The 'Tables, Ladders And Chairs' matches from SummerSlam 2000 and WrestleMania X-Seven may have been spectacular, but they had a huge impact on Adam 'Edge' Copeland's life. At the time, hardly anyone involved was thinking about what would happen in the future. Instead, Edge was simply focusing on stealing the show, taking immense punishment in the process. Unfortunately, those bumps were always going to cause problems further on down the line. By 2011, Copeland's neck was in a terrible state. Previously, he had suffered a serious neck injury in 2003. Those problems would continually re-occur, until doctors told him without argument that he should definitely retire from the ring. The other option was continuing, but that would have been risking Edge's ability to walk in later life. Diagnosed with Cervical Spinal Stenosis, Edge could have ended up paralysed and confined to a wheelchair had he continued to wrestle in the manner he was. Deciding that his life was more important than proceeding as a WWE star, Copeland retired in 2011. His retirement speech was clearly emotional, and it looked like a hard moment for someone who should have had years ahead of him in the ring.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
