8. Edges Retirement Creates A Talent Crisis On SmackDown!
Edge was Smackdowns top guy from arguably 2008 until 2011. He was the guy that was meant to carry the Blue Brand, and he had the skills and looks necessary to do so. Considering that he managed to acquire 11 World Title reigns between 2005 and 2011, demonstrates how much faith Vince had in him. In fact, Edge is the single most decorated star in WWE history in terms of number of titles and awards. But as he once said, he was wrestling on borrowed time, and after WrestleMania XXVI, that time ran out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxOoI0jn4pA Without a major Superstar that could play either a babyface or heel role, problems on SmackDown soon arose. Christian won the vacated World title at Extreme Rules 2011, only to lose it two days later to Randy Orton. Though their feud in 2011 was good, the overall star-power on SmackDown nosedived. Other than Randy Orton and Christian, who was there to carry the World Title? Alberto del Rio was, and still is, a good in-ring technician, but lacked charisma and character development (but you already knew that). Kanes title reign was lackluster, overshadowed by his feud with The Undertaker. The Big Show has turned face and heel so much that no one really cared what he did, and, despite his size, few still see him as a credible Title holder anymore. It took a rejuvenated Mark Henry to bring some fresh presence to the heavyweight title picture in 2011, but despite his best efforts, many people soon thought that the World Title became the new Intercontinental Championship: a stepping stone to the main event, or a reward to loyal WWE talent (Mark Henry and Kane being notable examples) When Edge retired, all of this became more apparent. The WWE tried putting the belt on Swagger to elevate someone against Edge, but it didnt work. The Nexus and the Corre (remember them?) didnt create a world champion, and Daniel Bryans ascent to the main event happened on RAW more than on SmackDown, and his reign was overshadowed by his devastating 18 second loss to Sheamus. It took stars from the earlier half of the 2000s to battle over the World Heavyweight Championship. And speaking of stars from that era
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
