Career Retrospective: WWE Hall Of Famer Edge

When Edge first arrived on the WWE scene in 1998, he brought with him an undeniable star aura. The rock star hair and full-length trench coat augmented his general coolness, but there was something more to how Adam Copeland carried himself.

More-so than many other WWE pet projects, Edge innately understood wrestling, a fact that reinforced himself with each passing year as he climbed rung after rung into the company's main event level.

"The Rated-R Superstar" was a character that capitalised on the weaknesses and blind spots of others, but Edge himself knew exactly how to accentuate his own copious strengths, more than living up to the potential that many realised was there.

When Edge first arrived on the WWE scene in 1998, he brought with him an undeniable star aura. The rock star hair and full-length trench coat augmented his general coolness, but there was something more to how Adam Copeland carried himself.

More-so than many other WWE pet projects, Edge innately understood wrestling, a fact that reinforced himself with each passing year as he climbed rung after rung into the company's main event level.

"The Rated-R Superstar" was a character that capitalised on the weaknesses and blind spots of others, but Edge himself knew exactly how to accentuate his own copious strengths, more than living up to the potential that many realised was there.

The Early Years

In his teenage years, the Ontario native attended WrestleMania 6 at Toronto's SkyDome, and credits the famed Hulk Hogan/Ultimate Warrior title-for-title clash for inspiring him to become a wrestler. The following year, Adam Copeland won an essay contest, in which the prize was free wrestling training with legendary wrestler Sweet Daddy Siki (SEEK-ee) and veteran Ron Hutchison.

He made his debut in the summer of 1992 taking part in a Battle Royal. Earlier in his career through the Ontario and Michigan-area independents, Copeland worked as Adam Impact, but by 1995 had switched to the curious moniker of Sexton Hardcastle. Together with Joe E. Legend (the future Just Joe of short-lived WWE fame), the two formed the duo of Sex and Violence.

A year later, Mr. Hardcastle received a few bites at the apple of the big time. In early 1996, he wrestled a couple of matches as an enhancement talent for WCW weekend programming, losing to both Kevin Sullivan and Meng, while working under the name Damon Striker. Later on in May of that year, Hardcastle wrestled the opening match of a WWE house show in Hamilton, ON, losing to Bob "Spark Plugg" Holly.

But for the time being, he continued to work the indy scene. Before 1996 came to a close, he and longtime best friend Christian Cage had begun teaming together as The Suicide Blondes, picking up experience together through various promotions.

A Foot In The Door

In 1997, Copeland briefly trained with Bret Hart in Calgary, during a time in which "The Hitman" was off the road recovering from knee surgery.

After a few stints working with Bret, the five-time WWE Champion put in a good word for both he and Christian with WWE officials. That November, shortly after Hart was screwed over in Montreal at Survivor Series, Copeland wrestled two dark matches at Raw tapings: one against former Canadian Football player Glenn Kulka, the other with Christian.

Shortly after, the man that was to become Edge joined a WWE-endorsed training camp headed up by Dory Funk Jr, where he and Sean "Val Venis" Morley proved to be the standouts.

Joining The Brood

After choosing the name "Edge" (which Copeland said was inspired by a radio station's name), the new star was depicted in vignettes as a malevolent and mentally-fraught street urchin, and was shown to be a voiceless loner.

He debuted on WWE TV in June 1998, defeating Los Boricuas members Jose Estrada Jr by countout, after he accidentally injured Estrada's neck on a dive to the outside. For weeks after, Edge was shown in the crowds at TV shows, sitting there sullen and still. After wrestling primarily on weekend shows for a few months, Edge was revealed as Sable's mystery partner at SummerSlam 1998, where the two defeated Marc Mero and Jacqueline.

Edge's first actual feud was with another mysterious character with an unconventional entrance, the blood-spewing Gangrel. After several weeks at odds, Gangrel was aided in the rivalry by the debuting Christian, revealed to be Edge's younger brother.

Eventually, Edge joined their cause, and the trio became known as The Brood. They later became members of The Ministry of Darkness, and took part in an infamous angle at WrestleMania 15, when they assisted The Undertaker in hanging Big Boss Man from the rafters of the arena.

The Brood later fell out of favour with The Ministry, and stood on their own as a babyface faction.

In the summer of 1999, Gangrel turned on Edge during a tag team bout, ending The Brood as we knew it. Christian stood by Edge, and Gangrel aligned with Matt and Jeff Hardy, who were coming into their own as sulking daredevils. In this period, Edge managed to hold the Intercontinental title, winning and losing the belt to and from Jeff Jarrett over a 24 hour period in late-July. But tag team action was Edge's scene at the time, with he and Christian continuing to feud with Gangrel and both Hardyz, who had taken to calling themselves "The New Brood."

Tag Team Turmoil

While Edge and his three fellow long-haired prodigies had been turning fans on to what compelling performers they were, their arrival came at No Mercy 1999, when the tandems faced off in a Ladder Match for $100,000 and the managerial services of Terri Runnels. The Hardyz won, but all four men became stars, thanks to their unrestrained performances that night in Cleveland, earning a massive standing ovation.

The Hardyz turned face shortly thereafter, and aligned with Edge and Christian, four young prospects with bright futures and considerable fanbases. They were even partners at the 1999 Survivor Series, where they lost to the contingent of Too Cool and The Holly Cousins.

In early 2000, Edge and Christian balked at a planned storyline that would've split them after WrestleMania, and instead remained together, becoming more heelish in the weeks leading up to the big event.

They, the Hardyz, and Tag Team champions The Dudley Boyz met in a Triple Ladder Match that picked up where the No Mercy Ladder Match left off, only with more chair and table-based violence weaved in. After sending Matt Hardy spiraling through a table from high above, Edge and Christian began their first reign as World Tag Team champions, while the six men would become forever associated with one another as a result of this match, and it's heralded sequels.

This new heel run for Edge and Christian led to them adopting many humorous quirks, including a pre-match spiel where they would insult the crowd, as well as a five-second pose for the benefit of those with flash photography.

They would even combine the two, making the pose something that would poke fun at whatever city they were in. The two continued to reek of awesomeness when they were joined by Kurt Angle, and the trio's over-the-top comedy made it pretty hard to boo them. Edge and Christian's irreverence fleshed itself out further in sketches with Commissioner Mick Foley, the two sides playing off of each other with genuine aplomb.

TLC & KOTR

At SummerSlam 2000, WWE improved upon WrestleMania's Triple Ladder Match by sticking the same three teams into the first ever Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, a wild car wreck of a showcase in which Edge and Christian retained the belts.

They'd drop them a month later in a Steel Cage match to the Hardyz at Unforgiven, and blow their rematch one night later on Raw in yet another Ladder Match.

To circumvent their ability to get another rematch, Edge and Christian "brought in" two Conquistadors to challenge The Hardyz, leading to a head-spinning dual title switch in October 2000 that ended with the Hardyz holding the belts.

Edge and Christian remained a part of the Tag Team title scene, and entered 2001 with the belts, before dropping them to The Dudley Boyz at the Royal Rumble.

They'd walk out of WrestleMania X-Seven in yet another TLC match with the same opposition, with respective allies Rhyno, Spike Dudley, and Lita all getting physically involved.

After losing the gold to The Undertaker and Kane, the Brothers Awesome seemed to be set adrift, and needed freshening up. A subtle turn to the babyface side was in the offing, and Edge won the 2001 King of the Ring, defeating incumbent royal Kurt Angle in the final match.

It was in the aftermath that some minuscule friction between he and an envious Christian began to manifest.

Going Solo

During the war between WWE and the WCW/ECW Alliance, Edge defeated Lance Storm at the 2001 SummerSlam to become Intercontinental champion, despite Christian's interference nearly backfiring (or depending on your point of view, almost succeeding).

Weeks later, Christian turned on his brother, his jealousy having boiled over. Edge dropped the IC belt to Christian at Unforgiven, but won it back in a Ladder Match at No Mercy the following month.

Edge held off Christian once more in a Cage Match at Rebellion in Manchester, utilizing one of the cleverest finishes ever when he left Christian hanging from the cage by his tied-together shoelaces.

Edge's singles push continued in earnest, as he defeated Alliance defector Test at Survivor Series to unify the Intercontinental and the United States titles. A feud with William Regal ended up with Edge dropping the gold to Sir William, but he had bigger fish to fry - chiefly, fighting Booker T at WrestleMania 18 over a Japanese shampoo commercial.

Edge won the match in his virtual-native Toronto, and moved on to a scintillating series of matches with Kurt Angle. Edge's old friend won the first battle at Backlash 2002, but Edge won the right to shave his head after a thriller at Judgement Day. On SmackDown the following week, Edge won once more, polishing Angle off in a Steel Cage Match.

Injury Layoff

After the roster settled into their places following the sometimes-confusing brand split, Edge found himself on SmackDown, where he and Hulk Hogan briefly reigned as Tag Team champs.

Edge later augmented his portfolio with tremendous matches against his fellow members of the vaunted SmackDown Six. He, Angle, Rey Mysterio, Chris Benoit, and Los Guerreros thrilled audiences at PPVs and on Thursdays with incredible bouts, like his No DQ match with Eddie Guerrero, and the Tag Team title tournament final at No Mercy, pitting he and Mysterio against Angle in Benoit, in what could be the best tag team match in WWE history.

In early 2003, however, Edge's career was put on hold due to a spinal injury, requiring surgery that sidelined him for over a year.

Edge returned in the spring of 2004, although his comeback was on the Raw brand following a special shake-up. Sporting a more aggressive demeanour, Edge took down Kane in his comeback, and quickly won tag team gold alongside Chris Benoit.

At Vengeance that July, Edge won a well-regarded 27-minute match over Randy Orton to become Intercontinental champion. In the weeks after, however, fans began cooling on Edge, and he began creeping his way over to the heel side, where battles with Chris Jericho, Benoit, and Shawn Michaels followed.

He even managed to defeat "The Heartbreak Kid" at the 2005 Royal Rumble, before going on to last an eternity in the 30-man match later that night.

Rated R & Cashing-In

Not long following the Rumble, Edge's name came up in a scandal, as stories emerged that he had an affair with Lita, which caused many fans to openly boo both performers every chance they got. Perhaps spurred in part by this new notoriety, Edge won the first ever Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 21 under a torrent of jeers.

Lita soon joined his side in storyline, capitalising on the tabloid-calibre story. Matt Hardy was brought back that summer (having been released for a time that spring), and he and Edge engaged in highly-physical matches at SummerSlam and Unforgiven, before Edge sent Matt packing from Raw in a Ladder Match at Raw Homecoming that October.

Just as Edge was feuding with Ric Flair, he diverted from that path and famously cashed in his long-toted briefcase at the 2006 New Year's Revolution. In what may be the greatest cash-in ever (depending on how you feel about Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 31), Edge brutalized a blood-soaked John Cena in mere minutes to win his first World title.

The reign lasted only three weeks, but a consolation prize awaited - a feud with Mick Foley that led to a bloody brawl at WrestleMania 22, in which barbed wire and fire were called into action.

Even without the gold, Edge was proving to be a main event-level villain.

Foley soon joined Edge's cause, and the two did their best to rain on ECW's parade when the company was revived as a brand. He took down WWE Champion Rob Van Dam on an episode of Raw that summer to capture the belt back, before turning his attention back to Cena.

Edge assaulted Cena's father (think George Mizanin with more tasteful hair and an actual pulse) en route to defeating Big Match John at SummerSlam in Cena's backyard of Boston.

Edge had the tables turned on him, literally, when he dropped the gold to Cena in a TLC match in his own Toronto home the following month at Unforgiven.

Rated RKO, La Familia & Jericho

In the fallout of his title loss, Edge forged a bond with fellow schemester Randy Orton, coming together as Rated RKO, complete with mashed up theme songs. The two defeated Ric Flair and Roddy Piper to become Raw's Tag Team champions, which they held onto through a lengthy feud with D-Generation X.

The partnership dissolved after WrestleMania 23, but that was fine with Edge, as he made tracks for SmackDown with the briefcase he'd won from Mr. Kennedy. In the familiar role of opportunistic jackal, Edge used the briefcase to cash in on wounded World Heavyweight champion The Undertaker.

In the months ahead, Edge held off challengers like Batista and Kane, before being shelved with a legitimate torn pectoral.

After returning in the main event of Survivor Series, Edge revealed that he was in what was clearly a relationship of convenience with SmackDown GM Vickie Guerrero.

He regained the World Heavyweight title at Armageddon the following month with help from Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins, to be known as his Edgeheads.

The new champion presided over a stable called La Familia, which also included Chavo Guerrero, and eventually bodyguard Bam Neely. He dropped the gold to Undertaker in the main event of WrestleMania 24, and spent much of 2008 feuding with "The Deadman", culminating in a Hell in a Cell match at SummerSlam, which Edge lost.

Opportunism continued to be the theme of Edge's career, getting inserted late into a WWE title match at Survivor Series 2008 so that he could win the belt, and later usurping Kofi Kingston's spot in an Elimination Chamber match via a pre-match attack, to become World Heavyweight champion.

Once out of the title picture by early summer, Edge migrated into a partnership with fellow villain Chris Jericho, which netted the Unified Tag Team belts, but ended abruptly when Edge tore his Achilles at a live event in San Diego.

During Edge's time away, Jericho (who was now teaming with Big Show) chastised Edge for his misfortune and apparent weakness.

Rumble Return

To the shock of everyone (Jericho especially), Edge entered into the 2010 Royal Rumble as a surprise from the number 29 spot, and won the match by throwing John Cena out.

Conveniently, Jericho won the World Heavyweight title at the Elimination Chamber three weeks later, making him Edge's ideal target for WrestleMania 26.

He was unsuccessful in his bid to capture the belt, but did help cost Jericho the gold on SmackDown nights later, by softening him up for a Jack Swagger cash-in.

Edge went on to defeat Jericho in a Cage Match at Extreme Rules, but turned heel again shortly thereafter.

He spent his summer failing in World title opportunities, while helping to battle the insurgency that was The Nexus.

Edge then set his sights on World Heavyweight champion Kane, and resorted to holding Paul Bearer hostage at one point in order to secure title matches. He eventually regained the belt at TLC in a four-way Ladder Match that also included Rey Mysterio and Alberto Del Rio.

Retirement (Or So We Thought...)

In 2011, Edge defended the belt successfully against Dolph Ziggler (backed by Edge's ex-flame Vickie) at the Royal Rumble, and in a match the next month.

Come WrestleMania 27 in Atlanta, Edge held off Royal Rumble winner Del Rio in order to retain the belt, and was slated to face him in a rematch at Extreme Rules, but real life sadly intervened.

A week following WrestleMania, an emotional Edge announced his retirement from professional wrestling, due to a diagnosis of cervical spinal stenosis. He vacated the World Heavyweight title and, as something of a last hurrah, he helped Christian overcome outside interference in a Ladder Match at Extreme Rules to win the belt.

A year later, Edge was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Christian, capping off two decades of following childhood dreams, and excelling beyond perhaps even his own ambitious imagination.

Adam Copeland lived the life every die hard wrestling fan covets, ascending to the top of the business, an emphatic personal touch evident in everything he did.

And now, he gets to live that dream life all over again after the most sensational return during the 2020 Men's Royal Rumble match.