This is a special edition of the RAW Reflections.  This week, I will not be giving you segment-by-segment commentary on last night’s show.  No, not because it was bad or anything.  It’s just that, there was one thing about last night’s show that overshadows everything else.  In case you hadn’t heard, Edge retired last night.

As you probably know by now, I am, was, a HUGE Edge mark.  HUGE.  Since I started writing this column on my website’s shitty ProBoard, way back in 2004, I always sung Edge’s praises.  The Rated R Superstar was my favourite wrestler on Television (up until Jericho came back.  Then, I had TWO favourite wrestlers).  In a time where WWE was having problems finding itself, in a sea of ridiculous gimmicks and a kid-friendly atmosphere, Edge had, well, an edge to him.  He was the Rated R Superstar, a killer heel that was a total dick.  And I loved it.

However, my appreciation for Edge goes back further.  I’ve always liked him.  Being a Canadian helps a LOT, I will admit, but there’s more to my appreciation for Edge than just that.  At the risk of sounding like a serious Internet Wrestling Columnist, Edge was one of the best workhorses The WWF/WWE has ever had.  For three straight years, Edge, along with his best pal Christian, the Hardys and the Dudleyz, put on some of the strongest undercard matches.  I mean, he helped reinvent the ladder match!  Edge & Christian were one of the WWF’s most reliable acts, and at one point, two of the most over heels in the company, during the WWF’s absolute highest peak in popularity to date.

And while I still liked Edge from 2001-on, it was The Rated R Superstar that made me really appreciate his hard work.  His Rated R Superstar Character, literally on some nights, was the Saving Grace of Monday Night RAW for a long while.  I looked forward to his antics every week, and no matter how godawful the show was, overall, you could always count on Edge to deliver a great performance.  And then, there’s his feud with John Cena, which I think is a very underappreciated feud.  Edge was the perfect foil for John Cena’s kid-friendly, traditional babyface with his Rated R Superstar character.  He was brash, he was arrogant, he was sneaky, and he made John Cena look like a million bucks.  One of my most favourite segments of the past decade was when Edge and Lita home-invaded John Cena’s family home, and beat up his Dad.  That was great television, and classic Edge.

There are tons of other Edge memories that I have (His GREAT match with Mick Foley vs. Tommy Dreamer and Terry Funk at ECW One Night Stand II, the formation of Team Sexual Misconduct [Rated RKO for you ‘n00bs’…], his GREAT match with the Undertaker at WrestleMania 24, and his surprise return at the 2010 Royal Rumble), however, they are coupled with one, gigantic regret:  I have never, ever seen Edge wrestle live.  I have been to four WWE shows in my life, but for whatever reasons, Edge was never scheduled to wrestle in them (he DID do one live appearance, when he was rehabbing from neck surgery).  Come to think of it, I’ve never seen Chris Jericho wrestle live, either.  So, there you have it, my two favourite wrestlers of the past decade, and I have never seen them perform live.  Such is life, I guess.

Here’s to Edge, one of the best performers WWE has, and probably ever will have.  It’s a shame that your career was cut so short, but I am happy that you ended it on a high note.  It might not be exactly on “Your Terms,” but you were able to end it with your head held high, and an entire arena giving you a well-deserved standing ovation.

Thank you, Edge.

-Al Creed