8 injuries that changed the face of WWE

#6 Edge's career-ending injuries

Edge was SmackDown's biggest star before time caught up with him

Between the late 2000s and early 2000s, SmackDown was something of a barren place. Few stars managed to really shine on the blue brand during that era, as most of WWE’s creative focus shifted back to RAW.

However, one of the biggest stars to benefit from the brand extension was Edge, who transitioned from a ‘glorified tag team wrestler’ to one of the best and most decorated wrestlers in WWE history. Sadly, his main run between 2003 and 2011 was, in his own words, on borrowed time, and that time ran out after WrestleMania XXVII.

Edge’s neck injuries and the gradual deterioration of his body forced him to retire and vacate the World Heavyweight Championship. This had serious ramifications for SmackDown at the time, as Edge was undoubtedly the brand’s biggest star at the time.

Edge’s retirement caused WWE to redo all of their plans for the World title picture, and had to completely change which stars would carry that brand forward in the coming years until the world titles were unified at the end of 2013.