5 Ups And 6 Downs From WWE Raw 3:16 Day

by Scott Carlson

1. A Quiet Rage

Edge Promo
WWE.com

The empty arena actually helped make Edge’s return promo even more impactful Monday night.

The Rated-R Superstar opened Raw by delivering a lengthy promo retracing his relationship with Randy Orton, from his first meeting 21 years ago up through two weeks ago when Orton RKO’d Edge’s wife Beth Phoenix.

Edge spoke with a quiet rage that simmered throughout as he talked about how both men were pushed by Mick Foley to be the best version of themselves. However, Edge learned one lesson Orton didn’t: grit, or how to stand back up when you get knocked down.

This led to the next phase, where Edge ramped up his anger as he called Randy a spoiled brat who was handed everything but was jealous that Edge had worked hard and eclipsed him. He then challenged Orton to a Last Man Standing match at WrestleMania, now finally yelling at the camera.

Altogether, this was as good a promo you’ll see in an empty arena.

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Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.