After Monday Night Raw went off the air, Edge took to the microphone and addressed his finite future with the WWE.
The main event of Monday Night Raw saw Edge defeat Damian Priest in his hometown of Toronto, ON, Canada. Though they were once allies, Priest and Edge have become bitter rivals, and the Archer of Infamy challenged the WWE Hall of Famer to a match two weeks ago, with Edge accepting the challenge last week.
Though the Rated R Superstar was victorious, his celebration was short-lived as he was on the receiving end of a low blow by The Judgment Day’s Rhea Ripley. Finn Balor and Damien Priest also attacked the fallen veteran before his wife Beth Phoenix, who had been shown earlier in the Raw audience, made her way to the ring to even the odds, fending off The Judgment Day with a chair.
After The Judgment Day left the arena and Raw went off the air, Edge addressed the Toronto crowd with a heartfelt message of gratitude, detailing how he got his start as a wrester in that very city, and how he didn’t expect to have to take an extended break in 2011 due to a neck injury.
“30 years ago, Monarch Park. July 1st, 1992, I had my first wrestling match as Adam Copeland. Sexton Hardcastle was later. [laughs] And I knew, I knew that one day I’d be standing here in front of all of you, I just knew it.
What I didn’t dream of is that I’d have to retire for nine years, and fight, fight with every fiber of my being to get this back! And all of you are the reason for that. This is a reciprocal relationship.”
Edge also broke character for a moment to lavish praise on his main event opponent Damian Priest before addressing his future in wrestling, indicating that he would love to have his final retirement right here in Toronto in one year’s time.
“I just stood toe to toe with one of the best talents and the future of this industry, Damian Priest, and I can’t wait to do it some more! I can’t wait to hopefully come back one last time. One last time here in Toronto. I’m looking at the calendar, and we usually come here in August – so next August, I plan on seeing each and every one of you. And in a perfect world, we all say goodbye to each other that night.
“Maybe that’s ok man, this is the place for me to do it, ok? I mean this when I say it. I love all of you, and in case you missed it, I love being Canadian! And you know I had to do this, I had to end with this. GO LEAFS GO! GO LEAFS GO!”
Edge prévoit dire son dernier au revoir à Toronto l'an prochain ? (2/2)#WWERaw#WWETorontopic.twitter.com/cnBgcVOFmV
— Audrey Moreau (@audreymoreau99) August 23, 2022
Elsewhere on Monday Night Raw, Johnny Gargano returned to the company nine months after saying a tearful goodbye to the NXT crowd when his contract expired. His wife Candice LeRae posted a heartwarming image of their son reacting to his father’s Raw return.
If you use any quotes from this transcription, please link back to this article with a h/t to Inside the Ropes.