Credit: UK Sun
By THE LILSBOYS
AFTER wrestling against Ric Flair, teaming with Hulk Hogan and winning the WWE tag titles with his best friend Christian seven times grappling superstar Edge says there is only one dream he has left to fulfil.
Lifting the world championship above his head.
In an exclusive webchat the 31-year-old Canadian told us he feels he is closer than ever to winning Raw's title belt.
And if he'd stayed on the WWE's weaker Smackdown show after his recent return from neck surgery, Edge thinks he may even have the big one around his waist today.
Answering your questions, the newly crowned five-time intercontinental champion proved his own toughest critic telling us about the matches and angles he hated as much as the ones he loved.
You can find out all about Edge - including why he wasn't allowed backstage at WrestleMania and how he's desperate to chop off his trademark flowing blond hair by reading our in-depth interview below.
Hi Edge, I am a huge fan of yours and wanted to know how it feels to return to the WWE after being out injured for 14 months?
Sarah Gargano
It feels great. At first it was a little bit nerve-wracking, not because of the injury but just trying to get into ring and road shape.
Ring shape is being conditioned so you don't get tired at the two-minute mark in a match, while road shape is getting used to the travelling and hectic schedule again and is actually much tougher.
I did feel really off in my first match back against Kane, but after 14 months out that is to be expected.
Plus while I was training to come back from my neck injury, I sprained my foot. I had to wear a walking boot for a month and the first night I got that off, wrestling in Ohio Valley, I broke my hand!
It was just one thing after another, but they'd already put me on TV so we had to do the match, cast and all.
You were out for more than a year with your neck injury. How far back, if at all, do you think that set you from becoming world champion? Which I think you will be one day incidentally.
Henry, Milton Keynes
It wasn't great timing by any means, there's no doubt about that. Coming back, I knew I'd have to get my ring legs under me, as physically I wouldn't have been ready to wrestle Chris Benoit for the world title. Now I feel like I am.
I think I've stepped right back into where I left off and if Triple H or Randy Orton had the world title I'd probably be challenging them for it right now.
It would be awesome if they did Benoit and me as two babyfaces going at it - as they'd just need to put us in there and let us wrestle - but I don't think it will happen.
I've only had ever had two title shots once on Smackdown when Big Show had it and then one in the UK against Brock Lesnar. So I think it's about time I got another go.
Hi Edge I've read that you were going to turn on Benoit and/or challenge Triple H are either of these storylines still planned?
Michael, Leeds
Me turning on Benoit might have been an idea at one point, but I think the tease where I accidentally Speared him was just done to get people talking.
If it eventually goes that way it would be great, but for the foreseeable future it looks like I'll be feuding with Randy Orton.
I'm having a lot of fun with Randy. It's a natural rivalry we're polar opposites but similar enough to make it work.
Feuding with Triple H is something I'd like to do, and I know it's something he'd like to do too.
It hasn't come to pass yet, because we've not both been free at the same time, but on Raw we had a little confrontation and sowed the seeds for something down the line.
Just a question that's been really bugging me. When you were "attacked" at the No Way Out PPV 2003, thus enabling you to take time out to repair your neck, do you know who was supposed to be the person who took you out?
Steven Malhi, Birmingham
No and that's one thing that has really bothered me. I thought we had to touch on what happened but Vince McMahon didn't agree. He said: "Let's just move on and forget about it, because there have been so many guys out with injuries who've come back to get their attacker that it's been overdone."
But personally I think it's left a huge hole in the story that hasn't been filled, and needed to be. It doesn't make sense that I was laid out and then came back without going after anybody for it.
At first they didn't even want to mention the fact that I had been injured, but I said: "Well, where have I been?
"People know how much this business means to my character and me personally, so I wouldn't just leave for a year to chill out."
I think right at the beginning, Benoit was meant to be the culprit. It was going to be him who took out both Rhyno and I. But then that got scrapped, probably never to be mentioned again.
But who knows they might revisit it, they could play the clip two years from now and I could be like, "oh yeah that's what happened!"
After the WWE draft lottery are you glad that you went to Raw rather than staying on Smackdown, as to me it seems the stronger show?
Adie, York
I think that without a doubt Raw is stronger and that's the general consensus right now. That's not to take anything away from the Smackdown guys, because they're busting their butts.
It's weird because it seems to go in stages. When I was on Smackdown it was considered the stronger wrestling show, whereas Raw was more storyline driven.
Then when Benoit switched over after the Royal Rumble, the wrestling seemed to become the focus of Raw. Add me, Matt Hardy, Rhyno, Shelton Benjamin and Tajiri who all went over within a very short period and you've got six guys right there who can really go in the ring. Plus there are the great workers they already had.
The live element really helps too, as it's a pressure cooker. That, and being there with experienced guys, has really helped people like Randy and Batista develop quickly.
The best way for a newer heel to learn the ropes is to wrestle an experienced babyface. Everyone thinks it's the heel that controls the match, but really it's not - especially if the babyface has been around longer.
Do you think you'd be competing for the WWE title on Smackdown if you'd stayed there rather than fighting for the tag and IC belts on Raw?
Agilen, Mauritius
Yes, I know I would. If I'd been on Smackdown it would probably be me and Eddie Guerrero wrestling for the title, especially with our history.
That was one of the first things I thought about and I think, at least right now, I could have helped Smackdown out more because Raw is pretty stacked with top guys.
When I was getting ready to return, I was getting feedback that both Smackdown and Raw really wanted me. The guys who I wanted to work with on the shows Triple H, Shawn Michaels and Benoit on Raw and Kurt Angle and Eddie on Smackdown were all asking to do something with me.
It was a mutual decision with Vince and the writers for me to go to Raw especially as they wanted experienced guys in the live environment but either way it was going to be cool.
Hi Edge, you are looking a lot bigger since you returned, is this to help support your neck? Also are there any moves that you can't take now?
Ben Elder
A lot of it is to help support my neck, but it wasn't done consciously. It was great being at home where I could sleep for eight hours a night and just pig out. Anything that was put in front of me I ate I was scoffing pizzas and hamburgers every day.
I dropped so much weight after my surgery I felt horrible and thought, "I need to gain this weight back so I'm just going stuff myself". And I was able to turn most of it into muscle!
I can't take piledrivers and I have to be careful with DDTs and chair-shots to the head. Basically anything that compresses the spine is a no-no. It's pretty much known that everyone who's had neck surgery is in that position.
It's becoming more common. It looks like Test is going to have get neck surgery now, and at some point Val Venis is going to have to get it done too. Hugh Morris had it and has had to retire now, and Kurt Angle might well have to quit as well.
That makes nine of us who've already had a form of neck surgery including Benoit and Lita with at least two more to follow.
We've all formed a bond because of it, especially me and Benoit who are very tight after going through it together.
Hey Edge. Your injury came at the worst possible time just spanning two WrestleManias. Were you upset at missing out on the biggest show of the year?
Sarah, Birmingham
That was the most frustrating part of being out. In the seven years I've been on TV I've wrestled in three Manias. The first one I only made a brief appearance in the Hell In A Cell with The Brood, next was the triple ladder match, TLC then Booker and then I missed two.
As we got closer to WrestleMania XX I realised I was going to have to miss it. I got my surgery done on March 10 2003 and my clearance a year to the day afterwards. But then I sprained my foot and was like, "now I definitely can't wrestle there."
I didn't even get to go to WrestleMania XX. I wanted to, but I met with Vince and he gave me the edict that he didn't want me there. He said he didn't want anyone to see me and for me to relax and have another week off.
I just wanted to hang out in the back with the guys and watch the show, but Vince said no.
There's a Canadian revolution on RAW with yourself, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Christian and Trish Stratus all being major players. WWE recently started to bill the Canadian babyfaces as being from America. What did you think about that?
Stu, Scotland
Personally I thought it was silly and I'm pleased I'm still introduced from Toronto. I talked to Vince and explained that Canadians are a weird bunch of people and I'm one of them.
We're very loyal to Canada and when something good comes out of our country we're fiercely proud of it.
Part of the reason they did it was they thought American fans might not cheer if a lot of the top babyfaces were Canadian, but I don't think they really care. Whereas if I go back to Toronto introduced from Tampa I'm going to get booed!
Did you enjoy your time in Dublin during the Raw tour - did the pop that Ric Flair got in your match surprise you at all?
Brian, Dublin
Going into the Dublin show I said, "I've got the toughest slot on this card as a babyface wrestling Ric Flair."
Flair's not hated, he's loved and revered, and as much as he's going to try people just aren't going to dislike him.
In the States people see us more often, so he's not as much of a special attraction as when he comes over to the UK and Ireland for a very rare visit.
So I knew going in we were going to be swimming upstream and in Dublin he chopped me and the crowd would go "woooo" and then I punched him and they'd go "boooo".
Then on the next show in Manchester I said to him beforehand, "if it goes the same way I'm switching things up and playing heel".
We got out there and the crowd were cheering us both - then he strutted and blew the roof off the place! I thought: "Now I'm going to strut and they're going to hate me."
So I strutted, a segment booed and from there I took it and ran with it. All I did was insert myself in Ric Flair's role. I did all the same things that he does I took the slam off the top and did the eye poke.
It was my way of paying tribute to him and showing him how much I respected him as one of the best ever.
We changed the finish to the match as well, so Ric won, but he was fighting it tooth and nail. I Speared him and I was screaming at him to kick out. I was afraid he wasn't going to, but he did and from there I said, "slam me off the top, Figure Four".
When we got to the back all the boys were applauding and his wife said, "I've never seen him win with the Figure Four". But I think if you're going to lose to Ric Flair then you've got to do it properly!
Is it hard working as a babyface against Evolution, because they're just so cool people want to cheer them? Do you think the crowd reactions for them may turn you heel?
Steven, Derby
There's always an element in the crowd that want to cheer good heels. Even Christian, as annoying as he is, has a segment who want to cheer him.
It's definitely the case with Evolution they've got a cool look and entrance and they're bad asses who a lot of the time do what they say they're going to do.
Also heels by nature have more layers to their character and get themselves across better than a babyface who has to tap dance a little bit. If you try too hard to get the people on your side then you're force-feeding it and if you don't try hard enough then no one cares.
So there's always going to be that element of people cheering the bad guys especially with North Eastern and New York crowds - and you just have to hope it doesn't catch on.
Because sometimes by the end of the match the whole crowd could have turned, like they did with Rock v Brock at SummerSlam where by the end they were all chanting against Rocky.
There's a definite chance the fans may turn me heel and that would be cool. I'm better wrestling-wise as a babyface but I find it much easier to get people to hate me - and it would be fun to do that again!
When you teamed with Hulk Hogan and got to do the double leg drop you looked like a little kid at Christmas! Was that just good acting or were you really living out your boyhood dream?
Daniel, Manchester
I really was like a little kid at Christmas, that's exactly how I felt.
That moment along with my first tag title win with Christian and my first IC title victory are the highlights of my career.
That night was the first time, since Hogan came back to the WWE, that he had come out to his Real American theme tune and they panned over to me and I just had this huge cheesy grin on my face.
The great thing about Hogan was when I pitched the idea of the double leg drop, he was like "alright brother, let's do it".
I remember thinking "this is perfect" and, while I don't have the best leg drop in the world, to do it with the guy who'd always been my hero was a dream come true.
You hear horror stories, but Hulk Hogan lived up to all my expectations. He was a super guy and accepted me as his peer. He put the ball in my hands, trusted me to do it and even called me his son!
Whenever we bump into each other on flights or at concerts and hockey games - he introduces me as "my son Edge". His real son is even an Edge fan, which is really cool.
It was always a dream of mine to team with Hulk Hogan and also to wrestle Ric Flair, but I never thought I'd be their contemporary. Now I'm on Raw it also looks like I'm going to get to do something with Shawn Michaels and I got to wrestle a little bit with Bret Hart at his house.
The only thing that could be better than what I've already done is winning the world title.
That's the last goal I've got left to achieve, and I need to do it before I retire. I won't be able to leave otherwise I'll still be wrestling at 60 having one last run.
How important do you think your feud with Kurt Angle was in making you a main event level star? Also it's great that's he is still selling the hair v hair stipulation every time his bald head is on screen it's putting you over!
Danny, London
That was the feud for me, without a doubt.
When Christian and I decided to split as a tag team as we'd already done everything we could do without becoming stale we put too much pressure on ourselves. We stressed out and I felt like I was just keeping my head above water.
Also I went from being part of a heel tag team to being a singles babyface in a couple weeks. That was a big transition for me and I really didn't feel comfortable. And then after my programme with Christian I went on to a ridiculous feud with Booker T over shampoo.
So by the time I got to Kurt I knew I had to step up and show everyone what I could do. And Kurt's the perfect opponent to do that with, as he's totally unselfish, professional and awesome in the ring.
Things took a while to click for us, but then I like to think we stole the show at Backlash with a straight-up wrestling match. From there we were doing main events on Smackdown, tag team matches, this, that and the other building up to the haircut match.
Then once again we tore it up, it felt really good. Everything just fell perfectly into place. We had a great cage match as well. That feud was definitely my springboard to be looked at as being in the main event realm.
And yes, I'm the reason that Kurt is still bald - but I think he just realised Mother Nature was already winning that battle.
You and Christian had some amazing and very famous TLC matches with The Dudley Boyz and the Hardys. How do you go about planning matches like that and did you suffer any injuries? Do you think you set the bar too high?
Adam G
I generally like to do my matches on the fly, with just a few things worked out, but with the TLC bouts there was too much danger to be able to wing it.
They were a lot of fun to do, but it could actually be a pretty tedious process putting everything together.
The six, or one time the eight, of us would sit down and thrash out ideas and plan certain big things.
Then you'd have to make sure you always knew where the other guys were, because if you're flying off a ladder and someone's underneath you then they're going to get crunched.
Or if you go through a table and there's another spot coming then you've got to sell but also clear up, so they don't bump on screws.
There were lots of stitches, staples, bruises, aches and pains afterwards but no major injuries.
However now I think we're starting to see the end results of the TLCs. They are part of the reason I had to get neck surgery along with a bunch of other stupid things I'd done and Christian has lower back problems, Matt Hardy is slowly falling apart and Jeff Hardy has left the WWE.
At times I do regret doing them, because I can see how those matches changed the industry. Everyone then had to try and top it, it was always like "now what do we do?"
Every month it seemed there was a ladder match or people going through tables. So I think by going so far forward we actually set the business back.
Now we're trying to pull the reigns back and re-educate the fans that a good story doesn't involve tables, ladders and chairs.
That sort of match can be the culmination of a great programme as a big once a year blow-off but it shouldn't be an every month occurrence, and definitely not on free TV.
Would you consider joining forces with Christian again for another run at the tag team titles or maybe another feud between you?
Nnamdi Onyido, Lagos, Nigeria
I honestly think the WWE want to keep us apart and not remind people of Edge and Christian.
We've both done so much since then to separate ourselves from that, and made so many strides, to work together again would almost be a step backwards.
We're still best friends in real life, and I loved the feud he had with Chris Jericho. It was like an old style storyline where they teamed and teased the break-up for a long time, and no one saw the Trish thing coming.
Hi, I would like to know if you really got married to Val Venis's sister or was that just part of a storyline?
Carol, Birmingham
We did get married but we're not together anymore. I am in a new relationship now.
I'm still good friends with Val as we we've known each other so long, my second match was his first. I actually think we get along better now.
It wasn't strange marrying a wrestler's sister as it was removed from the business
Your autobiography is out in November? Can you tell us a bit about it? Are there any Ric Flair style attacks? Should anyone watch their backs?
Timothy
No, because I don't really have any pot shots to take. I've never had the issues Ric had with people like Eric Bischoff. Wrestling is what I've always wanted to do, and now I'm doing it, so I don't have a lot to complain about.
There are a couple of things in there that nobody knows, like personal c**p Christian and I had to deal with when we got to the WWE and people were trying to bring us down.
It's my story from DNA to today and what I had to go through to get to the point where I was finally living my dream - like wrestling in a barn in Fall Branch, Tennessee in front of six people - and then the new battles to succeed once I got there.
If there's going to a comparison then it's more like Mick Foley's book, especially as I also wrote it all by myself.
When I read everyone else's books they sounded like an interview, but when I read Mick's I could picture his voice in my mind.
And that's what I want - I want people to pop into my skull so it feels like it's really me walking them through my story.