50 Ups & 50 Downs For WWE's Decade: The 2010s

By Michael Hamflett / January 1, 2020

Downs...

50. Edge Retires

WWE.com

A devastating start to the decade for all the Edgeheads but something of a lucky escape for the 'Rated-R Superstar' himself, the forced medical retirement of then-World Champion Edge reduced crowds of a certain age to floods.

The obvious plus to the tear-soaked scene was that he'd done it on his own terms, and before he could damage his legacy - the unexpected news came immediately after a successful WrestleMania 27 World Heavyweight Championship defence against Alberto Del Rio. He didn't want to go, but at least he left on top.

Authored by Michael Hamflett

Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett

Posted On: 1st Jan 2020