WWE Legacy, perfect ending - 4 reasons why Edge should not go to AEW

One WWE Hall-of-Famer who has been in the spotlight recently is Edge. He wrestled his final match in his hometown of Toronto on last week's SmackDown. In the bout, he defeated Sheamus, an opponent who encouraged him to get back in the ring after his 2012 forced retirement.

The SmackDown battle was the last match on The Rated R Superstar's current deal, which expires at the end of September. With AEW looming as the other big wrestling promotion, the next thought is if Edge is truly done in the ring.

From AJ Styles to Sheamus to Rey Mysterio, many stars over 40 are still going strong. If Edge does not sign a new deal with WWE, and wants to keep wrestling, he could easily end up in AEW. Here are four reasons why he should opt against joining Tony Khan's company.

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#4 The AEW roster is already overflowing with talent

It helps the industry for performers to have multiple choices when choosing a place to wrestle. Competition makes both sides improve their product, like famously evidenced during the Monday Night Wars.

Having more opportunities is usually a good thing, but it can also be a double-edged sword. AEW is very popular, and already has a roster bursting at its seams.

Numerous talented stars like Bandido, Josh Woods, Keith Lee, Komander, Rush, Sonny Kiss, the Bunny, Taya Valkyrie, and Wardlow are used inconsistently. Some may work dates for other companies, decreasing their usage in AEW.

Despite that, AEW struggles to get a variety of talent on TV every week. The usual names like Darby Allin, Orange Cassidy, Jon Moxley, the Elite, and Britt Baker always get TV time. The Rated R Superstar would probably get star treatment early on, but an overstuffed roster might prevent a meaningful run.

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#3 Edge has been with WWE for the majority of his career

While he did have a few matches in WCW before joining WWE, The Rated R Superstar is a WWE lifer. He debuted with the company and became a huge star under the management of the Stamford promotion.

Edge has won multiple championships, Royal Rumbles, and Money in the Bank contracts as a WWE star. He's done it all in the company, having even been inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2012. As a homegrown talent, it would certainly be strange to see him in another promotion.

It's akin to when Brett Favre or Joe Montana left the Packers and 49ers respectively. Fans remember the stop where they made their impact, and Edge is universally seen as a product of WWE. Seeing him in another jersey would be hard to take, but fans may just want to see him wrestle regardless of the promotion.

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#2 AEW's track record with former WWE performers has been hit or miss

The Limitless One has had a rough route back to TV time in AEW.

Once AEW popped up in 2019, it became a viable destination for wrestlers outside of WWE. Many stars have grown their profiles, including Darby Allin, Britt Baker, and MJF.

Jon Moxley and Chris Jericho are two former WWE stars who have had enormous success in the promotion. Every former WWE performer, however, hasn't had the same success rate.

WWE Legends Paul Wight and Mark Henry have been afterthoughts after making an initial splash with the company. Others like Andrade, Keith Lee, Shawn Spears, and Miro were underutilized. Miro has since returned to Collision, but joining AEW isn't a surefire sign that a star will be successful.

Edge is undoubtedly a bigger name than Lee, Andrade, and Miro, so conventional thought is that he'd be fine. While Christian has done well, Matt Hardy has seemingly lacked consistency in interesting angles.

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#1 His emotional Toronto sendoff seemed like a fitting end

Has the WWE Universe seen the last of Edge in a WWE ring?

Edge is 49, and in the second act of his wrestling career. He's not getting any younger, despite still looking like he can go in the ring. The former WWE Champion wanted to wrestle his last match in Toronto, hinting at a potential end to his career.

The match in Toronto with Sheamus seemed like a perfect end to a career, on his own terms. A big match at WrestleMania may have been more fitting for Edge. If his match with Sheamus was his last WWE bout, then he went out on his own terms this time.

If he essentially "retires" from WWE competition but goes to AEW and wrestles, it will cheapen that emotional moment. Ric Flair had that retirement match against Shawn Michaels, and then went to IMPACT. It made the historic moment mean much less, with a run in a different company.