WWE Superstar Makes Shock Departure

'Rated R Superstar' Edge retires from Professional Wrestling after Doctors tell him health is at serious risk.

Known by friends and family by his real name Adam Copeland, Edge has had to retire from Professional Wrestling due to 'wear and tear' on neck and spine risking his mobility and use of his arms. 

Edge stated on Monday Night RAW the following,

"A lot of people think what we do doesn't hurt, that it's smoke and mirrors and I wish that was true, but it's not. Anyone who's ever been in the ring and laced up the boots knows. Eight years ago I broke my neck. Spinal fusion surgery. They open you up, move your throat over, plates and screws and all that, really in depth. Because of that I knew I was wrestling on borrowed time from that point on. The last little while i've been in a lot of pain. Losing feeling in my arms. I've had strength tests and made it through Wrestlemania. WWE wanted me to go for more tests and luckily I did because the MRI showed I have to retire. Trust me, it's not my choice. The doctors told my that I have no choice. Thankfully they told me because i'm not going to end up in a wheelchair now.""

On the Official WWE Website, the following passage confirms it,

"The Rated-R Superstar had been suffering numbness and uncontrollable trembling in his arms and hands. This is not the first time Edge has experienced these symptoms of nueropraxia. An MRI in Atlanta last Monday was sent to Dr. Joseph Maroon, a renowned neurosurgeon and professor of neurosurgery at The Pittsburgh School of Medicine. After careful examination of the MRI, it was determined that Edge would never be cleared to compete again, and thus, he is forced to retire.
In 2003, Edge underwent a two level spinal fusion of the discs between his C5, C6 and C7 vertebrae. After being cleared to compete, The Rated-R Superstar returned to the ring, resulting in stenosis of the spine, or a narrowing of the spinal column, above and below the fused discs. This narrowing resulted in less and less of the vital fluid needed to protect the spinal cord. Medical professionals cannot clear Edge to compete ever again in WWE since doing so could result in paralysis or even death."

On Friday Night Smackdown Edge relinquished the World Heavyweight Championship and confirmed his retirement with the entire Smackdown roster coming out and paying tribute alongside TRIPLE H. In particular he thanked his best friend Christian, Vince McMahon, lucha libre Rey Mysterio, The Undertaker and The Big Red Monster Kane as well as former squeezes Vickie Guerrero and Lita. Just before his departure he said he'd love to go out to grab a coffee with any fans if he meets them on the street and said that although it's unlikely he'll wrestle again or resurface in the near future, he'd love to return to Pro Wrestling one day and be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Is this an echoing of Shawn Michaels' recruitment last year after WrestleMania? Like HBK, Edge's performance was a mere shadow of the high points both Wrestlers had in the Attitude Era when WWE was still known as the WORLD WRESTLING FEDERATION. Maybe more importantly, Edge can return from time-to-time as a guest host or commentator like HBK did this year.

The Future of Pro Wrestling is at Stake

Few greats of the WWE remain now: William Regal, Golddust, Undertaker, Triple H, Rey Mysterio,Big Show,Kane and Randy Orton.Of these,all are out of their prime (with the exception of Orton) and only the latter four are fit enough to wrestle regularly; the former four are either so out of their prime that it's not funny,or so injured that they can only wrestle 3-5 times a year. In TNA only The Hardy Brothers, Sting,Rob Van Dam, Kurt Angle and Hulk Hogan remain-the latter two are out of their prime (pretty convincingly) and need to focus on their movie careers and/or reality TV. 

Now that another great has gone,the Pro Wrestling industry must do five things in the next 2-3 years:

1. Reaffirm the GORGEOUSNESS and ATHLETICISM of its Divas by pushing them as beautiful models who are also athletes

2. Maintain their pushes with healthy and experienced wreslers such as: Randy Orton, CM Punk,Santino and Koslov,Wade Barrett and Alberto Del Rio,

3. Push the likes of young talent such as: Kofi Kingston, Sin Cara, The Pope,Daniel Bryan,Drew McIntyre,Sheamus, Jack Swagger, and John Morrison

4. Only use veterans such as: Undertaker, Triple H, Rey Mysterio,Big Show  and Kane for 'feud' matches and pay-per-views and make them the 'benchmarks' for the newer generations

5.Back away from 'fake' fighting and improve the technical aspects and athleticism side of wrestling (as seen in Pro Wrestling in Japan or Lucha Libre in Mexico).

If less than three of these things are achieved in the next 2-3 years, it is possible Mixed Martial Arts will completely wipe Pro Wrestling off of the map-especially since UFC and Strikeforce have merged and fighters such as Cung Le,Randy Couture and Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson are getting into movies and existing celebrities such as Brock Lesnar and Jason David Frank (The Original Green Power Ranger) are beginning to make an impact.

To go back to the topic, at Feet Up we wish all the best to Edge and hope to see him on the screen in some form or another in the future.