Longtime WWE fans of the “Rated-R Superstar” may be quite familiar with this dark side unleashed by Edge, as it was those very same twisted and ambitious qualities that came about in his initial pursuit of world championship gold in 2005-2006. It also led to the formation of the ego-driven, ultimately opportunistic “Rated-R” persona that would define almost his entire career up until his initial retirement in 2011.
RELATED: 13 Best Wrestling Games On The PS2
After he and his wife Beth Phoenix made short work of Miz and Maryse early on at Royal Rumble in January, Edge has been drifting on the proverbial road to WrestleMania, with no real goal or endgame in mind for WWE’s biggest event of the year. Edge reemerged front and center on WWE RAW last week to put a stop to that, declaring that “as much as I need WrestleMania, WrestleMania needs Edge” and laid down the gauntlet, an open challenge to anyone in the WWE to face the Hall of Fame superstar at WrestleMania 38. Styles would answer the challenge the following week, which initially excited Edge, but the “Rated-R Superstar” wanted reassurance that he would be facing the quintessential “bulldog” in Styles, not the man who was victimized by his former colossal tag partner Omos in recent weeks. This led to a heated, physical confrontation between the two veterans, ending with Edge snapping, laying out Styles with a low blow and two of his devastating “Con-Chair-To” steel chair shots.
The stage is now set at WrestleMania 38 with these two uber-popular wrestling superstars facing off against one another, a dream match many people, including Styles himself, thought would never come to pass until Edge’s shocking return to WWE at the 2020 Royal Rumble. In a recent interview with BT Sport’s Ariel Helwani, Styles went on record putting Edge over as someone who is “so knowledgeable,” and he felt for the longest time that “there would never be an opportunity to wrestle him (Edge) and now, it’s here.”
Styles’ feelings on a big-time matchup against Edge are shared by innumerable wrestling fans who have been champing at the bit for a dream in-ring encounter between the two cocky, charismatic veterans for years. With both men firmly entrenched on the WWE roster, that dream is soon to become a reality at WrestleMania 38.
There are critics who feel the notion of Edge snapping and turning heel on Styles is rather cliché, a ham-fisted attempt to create an overplayed “good vs bad” dichotomy for a long-time dream match between two veterans that can be sold well enough on its own merits. That said, Edge’s return to his unhinged “Rated-R” roots and the vicious assault on Styles has added a layer of emotional gravitas to the feud, kick-starting what should be a fun, intense rivalry and culminating in a fantastic match on WWE’s biggest stage.
WWE’s WrestleMania 38 will begin on April 2, 2022.
MORE: 5 Underappreciated Wrestling Movies
Source: eWrestlingNews, AJ Styles, BT Sport
