10. Vince Russo Initially Envisioned Edge As A 'Deaf Mute'
Story: Upon making his debut in the then-WWF of 1998, Edge was painted as an enigma. A character of few words, the man looked like an exciting prospect who could rise up through the ranks. It may surprise a few younger fans to learn that Edge didn't come in as part of a tag-team, he was simply on his own, and a role in the mid-card was his for the taking. As the story goes, Vince Russo - who was head of the promotion's creative team at the time - was interested in making Edge both deaf and mute. This would mean that not only was the guy's hearing impaired, but he also wouldn't be able to cut his own promos, because he didn't talk. Why People Believe It: It's Vince Russo, a man tarred with the bad idea brush more often than the good one nowadays. It's quite clear that Russo isn't helping himself with some of his more recent comments about popular figures like Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens, but ignoring all that, he was partly responsible for some of the great characters and stories prevalent throughout the Attitude Era, something people overlook. Regardless of any hints of brilliance, Russo's tenure with WCW showed that when he wasn't supervised he could be utterly awful. It's absolutely believable that the man would pitch such a character. Should We Believe It: Copeland has pretty much come out and said during interviews that Russo wasn't his biggest fan, and didn't see much star quality in him. It's plausible that he'd pitch such a character, maybe even as a test for the young and lanky Canadian.
