- The Miami Herald has published part 2 of an interview with former WWE Superstar Edge. Here are some highlights:
Participating in SummerSlam but not currently watching the WWE product:
“Yes, but I still didn’t watch anything. I went out and did my thing, and that was it. Actually, what that show did for me was really give me closure. When I went out there, I was like, ‘All right. I’m good.’ If that never happens again, I’m fine with it.â€
Returning for one more match like Steve Austin says he could be able to do:
“I don’t really want to think about it, and also the WWE doctors told me they’ll never give me clearance to do it. It’s not going to change. My spine is shrinking. So it’s not like four years down the road it’s gonna suddenly open back up, and in order for it to open back up, I’d need to get surgery which would weaken my neck even more, which definitely stops me from ever doing it again.
What doctors told me is they won’t clear me. Now, I think [Austin] has the same thing as me. So coming back he has to pass all that stuff, and if you can’t pass it, they won’t clear you. It’s not a matter of, ‘Ah, well maybe one more.’ Well, maybe one more, if they clear you. Great, but they told me I’d never be cleared. So that makes everything easier for me. It immediately got rid of, ‘I can come back for one more.’ It’s like maybe I could, but they told me they won’t let me. So they took that all out of my hands. It’s funny because people have said, “Oh, OK, so you’re going to comeback for one more.’ It’s like you’re missing the point here. I didn’t retire because I wanted to. I retired because they told me I had to. There’s a big difference there.
Even the weekend with ‘SummerSlam,’ I did an autograph session, and fans were asking, ‘When you coming back for one more.’ You don’t understand. They told me I can’t. People will give you flack, and it’s like, ‘No, I’m not walking away from this to become an actor. I was told that they will not let me do this. ‘You’re done.’ No choice in the matter. ‘Sorry.’
Actually, it did make it easier that they said that because I don’t have to sit around and think, ‘OK, well, they said I could sit out a little more, but there’s a huge risk. There’s this. There’s that.’ They took the decision out of my hands. At first, I was like, ‘Oh, what are you kidding. I can do this. I still feel pretty good. Sure, my neck hurts a lot, but I got a plate in it. What do you expect?’ Well, when all of a sudden that’s taken from you, and you don’t have that choice. For me, it really did make it easier, because I didn’t have to sit down and go, ‘OK’ and make any decisions. The decision was made. It was made by my body obviously but also by them.
So I don’t have any second guessing or that maybe in two years I can come back and do that one last match or anything like that. Yea, I’m done, and that’s all there is to it, and you have to accept it.”
Participating in SummerSlam but not currently watching the WWE product:
“Yes, but I still didn’t watch anything. I went out and did my thing, and that was it. Actually, what that show did for me was really give me closure. When I went out there, I was like, ‘All right. I’m good.’ If that never happens again, I’m fine with it.â€
Returning for one more match like Steve Austin says he could be able to do:
“I don’t really want to think about it, and also the WWE doctors told me they’ll never give me clearance to do it. It’s not going to change. My spine is shrinking. So it’s not like four years down the road it’s gonna suddenly open back up, and in order for it to open back up, I’d need to get surgery which would weaken my neck even more, which definitely stops me from ever doing it again.
What doctors told me is they won’t clear me. Now, I think [Austin] has the same thing as me. So coming back he has to pass all that stuff, and if you can’t pass it, they won’t clear you. It’s not a matter of, ‘Ah, well maybe one more.’ Well, maybe one more, if they clear you. Great, but they told me I’d never be cleared. So that makes everything easier for me. It immediately got rid of, ‘I can come back for one more.’ It’s like maybe I could, but they told me they won’t let me. So they took that all out of my hands. It’s funny because people have said, “Oh, OK, so you’re going to comeback for one more.’ It’s like you’re missing the point here. I didn’t retire because I wanted to. I retired because they told me I had to. There’s a big difference there.
Even the weekend with ‘SummerSlam,’ I did an autograph session, and fans were asking, ‘When you coming back for one more.’ You don’t understand. They told me I can’t. People will give you flack, and it’s like, ‘No, I’m not walking away from this to become an actor. I was told that they will not let me do this. ‘You’re done.’ No choice in the matter. ‘Sorry.’
Actually, it did make it easier that they said that because I don’t have to sit around and think, ‘OK, well, they said I could sit out a little more, but there’s a huge risk. There’s this. There’s that.’ They took the decision out of my hands. At first, I was like, ‘Oh, what are you kidding. I can do this. I still feel pretty good. Sure, my neck hurts a lot, but I got a plate in it. What do you expect?’ Well, when all of a sudden that’s taken from you, and you don’t have that choice. For me, it really did make it easier, because I didn’t have to sit down and go, ‘OK’ and make any decisions. The decision was made. It was made by my body obviously but also by them.
So I don’t have any second guessing or that maybe in two years I can come back and do that one last match or anything like that. Yea, I’m done, and that’s all there is to it, and you have to accept it.”