While he doesn't know how long his return to the ring is going to last, Edge is determined to make it a memorable one.
The WWE Superstar joined Tim and Sid on Thursday to discuss his victory at the 2021 Royal Rumble, his return to wrestling in 2020, reuniting with long-time tag partner and friend Christian, and his Toronto Maple Leafs' fandom.
Here are some highlights from the interview which you can watch in full below.
Going the distance to win the Royal Rumble
Edge won his second career Royal Rumble, coming out as the No. 1 entrant which marked just the third time in WWE history that the first entrant has gone the distance.
“I mean, it was a long night,” Edge told Tim and Sid. “When I was 35 it was a long night, but when I’m 47 it was an even longer night. But that’s part of the weird appeal of this thing. For some reason after being retired, being forced to retire for nine years, I feel great in there and I don’t really understand it. I know I’ve put in a ton of work, and I’m in the gym a lot, but I still don’t fully grasp how my body is pulling this off.”
While Edge has been putting in extra work to make sure he stays healthy and fit for wrestling, he’s also making sure to enjoy the moment.
“I just want to soak it in and have fun with the whole process," Edge explained. "When something’s taken away from you and you suddenly get it back, I have to savour every aspect of this and really just enjoy the ride for as long as it lasts because I don’t know how long it’s going to last.”
Reuniting with long-time tag team partner Christian
One year after Edge made a surprising return in the Rumble, his long-time tag team partner and real-life best friend Christian returned to wrestling, as a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble match.
Similar to Edge, Christian was forced to retire due to a series of injuries from years of wrestling but worked his way back and was eventually cleared to return to the ring.
“How are him and I both doing this again when we were both told that we would never do it again?” Edge remarked to Tim and Sid. “To see my best friend, who I met in the sixth grade because he had a ninja star… these two kids from Orangeville, who met over a ninja star, found out they loved wrestling, and then continued to go after this thing together. Win the tag team titles together, both become world champions together, both are forced to retire, both fight their way back, both have daughters within six weeks of each other. It’s just… I don’t get it. But I’m glad it happened.”
The reunion between Edge and Christian was one of the biggest highlights of the 2021 Royal Rumble.
“You can see my face, I didn’t know the camera was going to be on me, I wanted to lay out as much as possible so that he had his moment, but they picked up my face, and what you saw on my face was unfiltered and real. There’s no way you can watch that and go, ‘wow that guy’s acting.’ It was absolutely real, and that’s when wrestling fires on every cylinder, and hits at its absolute purest, best form.”
His ability to perform at peak performance in wrestling
When Edge returned to wrestling at 46-years-old in 2020, he looked fantastic, both in a physical and performance sense. That’s not just coincidence, though as he came back with lofty goals in mind.
“I don’t want to come back and be like, 'oh remember when?'” I want to come back and try and make a difference and move the needle,” Edge told Tim and Sid, while also remarking that the success of 43-year-old Tom Brady, and 41-year-old Joe Thornton inspired him.
“When I look around the landscape of sports, and I see other athletes around, I see Tom Brady winning Super Bowls. And I see Joe Thornton joining the Leafs and I see how happy he is when he scores his first goal and hearing that scream the rest of the team had because they were so happy for him. That’s the thing you miss when it’s taken away from you, is that comradery in that locker room and it’s the same in the WWE. If I’m not with my family, the next best place to be is in that locker room.”
His thoughts on Maple Leafs' season and memorabilia
Look out Steve Dangle, the Orangeville, Ont., native thinks he has the best collection of Maple Leafs memorabilia.
“There’s no competition, I’m leaving him to dust. I’m sorry Dangle, but you’re dangling… by a thread.”
Edge took some time to show off the Leafs shrine at his home in Ashville, N.C., which includes an homage to several former Maple Leafs goaltenders including Wayne Thomas, Mike Palmateer, Curtis Joseph, Felix Potvin, and Ed Belfour. He also holds a custom made Toronto Maple Leafs Heavyweight Championship belt.
Edge’s favourite piece, however, is something he just recently acquired. It’s a limited edition 1967 Maple Leafs Cup-winning team photo (number 67 of 1,967 made), signed by 19 of the members of that team.
“Dangle you got nothin’ on me man,” Edge laughed.
Meanwhile, Edge has been loving the start to the NHL season for the Leafs, while also particularly enjoying the reinvigorated rivalry with the Montreal Canadiens.
“I watched the (Leafs/Canadiens game on Wednesday) night and I’m so invested in this rivalry again,” said Edge. “It’s so exciting. I had a good feeling that Kyle made some amazing changes. I mean, I’ve been saying (Wayne) Simmonds for a couple of years. You get him, you get Joe (Thornton), it’s really exciting. They’re just so deep. As a Leafs fan, you don’t want to get your hopes up, but man I feel really good about this season.”
