10 Wrestlers You Won't Believe Never Had A Five Star Match
3. Edge
Edge was a fantastic in-ring performer and a quietly influential one at that. He had an incredible knack for countering the offence of his opponents to create suspense - a trope that has become the norm in modern day WWE.
It spoke to his awareness at in-ring psychology. Edge was slight, by the headliner standard of his peak run, so he carved out a character-serving niche as an opportunistic heel able to slime his way out of perilous situations. It might be somewhat generous to describe him as an all-time great - but Jonny Ace is hardly part of that echelon, and he was awarded the (previous) maximum on two occasions. Edge only managed near-perfection at ****3/4.
Closest Candidate: Edge & Rey Mysterio Vs. Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit, WWE No Mercy 2002.
Edge was the least critically-acclaimed man in this absolutely scintillating tag match, but he was equally responsible for its greatness. Angle and Mysterio opened it, with Angle launching Mysterio across the ring with a purposefully (and hilariously) nonchalant suplex, but Edge and Benoit expertly escalated the borderline comedy into a stiff and tense tone with wincing chops and a stunning, ring-clearing flapjack. The heated finishing sequence was a whirlwind of near falls, inventive double team moves, transgressions and submissions.
It is impossible to watch without your jaw unhinged - but it was a quarter star removed from the full five.