check out my own wrestling website, FreeProWrestling.com. Check out a full/organized list of all the wrestling show reviews I’ve done at 411mania.

The 411: One more disc to go!
Final Score:  8.0   [ Very Good ]