5 Greatest rivalries of Edge's career

Edge has to be in the conversation as one of the greatest WWE superstars of all time. The Rated-R Superstar has done pretty much everything that he could accomplish in the company. He is a former 11-time world champion, grand slam winner and WWE Hall of Famer.

Edge's return at the 2020 Royal Rumble is widely viewed as one of the best wrestling returns of all time. The emotion written all over his face resonated with the fans in the stadium and those watching at home. He was soon injured, leaving him out of action for the rest of 2020 before he came back again at the 2021 Royal Rumble.

Throughout the year, Edge has been on a remarkable run, and it's clear that he is still one of the best in the ring and on the mic. He was part of the classic WrestleMania 37 Triple Threat main event with Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan. The Ultimate Opportunist later starred in one of the most heated feuds of the year against Seth Rollins.

Many fans enjoyed Edge's feud with Rollins, but it's fair to wonder where it ranks in the WWE Hall of Famer's career? Let's take a look at the five greatest rivalries Edge has ever had.

Honorable mentions

• Seth Rollins
• Kurt Angle
• The Dudley Boyz

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5) Edge vs. Randy Orton

One of the key moments of Edge's return in the 2020 Men's Royal Rumble Match was a confrontation between the former members of Rated-RKO. It looked like Edge and Randy Orton would work together, but The Ultimate Opportunist eliminated The Viper. The following night, Orton proposed reuniting their team, but he proceeded to drop his former friend with an RKO.

In this vicious attack, Orton sought to put Edge right back into retirement with a Con-Chair-To, which put the WWE Hall of Famer out for a few months. Orton proceeded to escalate the feud by dropping Edge's wife, Beth Phoenix with an RKO. Edge ultimately defeated The Legend Killer in a Last Man Standing Match at WrestleMania 36.

But the feud wasn't over there, as the two legends met once again at Backlash 2020 in a contest billed as "The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever." This controversial name arguably hindered the bout because it was impossible to live up to the hype. Still, Edge and Randy Orton put on an excellent encounter that saw The Viper put The Ultimate Opportunist down with a brutal Punt Kick.

Edge suffered a severe injury during the match, and he didn't return until the 2021 Royal Rumble. Fittingly, both men began the bout as the first two entrants, so they reignited their rivalry in this high-stakes encounter. At the end of the match, Edge eliminated Orton to win the contest and earn a title shot. To put a bow on their feud, Edge defeated Randy Orton the following night on WWE RAW.

4) Edge vs. Jeff Hardy

Edge was one of the six men who competed in the legendary TLC matches that put the stipulation and the wrestlers involved on the map. His tag team with Christian were the antagonists who brought the chairs into play. The Dudley Boys were the masters of the tables, while the Hardy Boyz reached new heights using ladders. Together, these three teams made history and electrified the wrestling world.

Years later, Jeff Hardy and Edge would face off one-on-one in the main event scene. In 2008 and 2009, the two men feuded over the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships. Hardy defeated Edge and Triple H to win his first WWE Championship at Armageddon 2008, but Edge won it back at Royal Rumble 2009.

The Charismatic Enigma later got his revenge over Edge in an awesome ladder match at Extreme Rules 2009 to win the World Heavyweight Championship. Whether it be in tag team, multi-man or singles action, Edge and Jeff Hardy always delivered incredible matches when they worked together.

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3) Edge vs. Undertaker

Edge earned the moniker of The Ultimate Opportunist when he cashed in the Money In The Bank contract for the second time on The Undertaker to win the World Heavyweight Championship. The Phenom was exhausted following a brutal steel cage match against Batista, and Edge capitalized. The reign didn't last too long because The Rated-R Superstar went down with an injury. During his time away, The Undertaker and Batista continued their rivalry over the title.

Edge once again cost The Undertaker the World Heavyweight Championship when he interfered in the Hell In A Cell Match between The Deadman and Batista at Survivor Series 2007. The Rated-R Superstar then defeated both men in a Triple Threat Match to win the World Heavyweight Championship at Armageddon the following month.

The Undertaker got his revenge in the main event of WrestleMania 24, where he challenged Edge and emerged victorious. The following month, Vickie Guerrero stripped the fan-favorite of the World Heavyweight Championship for using his Hell's Gate submission. Edge went on to defeat the former champion at WWE One Night Stand to (temporarily) ban him from the company.

This bitter rivalry culminated in a Hell in a Cell Match at SummerSlam 2008. Edge brought a new aggression into this war, but it still wasn't enough. The Undertaker finally beat his rival once and for all to conclude this memorable feud. The storyline had so many twists and turns that it had fans on the edge of their seats for over a year. As a result, it remains one of Edge's best rivalries.

2) Edge vs. Matt Hardy

Edge and Jeff Hardy had a remarkable feud, but it never reached the heights of animosity that the Rated-R Superstar and the elder Hardy achieved. Matt Hardy and Edge had been close friends off-camera for years, but their relationship took a turn changed when The Rated-R Superstar started an affair with his girlfriend Lita.

Matt took to the internet to publicly disparage both Edge and Lita when he found out about it. Angered by Matt's actions, WWE management fired him. Fans consequently started to boo Edge and Lita, and WWE turned this response into a storyline.

The interest in this real-life love triangle led to WWE bringing Matt Hardy back and putting him in a rivalry with Edge on television. He started attacking Edge whenever and wherever he could. To settle the score once and for all, Vince McMahon officially brought Hardy back into the company and booked a match between the two foes for SummerSlam 2005.

In this heated clash, Edge walked away with the win via a referee stoppage when Matt was brutally busted open. The following month at Unforgiven, Edge and Matt Hardy faced each other inside a steel cage in their best match of the rivalry.

It was a bloody, emotional battle, and Hardy hit a massive leg drop off the top of the cage for the victory. The feud ultimately wrapped on the RAW Homecoming show, where Edge beat Hardy in a Loser Leaves RAW Ladder Match for the Money In The Bank contract.

Overall, the mixture of reality and storyline produced a rivalry that captivated fans unlike any other at the time; for this reason, it will go down in WWE history.

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1) Edge vs. John Cena

Edge was on an upward trajectory after he won the first Money In The Bank Ladder Match and his personal rivalry with Matt Hardy. At New Year's Revolution 2006, his rise to the top was completed when he cashed in the Money In The Bank contract on John Cena to win the WWE Championship.

This one choice led to a career-making feud between Edge and Cena. The fan-favorite star defeated Edge to win back the WWE Championship at Royal Rumble 2006 a few weeks later. The two men went their separate ways for a few months until Cena beat Edge and Triple H in a Triple Threat Match at Backlash 2006.

But Edge got revenge when he cost Cena the WWE Championship at One Night Stand 2006 to help Rob Van Dam win the title. The Rated-R Superstar wisely played the long game and won the title back in a three-way bout with RVD and John Cena.

This victory set the stage for a clash at SummerSlam 2006 in Cena's hometown, but first Edge upped the ante by invading Cena's father's home and slapping him. Edge went on to defeat John Cena at SummerSlam, but Cena got payback in a TLC Match at Unforgiven in Edge's hometown of Toronto.

The two men didn't meet again until WrestleMania 25 when they were in a Triple Threat Match with Big Show. Cena won the bout, but The Rated-R Superstar took the title back in a Last Man Standing Match the following month.

There were many highs and lows for both men during the course of this rivalry. Edge and John Cena put each other's names on the map and firmly established themselves as top stars during the course of their feud. For this reason, John Cena is the greatest rival of Edge's career.