WWE’s Edge might be riding off into the sunset. Edge, whose real name is Adam Copeland, wrestled the last match on his current WWE contract on Friday night at Scotiabank Arena in his hometown of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The night was billed as a special edition of SmackDown to honor Edge’s 25 years in WWE — though most believe this was a defacto send-off for the WWE Hall of Famer. He faced his friend Sheamus in the main event in what was a victorious effort.
In interviews published ahead of the match, Edge revealed that, while he is still contracted with the company until September, this is his final match under said contract. The WWE Superstar, who has also acted in Vikings and Money Plane, admitted he still isn’t sure if he’s hanging up his boots for good or not. However, he for sure won’t be wrestling for another full year. Despite there still being lingering questions, Edge at least knows Friday night’s bout was his final time wrestling in Toronto, as he told the crowd after SmackDown went off the air.
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“I don’t know what the future holds, I really don’t,” Edge said, per Cageside Seats. “I’ve got to sit at home this week, lick my wounds, talk to my family and see what they want me to do. But what I can say, Toronto, is thank you… Thank you for being the city that I have always been proud to represent, that I’ve always been proud to be announced from. And I came out here in full-on Maple Leafs gear, pandering to all of ya. But no matter where I make my main residence, this [Toronto] is always first in my heart. I am Canadian first and foremost, and I am so damn proud of that.
“Toronto, what I can say is this is my last time in front of y’all. I don’t really think I can make it another full run to get here again for a match — I’m just being honest with you.”
If it is Edge’s final match, it would mark the end of one of the greatest wrestling careers — and one with multiple acts. Edge first made an impact as a member of the vampire-themed group The Brood before splitting off into a tag team with close friend Christian (now known as Christian Cage in All Elite Wrestling). Edge and Christian are known as one of the greatest pro wrestling tag teams of all time, winning WWE’s World Tag Team Championships seven times together. While Edge would go on to have several more tag team title reigns with wrestlers like Hulk Hogan and Rey Mysterio, he soon solidified himself as a top-tier singles star.
Edge won the WWE Championship four times and WWE’s World Heavyweight Championship seven times, making waves with high-profile rivalries with John Cena and The Undertaker, among others. Sadly, Edge’s career was seemingly cut short in 2011 after multiple neck injuries made it too dangerous for him to wrestle anymore. However, after years of rehabilitation, he shocked the professional wrestling world by coming out of retirement for the 2020 Royal Rumble. He has gone on to have a stellar return run in WWE, feuding with Randy Orton and Roman Reigns. He also briefly aligned with Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest to create The Judgement Day, one of the wrestling’s hottest factions over the past year.
