Eddie Edwards’ Descent into Madness

When Eddie Edwards stepped into the ring against Sami Callihan on the March 1 edition of Impact Wrestling, there was no way he could know that he’d be taking the very first steps on a very violent journey.

Sure, most of us know that Callihan is the type of wrestler who looks to do one thing, and that’s inflict massive amounts of pain against his opposition. This columnist is sure that Edwards had that in the back of his head, but there was no way to know that Callihan would go so far against him.

It was supposed to just be another match in a long line of them, for both men. Edwards wasn’t friendly with Callihan, but he certainly wasn’t involved in any type of feud with him, either. Unfortunately, Callihan has proven that he takes the versus everything part of oVe extremely seriously. So, if you’re not with them, you’re most certainly against them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S0b4Iogl18

After Edwards won the match with a roll-up, he would be victimized by a shameful assault at the hands of Sami. With Eddie down, Callihan would place a chair on his body, and then swing a baseball bat as viciously as he could at his fallen foe. The bat smashed into Edwards face, resulting in blood and broken bones.

Edwards would be rushed to the hospital, where he’d spend the next couple weeks growing angrier, and vowing revenge against all three members of oVe. Sami Callihan would take pride in his act, looking to replicate it on anyone who wanted to step up and defend Eddie.

Impact Wrestling management, futile as ever, would do absolutely nothing about the devastating attack. Not even a $500 fine. Par for the course for the suits, though. Headlines and hashtags always triumph over competitor safety and general decorum.

When Eddie was recovered enough, he went on the warpath. Nobody could reason with him, and he found himself at a Rockstar Pro Wrestling event, attacking oVe in the heart of Ohio!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY5E5yNWnpQ

Impact Wrestling, now faced with a case of one of its talents attacking another one at a different show entirely, showed its anger by adding sick music and effects to the video-taped encounter. Again, absolutely nothing was done to Edwards or Callihan in the name of punishment.

In fact, Impact would go the other way, and set up a six man tag match at last month’s Redemption pay per view, with oVe taking on the team of Edwards, Moose, and Tommy Dreamer.

Moose made sense, as Eddie was happy to assist Mr. Impact in his feud with Lashley and American Top Team, and now it was time to repay the favor. Dreamer was recruited after trying to reason with Edwards, and then realizing it wasn’t going to work. So, the Innovator of Violence decided he’d stand with his friend in a battle where anything goes.

And make no mistake, Impact got exactly what it wanted out of that match. Having finally viewed Redemption, I can say that the six man tag was a brutal, bloody affair that saw all six men give punishment and receive it in equal amounts throughout. Unfortunately, Tommy Dreamer would end up costing his team when he was pinned by Callihan following a low blow.

Edwards, consumed with revenge and now further enraged that he had failed, would snap. Knowing that he works for a company that isn’t going to do anything about his actions, he pounced on Callihan, attacking him with a barbed wire baseball bat before tying him into the ropes, and going absolutely insane on Sami with a kendo stick.

It should have been the moment Eddie had waited months for. He was going to make Sami pay for all the pain and suffering. Only, at that moment, Eddie’s wife Alisha would enter the ring in an attempt to calm her husband down. And that was probably the worst decision made by anyone at Redemption that night.

https://twitter.com/totaldivaseps/status/988236223146799106

Eddie, completely enveloped in his goal, simply turned and swung the stick, uncaring of who was behind him. Alisha crumbled to the mat unconscious. Eddie’s psychosis faded as he realized what he had done. Alisha was innocent, and now she was the one paying the price.

This past Impact, it was immediately clear that no one had learned anything. Edwards would appear in the Impact Zone, bragging about putting Sami in the hospital. He then called out oVe, promising to put their wives in the hospital.

Wait, what? Yes, that’s right – Eddie was blaming oVe for his terrible actions. Of course it wasn’t his fault. Not in this company, where no one is ever held accountable for actions that go far, far beyond what is normally acceptable in a wrestling promotion.

The Crist brothers would appear, obviously not in the mood to allow their wives to be attacked. During the scuffle, a video would appear on the screen, showing Alisha Edwards in her hospital bed, as someone approached her. “Excuse me, this is not your room” she said with expert precision. The intruder would reveal himself to be Sami Callihan. “I just want to talk,” he’d say.

Edwards would abandon the brawl, and leave the Impact Zone, looking to protect his wife (who he had actually abandoned in the name of threatening women on television).

Shortly thereafter, we’d see another video, as Eddie would arrive in the hospital.

Again, instead of anyone trying to stop Edwards from attacking a hospitalized man, the camera crew thought it better to film the whole thing, and then add some creepy music and sound effects. The same disgusting attitude that saw Matt Hardy receive no punishment after attacking a fan still lives strong, and everyone’s health and safety can be damned!

He’d arrive to his wife’s bedside first, and when she asked why he’d leave her there, he provided no answer, and instead ran off and attacked two doctors – a much better plan.

After reading someone’s chart, Eddie would find Sami’s room, where he’d attempt murder by smothering him with a pillow, only to leave when doctors informed him the police were there.

Finally, someone was willing to threaten actual punishment. However, there was no follow-through, and the attempted murderer ran off into the night.

And so here we are. Eddie Edwards has lost his mind, and no one to this point seems capable of getting through to him. Not unpartial voices of reason, not his friends, and not his wife. Eddie continues down this anger spiral as he continues to make bad choices, see bad consequences, and then blame everyone else for “making him do this.”

And, as usual, Impact Wrestling has done nothing to curb any of this.

It’s going to go too far. It’s the only way this can end. Sami Callihan isn’t going to back off, and Eddie Edwards isn’t going to calm down. Someone’s going to get hurt, maybe permanently.

Will Eddie end Sami Callihan? Will he end oVe entirely? Will Sami end Eddie? Will they realize they can’t beat each other, and thus join up? Will Alisha, infuriated by her husband’s ridiculous actions, turn her back on him?

These may seem like silly ideas, but if we know anything about Eddie, it’s one thing: Anything Is Possible.