WWE: Does Edge still have a role to play?

Edge has, undoubtedly, been one of the most exciting WWE superstars in the past decade or so. He’s been involved in brilliant matches, compelling storylines, extreme and career threatening spots, which eventually took a toll on his body.

Edge might be the superstar who’s gone through the most tables, climbed the most ladders and hit by the most chairs. But still he went on to become the WWE Champion four times and was also a seven-time World Heavyweight Champion. And that’s just one side of the story; his stint in the tag team division was legendary.

Edge’s retirement speech on RAW was one of the saddest moments of the show, given that he was forced to retire because of his injuries. Even though his immediate inclusion in the Hall of Fame raised a few eyebrows, it goes without saying that it was well deserved.

Now that Edge has given up his role in the ring, the question remains, does he still offer the company something? Sporadic appearances are fine; they’ll keep the fans wanting for more. Edge’s recent return can only be reasoned with the fact that he was there to promote his show ‘Haven’ on SyFy, and WWE was a great platform to do that.

But fictionally, the reason given by Triple H to the question as to why Edge – who is no longer an employee with the WWE – was invited to come to Raw was that it was ‘good for business’. Funnily that’s his new heel catchphrase.

Soon after, however, Edge and Triple H went back and forth, and ‘The Game’ retorted by saying, “You never drew a dime.” Now, how is that supposed to add on to the credibility of his presence on Triple H’s show?

The segment, though, was rather good as Triple H could not bury Edge with his bossy outbursts. Instead, when things started tilting in Edge’s favour, Triple H got the Hounds of Justice to drag forth a battered Christian to the ramp and give it back to him.

That was a good move as Edge’s brand wasn’t hurt but the veteran didn’t seem intimidated. The confrontation, however, gave Christian time to heal from his reported concussion and adds bonus heel heat to the authority.

Though hosting the Cutting Edge never really saw the light of the day, it did lead to something worthwhile. It brought back memories of Edge’s sporadic appearances in the past, which have been to rile up John Cena (and inspire him on the way to his match against Brock Lesnar at Extreme Rules), be part of the anger management storyline between Kane and Daniel Bryan and be there when his friend Christian won his maiden World Title. He even played a significant role during Christian’s heel turn.

All in all, Edge’s appearances haven’t really hurt the company and his appearances have usually been entertaining. They haven’t been too overbearing and one can only hope that we will be in for more such surprises.