by Phil Speer

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. Dec. 15, 2002 Like every Superstar, Edge and A-Train are their own worst critics. Although the fans at the Office Depot Center seemed to enjoy their match tonight particularly when Edge clobbered A-Train with a chair both Superstars were disappointed.

I wasnt very happy with it at all, said A-Train, who lost the match by disqualification when he hit Edge with a chair right in front of the referee. We could do better.

Edge said time constraints were a factor.

Ive gotten so used to doing 20-25 minute matches, he said. I think maybe I tried to cram too much into too short of a time period.

Edge added that his right medial collateral ligament, which he tore recently at a non-televised event in Syracuse, N.Y., definitely kept him from performing at his customary pace.

Physically Im not great, and mentally (Im) just a little disappointed, he said. And Im not throwing the blame at A-Train at all. My own personal performance was off. Im trying to run full speed out there, but my knees just not going to do it yet. So Im moving a lot slower than I normally would.

The old cliché is you never stop learning. Even Kurt Angle has a bad match here and there. Im sure Ric Flair did too in his day. Im disappointed, but the way I look at it, you cant beat yourself up over it and dwell on it. You just have to move on and tear it up the next time.

When Edge hit a spear on the Big Show during the show in Syracuse, he landed awkwardly.

My foot was going one way, the top of my leg was going the other way, and it just tore, he said. I felt it go right away. I didnt know what it was because Id never done anything to my knee.

Tests revealed a Grade 3 tear of the MCL, which is the highest grade (the worst tear possible). The injury requires rehabilitation and rest, but not surgery. Edge has been taken off house shows for the last few weeks, but has still worked at televised events.

This whole month its just been rest to try to get the knee rehabbed, Edge said. They said if I was a football played, Id take four to six weeks off and not do anything. Well, Im at least working once a week.

Edge added that he hopes that the injury will heal sufficiently during the Superstars 10-day break for the holidays.

In the meantime, Edge tries to do the best he can in the ring. He said its much more simple to work around your injury when youre in a Fatal Fourway (like he was two weeks ago on SmackDown!) or a tag team match (like last week).

He said the pain is excruciating whenever he lands on his knee, like he did today after he hit A-Train with a flying forearm.

I tried to get up and throw a spin-kick, but I just had no strength in it, he said.

However, he seemed to have plenty of strength when he clobbered A-Train over the head with a chair after A-Train had been disqualified. The shot echoed throughout the arena; the crowd was impressed.

I knew at that point, I had to salvage something, to leave some kind of impression, he said. That was the way to try to do it.

It seemed like one of the stiffest chair-shots in recent memory. But A-Train joked that hes been hit much harder.

Oh yeah, he said. Hes a p****. He didnt hit me hard at all.

More seriously, he said, He put me on dream street for a second there. He definitely brought those chair-shots, but thats the way it has to be.

Said Edge, Any time I throw a chair-shot, its usually pretty there. I know that one was too.

But Edge and A-Train both wanted more. After all, Edge wrestled in the main event at the last U.K. pay-per-view, Rebellion, and he seems to be right on the cusp of consistently main-eventing North American pay-per-views. A-Train also wrestled at Rebellion, and this was his first appearance on a North American show since he and Scotty 2 Hotty battled Christian and Test. Hed like to prove that he belongs.

Awesome. It felt good, A-train said of competing on pay-per-view. I just wish I could have done a little bit better.

After competing in WWE as Albert, he also has a new name, which is perhaps an indication that hes going to get the opportunity to contribute.

I was really sick of Albert, he said. It didnt really represent me. I like A-Train because I look at myself as someone who, when I get going, you cant stop me, like a train. Ill run your ass over if I have to.

Like A-Train, Edge said he planned to watch a tape of the match soon.

Im hoping when I watch it back that maybe I wont beat myself up quite as much about it, he said. But right now Im just disappointed; Im a perfectionist.

Credit: WWE.com