TSN.ca Staff

2/26/2003
After witnessing a very entertaining No Way Out pay-per-view followed by my first-ever live taping of RAW, I should be coming off a high. But my joy has been somewhat dulled by the news that Edge could miss up to a year as he recovers from spinal cord fusion surgery.

To put it mildly....this sucks! (Man! Just two columns in and I'm already the downer of the staff.)

I've been a huge Edge mark ever since he made his appearance as part of The Brood with his 'brother' Christian. From that moment, it became apparent that both men were going places that Gangrel was never going to take them. The pair formed one of the most formidible and entertaining tag teams that I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing. Their TLC matches and ongoing feuds with both The Hardys and Dudleys made for some excellent viewing.

With last year's roster split, Christian went to RAW while Edge went on to apply his trade on Smackdown! This is where I discovered a new found appreciation for the young man from Orangeville, Ontario. To take an old saying: he reeks of awesomeness!

Edge was able to show off his versitility ever since the beginning of the split. He would compete in singles matches as well as teaming with the one and only Hulkster to form a 'new' version of the Hollywood Blondes. It was a thing of beauty to watch as he was able to perform at a very high level while making an over-the-hill Hogan look dynamic. During Hogan's "hiatus", Edge pushed on, often pairing with Rey Mysterio to form another excellent and thoroughly enjoyable tag team. But the truth of the matter was that Edge was destined for bigger and better things.

The man has champion written all over him. He appeared to be on the verge of doing something very special in the WWE, and if he were healthy, WrestleMania would have been his coming out party. If I can use a baseball analogy, the guy is a five tool player. The man has the looks, he has the talent, he can rock a mic as well as a mat. To top it off, the guy is just a terrific human being.

I had the pleasure of meeting him last year ago at the Special Olympics Sports Celebrities Breakfast in Toronto and I can tell you first hand that Edge is a genuine class act. In a room full of big-time sports personalities, he lit up the place like no other. He took the time to talk, pose for pictures and sign autographs for every Special Olympian in the building and he did it all with a glee that seems foreign to many professional athletes. He was polite, enthusiastic and never condescending when talking to these athletes with special needs. I left that day thinking: "This guy is a true role model."

Fortunately, Edge is still a very young man and top talents such as Stone Cold Steve Austin and Chris Benoit have been able to recover and prosper in the ring following the same surgery that he must endure. It could have been much worse, but I still have a heavy heart when I think about how such injuries can cut careers so short. Just take a look at Droz and you'll know what I mean.

I believe that I speak for many in wishing Adam Copeland a speedy recovery and I hope this serves as a warning to the main eventers in WWE. When this man returns you'd better watch out. Because he's going to grab the spotlight and keep it for a very long time.

For TSN.ca/wrestling, I'm the Ringer, J. Bell.

*credit TSN*